Playoff Preview: Pirates must crack Buckeyes physical play

WHEELERSBURG — You can almost hear the late, great Olivia Newton John singing, “Let’s get physical.”

Wheelersburg Pirates head coach Rob Woodward has been watching film of this week’s opponent and the one facet keeps rising to the top.

“I haven’t seen every game they’ve played, but in the ones that I have been able to watch they are definitely more physical than their opponent,” said Woodward.

“That’s allowed them to be at the 12-0 record that they are.”

Wheelersburg and the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes meet Friday night at Hamilton Township High School in the Division 5 Region 19 championship game in a battle of 12-0 teams.

Last week while Wheelersburg was beating Barnesville 36-13 for its fourth straight postseason over the Shamrocks, N-Y got past Columbus Academy 10-7.

Woodward said watching the film made it easy to see why the Buckeyes got the win.

“Last week against Columbus Academy, I thought overall, they were the more physical team. They played hard for four quarters and that’s what I’ve seen in the other games I’ve been able to watch,” said Woodward.

Both teams feature some strong offensive weapons.

The Buckeyes have running back Austin Gautier who has 202 carries for 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns. He averages 6.9 yard per carry.

The Buckeyes will utilize Dakota Cunningham who had 89 carries for 505 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Quarterback Cameron Sullivan is 75 of 113 on the season for 1,070 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has thrown only 2 interceptions.

The top receiver is Alec Thompson with 32 catches for 569 yards and 10 touchdowns. Walker Stone has 13 receptions for 254 yards and 4 scores.

Stone also has 539 yards rushing on 39 carries with 8 touchdowns.

“The quarterback is a good athlete who does a good job getting the ball out to (Thompson). And, of course they have two good running backs,” said Woodward.

“I feel like I’m watching the 1990s with a Pro-I team that’s going to go inside and outside, just working each other and then going play-action or bootleg off of it.”

The defense is led by Noah Arnold with 80 tackles including 16 tackles for a loss. Stone had 64 tackles with 32 being solo takedowns. Caeleb Layton had 17 hurries and 1.5 sacks.

“They have some speed on defense and (Layton) is relentless. He makes as many tackles on the opposite side of the ball than the plays that are at him,” said Woodward.

Pirates’ quarterback Braylon Rucker is 110 or 148 passing for 74 percent. He has thrown 17 touchdown passes and just one interception all season.

Elijah Brown leads the ground game with 104 rushes for 772 yards and a 7.4 yards per carry average. He has scored 16 touchdowns and he has seven receptions for 180 yards and a score.

The Pirates have a plethora of receivers led by Kenyon Evans with 32 receptions for 428 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brady Doss with 30 catches for 424 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Xavier Miller had 22 grabs for 329 yards and 4 scores while Hunter Bivens has 15 catches for 156 yards and a score.

One major weapon for Wheelersburg is punter and placekicker Cooper Heimback who just committed to the Ohio Bobcats.

Beside a leg that consistently has punts in excess of 40 yards as well as 50, he has converted 51of 53 extra points and is 11 of 13 in field goals with his longest kick being 53 yards. He has a few others that have also exceeded 50 yards.

The defense is led by Doss with 61 tackles including 5.5 for a loss. There are plenty of others playing well for a solid defensive group are Luke Kouns with 52 tackles, Hunter Henderson with 40, Landon McGraw with 35, Ison Emnett and Brown with 33 each, Brew Hanzel 31 and Bryson Montavon with 25.

Woodward said his defense has played well and improved all season.

“The thing I like about us is we’re pretty physical and fast ourselves,” said Woodward. “We played two pretty quality opponents (in the playoffs) and we didn’t flinch.

“Barnesville went right down the field and scored on the opening drive and took six minutes. Our guys didn’t let it bother them. They went right back at it. As a matter of fact, we stalled them in the next offensive series.”

Woodward said this team has a special personality trait that impresses him.

“This team is as good as any team I’ve had in having a short memory. They’re not letting a big play affect them on the next play,” said Woodward.

“We just talk about a lot on consistency of winning your battle on two or three consecutive plays together.”

The game also matches the Southeast District Co-Coaches of the Year in Woodward and N-Y’s Rusty Richards.

“It comes down to who’s playing the best in week fourteen,” said Woodward.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 P.M.

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OHSAA Division 5, Regional Finals

Nelsonville-York Buckeyes (12-0) at Wheelersburg Pirates (12-0)

Time: Friday, November 21, 7:00 PM

Where: Hamilton Township Alumni Stadium, Hamilton, OH

Key Matchup to Watch:

Wheelersburg front seven vs. Nelsonville-York offensive line

It's pretty simple. The Buckeyes are going to pound the ball at the Pirates and set the tone of the game. And it's no question that the strength of the Pirates has been their interior seven. So this will be a classic example of "The Immovable Object vs. The Unstoppable Force". However, we'll let you pick which is which.

Impact Players to Watch:

Austin Gautier, Nelsonville-York

The Buckeyes are going to run the ball and Gautier has been the bellcow of the offense this season. With an impressive 6.9 yards per carry, he should be heard a lot on the PA system.

Luke Kouns, Wheelersburg

All season long, the Pirates have been able to stuff the run and limit big plays. Kouns has been one of the main catalyst of the defense and will need to show why again on Friday.