BLACKSVILLE — “Here’s your shovel, go dig a ditch.”
That’s the directive from Clay-Battelle football coach Ryan Wilson to his offensive linemen. All year, they’ve been grabbing that shovel and getting to work.
No questions asked.
“They’re the ones doing the dirty work, but not getting the glory,” Wilson said. “You don’t hear their names called and you don’t hear the PA announcer saying when they get a block and they understand that. They just put their heads down, get to work and start digging. They do their jobs.”
Coming into the 2022 season, the Cee-Bees had to replace three graduating seniors on the line. Allen Nestor, Brandon Cohen and Seth Sheets helped lead the way for a group that went 8-2 in 2021, behind a super-powered offense.
Many of the playmakers returned off that team, but Wilson needed some of the bigger guys to step up on the offensive line to keep that firepower going.
Jacob Kassay and Drew Mercer were two seniors to be penciled in and they’ve lead by example.
“They help everyone with what they’re doing,” Wilson said. “They have the experience and they’re helping them all come along.”
Another senior, Tate Elliott, sustained an injury early on, which created another curveball for the coaching staff. However, one of the youngest players on the team selflessly stepped up.
“Kooper Statler came up to us and asked if could play on the line,” Wilson said. “We love that team-first attitude. He was playing tight end and went up to the coaching staff asking if he could help out on the line. That’s putting the team ahead of the individual. This came from a freshman. He did a super job that first game and he’s kept on improving.
“The whole line has been improving. They deserve a ton of credit for where we’re at.”
Clay-Battelle (4-1) is coming off its most dominant victory of the season, a 44-0 win against Webster County in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
The Cee-Bees are also climbing in the WVSSAC Class A rankings, checking in at No. 13 this week.
Carson Shriver and Mason Chisler have been that spark for the offense, but with the blocking of Kassay, Mercer, Statler and Gabe Thomas, another senior, Easton Rowan, Joe Stewart, Alex Danser and Matthew Gadd, they’ve been able to average almost 400 yards of offense each game.
“Any kid that we’ve put out there has embraced it,” Wilson said. “We run different formations and have to switch things up, but it never phases them. They may get beat, but it’s not because of effort. Somebody might beat them on a play, but it’s because the defense could’ve thrown something new at them or we just missed an assignment, it’s never because we have a guy quit. That never happens because they truly are working as hard as they can giving 100 percent on each snap.
“They’re a bunch of good boys. They don’t bring attention to themselves. They’re not real talkative, but they speak when spoken to. They really are just a respectful group. They come in, do their job and go home. You can’t say you don’t notice them but they keep their heads down, get after it and get the job done. They never cause problems. They’re very coachable. They’re giving me 100 percent. You can’t ask for more than that.”
The Cee-Bees are now on a bye week, taking things a little slower than usual. They’ve been getting done with practice about 15 minutes early each day and will enjoy a rare Friday off. They are, however, fully aware of the test that awaits them next week.
On Oct. 14, Clay-Battelle hosts undefeated, ninth-ranked Cameron.
“Cameron is one of the top teams in the state and we started to prepare for them, but we’ve made it realxing for the kids,” Wilson said. “The coaches and players need to catch their breath a bit and this is a good week to do that.”
A break is what any hard-working laborer deserves after a hard day’s effort. But then it’s back to digging the ditch and getting the job done again.
— By Matthew Pealsee
