State Semi Finals Kirtland 44 Nelsonville-York 0

[NY BUCKS]

I agree maiden is the key if he gets anything going and gets some time he will make them pay..with his arm and legs both

[moonshine]

Beware! Nelsonville-York is running into a different type of Animal! If they can hang around within 3-7 points in the 4th quarter They might have a chance. The key to this game will be how well N-Y O-line can handle the might Kirtland's D-Line. That the key to this game!

And in the end:

Kirtland 35

N-Y 17

[#ReachHigher]

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NELSONVILLE YORK BUCKEYES AS THE BATTLE A VERY TOUGH OPPONENT IN KIRTLAND. I HOPE YOU GUYS WIN THIS GAME AND WIN IT ALL. AND BRING ANOTHER STATE TITLE TO SOUTHERN OHIO.

Hoping my Pirates bring one back to Southern Ohio too! Good luck NY

[EvilPaladin]

My team ? I comment about what I know of Kirtland. Not my team. Rather the favorite by most. Hornets have a strong , physical D and have a strong run team. NY is typical SEO team. Played no one and haven't faced a team like Kirtland. Enjoy the game. Then get out the basketballs.

I'm still not sure why you even post on this site.
We all get it, you hate southeastern Ohio and will take any chance to run us down.
Quit being "that guy"

and yet you defend him when others poke fun at him

[Baldeagle]

Ny is going to be a tough out ..i think if Ny
Gets the run going they will spread the field and make them chase every play and maiden will make them pay..

From the little I've seen and some of what I have heard from a couple friends who live up there. They have a solid run defense but their corners have a tendency to get beat deep.
I do think we will have some trouble running against them. We will definitely have to run outside.
This game will come down to Maidens arm and playing mistake free football. Both of which I am confident the Bucks can do.

Good thing you dont coach with that offensive philosophy. If the bucks would install the wishbone this week like the way we ran it back in 1981 they would gouge enormous holes in the kirtland defense. Plus they would control field position and the clock. Thus allowing the Buckeyes to slip out of town with a hardfought 15-14 win

[Baldeagle]

If you need info call arch rose at Eastern HS.

[NYBuckeye96]

This will be the first ever meeting between the Buckeyes and Hornets.

This will be the third all-time game for NY in the State Semifinals and NY is 1-1 in the State Semifinals:

1981 - NY defeated Wheelersburg 14-0 in Ironton to advance to the State Championship Game in Division IV the following week, where they defeated Otsego 34-16 to win the State Championship.

1982 - NY lost to West Jefferson 22-14 in Lancaster. West Jefferson went on the following week to win the Division IV State Championship by defeating Archbold 6-0.

[NYBuckeye96]

http://www.athensmessenger.com/sports/o ... 0e6d5.html

Buckeyes return to familiar territory with a new blue print

By Jason Arkley Messenger Staff Journalist


JACKSON — Like many football coaches, Rusty Richards is well armed with a plethora of one-liners.


One favorite Richards used on Friday night is one you’ve probably heard before.


“I’d rather be lucky than good when it comes to winning football games,” Richards quipped, after the Buckeyes beat Coal Grove, 28-7, to win the Division VI, Region 23 football championship at Jackson’s Alumni Stadium.


The saying may be true. But Richards and the Buckeyes also believe whole heartedly in another axiom: Speed kills.


Nelsonville-York (13-0) has tied the program for wins in a season. The regional title was the team’s first since 1982. The Buckeyes are in the final four for the first time in a couple generations.


But these aren’t your father’s — or your grandfather’s — Buckeyes. And not in a literal sense. The current crop of N-Y players are soaking up every minute of putting their stamp on the most historic program in Athens County.


Nelsonville-York always embodied toughness. The Buckeyes will hit you on defense, pound you with smash-mouth football on offense, and then spend four quarters of grinding an opponents soul into the turf three yards, or one sack, at a time.


Well, that was the way it used to be. Now, the Buckeyes will blanket the secondary with a fleet of cheetahs, crash the line of scrimmage with a wave of rocketing linebackers, and break a foe’s spirit with dazzling cuts, long throws and uninterrupted express-speed runs to the end zone.


Unlike other years or decades, the Buckeyes won’t intimidate anyone walking off the bus. But opposing defenses get all the fear they need watching the game film. One mistake — a busted coverage, a wrong alignment, a missed tackle — and N-Y will make you pay.


It was no different on Friday night. Coal Grove was bigger, and vastly more so, in a few spots. And then the game started, and the Buckeyes’ flock of quick-footed weapons imposed their will in a different way on the pristine artificial surface.


“We go out to the coin toss today, and those guys are twice our size. These huge biceps and everything,” N-Y quarterback Garrett Maiden said. “I get scared sometimes, but I know that speed kills.


“Everyone says that here in Nelsonville, especially this year.”


The Hornets are probably saying the same thing now. Coal Grove effectively bottled up the line, from tackle to tackle. But the Buckeyes owned all the real estate on the outside and down the field.


