Hornets must stop Buckeyes’ big-play offense
Published 12:09 am Thursday, November 16, 2017
Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com
COAL GROVE — Stopping big plays will be big.
Coal Grove Hornets’ head football coach Evan Ferguson said the biggest key for his team against the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes on Friday in the Division VI Region 23 championship game is stopping big plays.
“Offensively, they seem to live off their speed and the big play. They usually strike a big play and if they get rolling early they continue to feed off that and it continues to build as they go,” said Ferguson who takes his team against the N-Y offense at 7:30 p.m. at Jackson High School.
“They’re a really good football team. They’re probably the best team we’ve played all year. We have to come out and play well and we can’t afford to let up.”
Coal Grove is 11-1 on the season while the Buckeyes are 12-0. The two teams have met three times including the first round of the Division IV playoffs in 1981 when N-Y held on for a 14-12 win.
The Buckeyes also won 20-13 in 1997 and 17-14 in overtime in 1998.
“I think Nelsonville is a really good football team. You look at their team and they are football players. They are in shape, they’re fast and they play with a lot of speed and enthusiasm,” said Ferguson.
The Buckeyes’ big play offense is led by senior quarterback Garrett Maiden (5-10, 165) who is a converted wide receiver.
Maiden is 100-of-177 passing for 1,846 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has thrown seven interceptions. Maiden has also rushed 103 times for 644 yards — a 6.3 average — and he has 12 touchdowns.
The Buckeyes have three top runners led by sophomore tailback Keegan Wilburn (5-10, 170) who had 1,161 yards on 146 carries for an 8.0 yards per carry average. He has scored 12 touchdowns.
“Their tailback is real fast and shifty. QB throws a good deep ball and they do a good job spreading people out and hitting their receivers.”
Senior fullback Colt Yinger (5-11, 185) has carried 104 times for 949 yards and a 9.1 average. He also has 12 touchdowns.
Wilburn has 29 catches for 589 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Chris Cook (5-10, 160) has 23 receptions for 541 yards and four scores and senior Jonathan Richards (6-2, 170) has 18 catches for 293 yards.
Friday’s winner will advance to the state semifinals and probably play the winner of Coldwater and Maria Stein Marion Local. Ferguson is hoping the Hornets can reach the semifinals for the first time since 1990.
“We just have to take care of the football. We can’t turn the ball over against a team of this caliber,” said Ferguson.
“I’m proud of our kids. They’ve come a long way. When I got here we had some talent, but they’ve got their confidence and they haven’t quit.”
Here are the Division VI regional pairings:
Division VI Regional Finals – Games at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. Pairings are shown with seeds and records.
Region 21: 1 Rootstown (12-0) vs. 3 Kirtland (12-0) at Solon Stewart Field
Region 22: 1 Findlay Liberty-Benton (11-1) vs. 6 Jeromesville Hillsdale (9-3) at Tiffin Frost-Kalnow Stadium
Region 23: 1 Nelsonville-York (12-0) vs. 3 Coal Grove Dawson-Bryant (11-1) at Jackson Holzer Field at Alumni Stadium
Region 24: 4 Coldwater (9-3) vs. 2 Maria Stein Marion Local (12-0) at Sidney Memorial Stadium
COAL GROVE OFFENSE
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Gr.
1 Sam Angelo SE 6-04 205 Sr.
53 Reece York LT 5-08 245 So.
55 Evan Friend LG 5-07 205 Sr.
52 Trey Hicks C 6-02 270 Sr.
50 Darin Bloomfield RG 6-00 220 Sr.
58 Ben Compliment RT 6-02 205 Fr.
5 Jeb Jones TE 6-03 210 Sr.
23 Aaron Music WB 6-01 175 Jr.
8 Nathan Harmon QB 6-02 185 Jr.
34 Kimo Baldwin FB 6-01 230 Sr.
12 Kyle Sites TB 5-08 160 Jr.
COAL GROVE DEFENSE
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Gr.
50 Darin Bloomfield DE 6-00 220 Sr.
77 Josh Waulk NG/DT 5-11 380 Sr.
52 Trey Hicks DT 6-02 270 Sr.
5 Jeb Jones DE 6-03 205 Sr.
34 Kimo Baldwin LB 6-01 230 Sr.
1 Sam Angelo LB 6-04 205 Sr.
2 Evan Holmes LB/CB 5-11 170 Jr.
8 Nathan Harmon CB 6-02 185 Jr.
3 Jordan Case CB 6-01 160 Sr.
15 Joey Workman S 6-00 175 Sr.
23 Aaron Music S 6-01 175 Jr.
NELSONVILLE-YORK DEFENSE
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Gr.
2 Levi Wickman DE 6-05 230 Sr.
51 Tyler Speelman DT 5-11 180 Sr.
70 Donovan McCollister DT 6-03 245 Jr.
7 Brady Jones DE 5-10 160 Sr.
25 Corbin Keplar LB 5-10 165 Sr.
5 Ronnie Wend LB 6-00 170 Sr.
15 Colt Yinger LB 5-11 185 Sr.
21 Bryce Parker-Lent LB 5-10 175 Sr.
6 Chris Cook CB 5-10 160 Sr.
11 Shakim Williams CB 6-01 175 Sr.
10 Jonathan Richards FS 6-02 170 Sr.
NELSONVILLE-YORK OFFENSE
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Gr.
6 Chris Cook SE 5-10 160 Sr.
67 Connor McQuade LT 5-10 250 Jr.
62 Anthony Koping LG 5-09 180 Sr.
59 Clay Hall C 6-02 220 Jr.
53 Logan Bruce RG 5-07 180 Sr.
70 Donovan McCollister RT 6-03 245 Jr.
2 Levi Wickman TE 6-05 230 Sr.
5 Ronnie Wend WR 6-00 170 Sr.
9 Garrett Maiden QB 5-10 165 Sr.
15 Colt Yinger FB 5-11 185 Sr.
3 Keegan Wilburn WR 5-10 170 So.
Coal Grove Hornets 2017 Results
Coal Grove 51 Buffalo, W.Va. 6
Coal Grove 38 Lucasville Valley 20
Coal Grove 6 Portsmouth West 28
Coal Grove 43 South Point 0
Coal Grove 27 Chesapeake 7
Coal Grove 19 Portsmouth 14
Coal Grove 33 Gallipolis 20
Coal Grove 28 Ironton 7
Coal Grove 29 Fairland 19
Coal Grove 28 Rock Hill 7
Playoffs
Coal Grove 7 Shenandoah 6
Coal Grove 48 Southeastern 26
Record: 11-1
Nelsonville-York Buckeyes 2017 Results
Nelsonvillle-York 21 Glouster Trimble 0
Nelsonville-York 21 Newark Catholic 14
Nelsonville-York 50 Minford 33
Nelsonville-York 49 River Valley 7
Nelsonville-York 38 Waverly 13
Nelsonville-York 49 Meigs 14
Nelsonville-York 34 Wellston 2
Nelsonville-York 35 Alexander 0
Nelsonville-York 27 Vinton County 24
Nelsonville-York 52 Athens 26
Playoffs
Nelsonville-York 34 Shadyside 0
Nelsonville-York 26 Fort Frye (OT) 20
Record: 12-0