Sports
Nelsonville-York Looks for Another Beatdown over River Valley
By: Taylor Jedrzejek
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On the surface, Friday night’s TVC-Ohio opener between Nelsonville-York and River Valley has the makings of a close game.
Both teams are coming off convincing victories in week three. The Buckeyes (3-0) won a 50-33 shootout at home over Minford and the Raiders (2-1) defeated South Point 25-8. However, there is a bigger gap between these two teams then it may seem.
Last season, these teams met in week four as well. A then 1-2 Nelsonville-York team traveled to Bidwell and bludgeoned a 3-0 River Valley team 44-6 to start its journey to a perfect record in the TVC-Ohio in 2016.
This season, despite graduating many key contributors from the regional semifinal team, the Buckeyes continue to roll behind their offensive tandem of senior quarterback Garrett Maiden and sophomore running back Keegan Wilburn. The duo has combined for 568 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground and have connected for another 115 yards and a score through the air.
This backfield could spell trouble for the Raiders. Just two weeks ago, the River Valley defense gave up 475 rushing yards to Gallia Academy in its lone loss of the season to this point.
Nelsonville-York also has recent history on their side. The Buckeyes have won 8 of the last 9 meetings between the two teams and winning those eight games in blowout fashion, winning by an average score of 41.9-7.1.
If the Raiders are to have any chance Friday night, it will be thanks to their defense and their quarterback.
So far this season, the River Valley defense has forced 9 turnovers and held opponents to a combined 8 points in their two victories.
On the other side of the ball, Raider senior quarterback Patrick Brown gives his team a chance to score whenever he takes the field. Brown has thrown for 350 yards and 2 touchdowns while also rushing for another 153 yards and a score. Those 503 yards has accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Raiders offense in their first three games of 2017.