Maiden, slippery and faster than he looks, threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns, and added 74 yards rushing. The Buckeyes’ bevy of potential game-breakers also included speedy seniors Chris Cook and Shakim Williams.


Williams effectively sealed the regional title game with a tipped-pass, 53-yard touchdown with just 4.8 seconds left in the first half to give Nelsonville-York a 21-7 lead. The Buckeyes got the ball with 27 seconds left, and needed three plays and 22 seconds to turn the game on its head.


“I think it’s been a lot of fun. We have a lot more people to get the ball to, who can do different things. We have so much talent on our team,” Williams said.


That pass play involved some luck. Williams went from pass target, to pass defender, in the span of a couple heart beats. After the deflection, the ball thudded into his chest and he instantly became a receiver again and raced untouched to the end zone.


“I go up to try to tip it and I just catch it somehow,” Williams explained with a shrug.


Speed can kill, even on accident, it appears.



The Buckeyes’ most dangerous speed merchant this season has been transformative sophomore talent Keegan Wilburn. He tortured Coal Grove through out, and finished with 131 receiving yards, 81 yards rushing and three total touchdowns. His wildcat touchdown run in the second quarter was a breath-taking example of start-and-stop acceleration.


Sure, Wilburn hit the turf hard when the Hornets were able to get their hands on him. But Coal Grove had a devil of time getting that to happen.


For decades, Nelsonville-York has taken pride in the fact that on most nights it will own the line of scrimmage. The Buckeyes, in this dream of a season, are taking pride now in being the ones to own the outside lanes.


“We just try to take advantage of what we have, and right now we have a ton of speed. We’re not the biggest, we have two 180-pound guards,” Richards said. “But our linemen just have to try to get in somebody’s way. We tell our kids to keep blocking to the whistle because these guys are going to find lanes.”


Most of the Buckeye players can tell you all about the program’s history. Maiden, for instance, can recite how N-Y’s last regional final game against Coal Grove played out — and that was more than 30 years ago.


They know the program’s stories and tradition. And they know the current team is going about things in a way that is alien to that history.


“It’s different,” Maiden said. “We’ve always been a hard-nosed team, going back to Coach Boston. It’s not the wrong way to play, and this isn’t the wrong way to play either.


“It just depends on who your team is. We use that speed.”


Richards may rather be lucky than good, but he’d rather his team be fast than anything else. His players agree. The I-formation roots still pop up time to time for N-Y, but that doesn’t represent the team’s identity. Big plays, passes and undeniable speed are the calling cards for these Buckeyes.


“It’s nice to adapt to the game, but at the same time it’s nice to keep seeing our origins,” Wilburn said, referring to the power looks the Buckeyes still implement from time to time.


“But it’s been a blast. I think it’s a result of having athletes plus a very good support staff.”

[NYBuckeye96]

http://www.athensmessenger.com/sports/l ... 2fda0.html

Nelsonville-York gets Kirtland in state semis

By Kevin Wiseman Messenger sports editor
Nov 19, 2017


The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes have conquered all foes thus far in the 2017 season.


Next up is a battle against once of the best the state routinely has to offer.


The Buckeyes will take on the Kirtland Hornets in a Division VI state semifinal on Friday. The game will be played at New Philadelphia's Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium, and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.


Nelsonville-York is 13-0, tying a school record for wins in a season. The Buckeyes defeated Coal Grove Dawson-Bryant 28-7 to win the Region 23 championship last Friday.


It's the third regional championship for N-Y, joining the 1981 and 1982 squads that also advanced to the Final Four. The '81 team went 13-0 in winning the Division IV state championship.


The Buckeyes are one of just 11 teams in the entire state that are still undefeated. Kirtland is also among that group, as the Hornets are 13-0 after a 17-7 win over previously unbeaten Rootstown in the Region 21 championship game.


The state semifinal matchup between Nelsonville-York and Kirkland is one of three across all divisions pitting 13-0 teams against each other.


In Division IV, Steubenville and Shelby are both 13-0 and will play each other, while Canfield South Range and Pemberville Eastwood play in another 13-0 vs. 13-0 game in Division V.


Kirtland, located in Lake County northeast of Cleveland, has become a recent OHSAA powerhouse.


The Hornets are in the postseason for the 13th time, and the eighth season in a row. Kirtland only had two playoff appearances in its history — coming in 1990 and 1999 — prior to the 2006 season.


Despite the limited playoff appearances prior to 2006, Kirtland now owns 32 wins in 41 all-time postseason games. It has won six regional titles, all coming in the last seven seasons.


The Hornets played in five straight state championship games before losing in the regional finals in 2016. They won state titles in 2011, 2013 and 2015, while losing in the state finals in 2012 and 2014.



The Buckeyes, on the strength of four playoff victories in the last two seasons, now own an 11-15 record in the OHSAA postseason. They have made the postseason 17 times.


