Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
GAHANNA — Walker Stone etched his name into Nelsonville-York immortality Friday night.
With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter of a Division V, Region 19 semifinal at Columbus Academy, the Buckeyes’ defense needed one final stop with the Vikings driving.
Columbus Academy took a shot at the end zone from NY’s 42-yard line, trying to take the lead. But that’s when Stone made the play of his life.
In man-to-man coverage, Stone turned around from his receiver and snagged a game-sealing interception, his second of the night, in the end zone, to polish off a 10-7 victory — one that sends Nelsonville-York (12-0) to its first regional final since 2017.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“Coach [Rusty Richards] was telling me they were going to get greedy and throw that long pass, so I knew it was coming. I saw that wheel come out, so I kept dropping back,” Stone said. “They burnt us on a couple plays, and we’ll admit to that. But you just stay honest, stay on your toes, and good things are going to happen. It was a great feeling to see them run that hitch exactly like coach was saying, and then I saw them throw that deep ball and I got that pick.”
In a matchup where offense came at a premium, the two teams stalemated through the first 12 minutes. Both teams heavily favored the run game, to no avail, leading to punts on each of the first two possessions on both sides.
But when Columbus Academy (9-3) tried to attack through the air, the Buckeyes were prepared for the test.
Facing a 3rd and nine, Vikings quarterback Michael Tishkoff took a shot downfield, but it found the hands of Stone, giving NY possession at Columbus Academy’s 39-yard line with 8:20 left.
From there, the Buckeyes’ offense immediately went to work. Cameron Sullivan hit Alec Thompson on a diving catch for a 29-yard gain, setting up first and goal.
“I would say the run opens up the pass and the pass opens up the run,” Thompson said. “We had the talent to make it this far and execute, and I had faith in all of my teammates.”
However, defense would prevail yet again.
After failing to find pay dirt on the first three plays with goal to go, the Buckeyes were faced with a fourth down try from the one. There, Sullivan audibled into a quarterback sneak to try and cross the goal line, but the Vikings’ defense stuffed him short, leaving things scoreless with 5:11 left.
But with momentum rushing over to Academy’s side, NY made sure to take it right back.
The Buckeyes’ defense forced another punt and sent the offense back to work. Similar to the previous drive, NY used a healthy mix of run and pass to move deep into enemy territory.
Then, with 1:19 left, the ice finally cracked.
On a 1st and 10, Sullivan rolled out to his right and fired a bullet down the middle of the field before a sliding Thompson hauled it in for six points. Grant Elliot then connected on the PAT, giving the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead right before the break.
“It was a tough game on both sides and there were a couple breaks here and there. It was just a great battle. [Columbus Academy] had dudes all over the field,” Nelsonville-York head coach Rusty Richards said. “We knew coming in that they had a great defensive line and it sort of jolted us at the beginning of the game. But our kids settled in a little bit, and Cameron Sullivan made some really great throws for a team that doesn’t throw the football that much.”
“I was pretty stubborn in the first half running the ball, but I saw [Columbus Academy’s Gabe Davis-Ray] who’s going to Northwestern cheating towards our wide side,” Richards added. “We dialed that play up on a timeout and it was something we’d been running since Week 2. I thought we could get Alec one-on-one and Cam threw a dart to him down there and it gave us a lot of momentum.”
Columbus Academy wouldn’t stay on the mat for long, though.
Nelsonville’s defense would force a three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half. However, a penalty on the ensuing punt gave the Vikings another chance before they advanced into enemy territory.
From there, Tishkoff connected with Charlie Pizotti down the sideline for a 47-yard touchdown pass, knotting things up at 7-7 with 8:22 left in the frame.
But the Buckeyes didn’t panic.
When they got the ball back, they stayed true to their run game. Spreading the wealth between Austin Gautier and Dakota Cunningham, as well as a few keepers from Sullivan, NY took its time and drove to the three-yard line.
Once again, though, Academy’s defense stood tall and kept the Buckeyes out of the end zone. This forced NY to turn to something they haven’t needed to do all season long — kick a field goal.
With 2:56 left, Nelsonville-York trotted out Elliott for a 20-yard attempt from the left hash. Elliott answered the bell, splitting the uprights with ease to put the Buckeyes in front by a 10-7 count heading into the fourth quarter.
WATCH: Nelsonville-York sings fight song after win over Columbus Academy
“What a great job by our sophomore kicker. There was a lot of pressure on the kid and he boomed the ball tonight,” Richards said. “We’re very proud of Grant Elliott tonight, also.”
After both teams exchanged punts, NY got the ball back with 7:56 to play. Looking to milk the clock, the Buckeyes used a heavy dose of the run game and forced Academy to burn all three of its timeouts.
NY managed to kill almost five minutes of play and made its way to CA’s 37-yard line, facing a 4th and three with a chance to put the game on ice at the 3:02 mark.
Academy stood its ground again, though, stopping the Buckeyes a yard short of the sticks to get the ball back at its own 35 with 2:58 left.
The Vikings knew this would be their last chance and moved with urgency. After a sack to make it 3rd and 15, the Vikings moved the chains two plays later and entered Buckeye territory.
With its back against the wall, Nelsonville-York’s defense made a statement.
Now at the NY 42-yard line, Tishkoff rolled out to his left and took a shot to the end zone, where his intended target had a one-on-one chance on a jump ball.
Stone, who was in man-to-man coverage, made a perfect read on the underthrown pass and corralled it in the end zone for his second pick of the night — putting the exclamation point on a 10-7 victory to send the Buckeyes back to the regional final.
“I told Walker that [Columbus Academy] was going to get greedy and take a shot, and that’s what they did at the end of the game and he was back there,” Richards said. “Our goal every week is to get a shutout. If you had told me coming up here that we were only going to give up seven points, I would’ve taken it. They got a guy going to Northwestern, a tackle going to Ohio State and another kid going to Colgate, but we’ve just got a bunch of tough little guys that like to play football.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“I’m a senior, and I was telling people in the locker room that I don’t want this to be my last game,” Thompson said. “It starts on defense. We had a lot of pressure on the quarterback. They had a lot of talent, but we just had to capitalize on our plays.”
Nelsonville-York will now face off with Wheelersburg, a 36-13 winner over Barnesville, in a Division V regional final.
That matchup is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Hamilton Township High School.
There, the Buckeyes will be in search of their fourth regional title in school history.
“I waterboyed for that 2017 team, and it was just amazing getting to go up there and do that. I’m not trying to look ahead, but we’re ready for whatever’s going to get thrown at us,” Stone said. “[Wheelersburg] is used to being here and they’re a great ball team. But we’re there, too, and just because we haven’t been there in a while doesn’t mean we’re not hungry for it.”
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