Nelsonville-York will be considered the visiting team on Friday, while Kirtland is the home squad.


Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium is located at Tuscora Park, not at New Philadelphia High School.


The other Division VI state semifinal pits Maria Stein Marion Local (13-0) against Findlay Liberty-Benton (12-1). That game will be played at Wapakoneta Harmon Field on Friday.


The Division VI state championship game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 2 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. The time of the game will be announced on Friday evening, after the conclusion of the state semifinal games.

[NYBuckeye96]

This game has one random tie back to 1981...........

In 1981, Otsego defeated Rootstown 30-22 in the state semifinals.

In 2017, Kirtland defeated Rootstown 17-7 in the regional finals.

In both cases, NY is playing the team that beat the Rootstown Rovers the previous week.

Hopefully 2017 has the same end result as 1981!

[Chief Kdogg]

My team ? I comment about what I know of Kirtland. Not my team. Rather the favorite by most. Hornets have a strong , physical D and have a strong run team. NY is typical SEO team. Played no one and haven't faced a team like Kirtland. Enjoy the game. Then get out the basketballs.

I must say I agree with the former Logan star player and coach on this one. But you have to remember there is a Trimble guy at the helm now, so it's not the typical Nelsonville that can only beat you when they can run over you.

[Chief Kdogg]

My team ? I comment about what I know of Kirtland. Not my team. Rather the favorite by most. Hornets have a strong , physical D and have a strong run team. NY is typical SEO team. Played no one and haven't faced a team like Kirtland. Enjoy the game. Then get out the basketballs.

After looking at the scores of Kirtland games I've changed my mind. I think NY has the potential to win this game, and could do so rather easily with their ability to pass the ball. Also, it's not the typical NY that can only beat you if they can run over you. They have a Trimble guy that can scheme and game plan and call plays to take advantage of weaknesses. My prediction-

NY 35

Kirtland 14

[Olderbird]

Glad game isn't today seen that field is under water.
Honest question. What does flood do to a turf field, I know it has drains but I'm talking about all those little rubber balls

[fireball]

ask paladin he knows everything

[Paladin]

You guys really are sensitive. Over on Yappi, the poll shows by 28-4 ,people picking Kirtland in this game. Pasteur shows a pick of Kirtland by 9 pts with 72% probability.

And you are upset with me seeing Kirtland as the favored team ? lol

Remind me again of the SEO record in the playoffs overall ?

[Amarranavajas]

You guys really are sensitive. Over on Yappi, the poll shows by 28-4 ,people picking Kirtland in this game. Pasteur shows a pick of Kirtland by 9 pts with 72% probability.

And you are upset with me seeing Kirtland as the favored team ? lol

Remind me again of the SEO record in the playoffs overall ?

You want to give Logan's playoff record. Or how about your 5'6" grandson's teams record? Stay north old smelly fella. Though they don't like you either, they probably haven't heard you tell your stories about how "great you were in high school." So you can bore them with those tales.

[fireball]

Kirtland defense in playoffs giving up 16 a game ny defense 9 so which one is better

[Amarranavajas]

Kirtland defense in playoffs giving up 16 a game ny defense 9 so which one is better

Kirtland can't stop NY. Too many weapons, and can run and pass equally well and speed everywhere. No way they've seen speed like what they'll get Friday. Plus everyone is picking them so they are probably sleeping on this one. If not, this will be a nightmare week of prep for them. I can see a tOSU v. Iowa outcome if they sleep all week.

[Michigan n Trumbull]

Kirtland defense in playoffs giving up 16 a game ny defense 9 so which one is better

Very Good Point!!! Some will argue the competition wasn't as tough.....when you get to week 12 and on, it is all good comparable competition.
One big Play the other night for C.G. was a 67 yard run. Nelsonville does a good job of making a team snap it 10-12 times and put a drive together. That is when teams make mistakes- put the ball on the ground, get a penalty or throw a int.
Should be a great game. Nelsonville is very balanced and also has big play capabilities at any time. Kirtland can control the clock, shorten the game, sustain long drives and limit the number of possessions.

[Amarranavajas]

Kirtland defense in playoffs giving up 16 a game ny defense 9 so which one is better

Very Good Point!!! Some will argue the competition wasn't as tough.....when you get to week 12 and on, it is all good comparable competition.
One big Play the other night for C.G. was a 67 yard run. Nelsonville does a good job of making a team snap it 10-12 times and put a drive together. That is when teams make mistakes- put the ball on the ground, get a penalty or throw a int.
Should be a great game. Nelsonville is very balanced and also has big play capabilities at any time. Kirtland can control the clock, shorten the game, sustain long drives and limit the number of possessions.

I don't think NY will have any problem solving the Stack-I. And the half back pass won't work either, just ask the Gambler. Put 9 guys in the box and make them run trick plays and try to throw the ball. Then it's on to Marion Local.