Announcement
From The GAZETTE: By Lisa Gayle Grayson, Staff Writer
YORK TWP. — To Jamison Van Drei, his Uncle Tyler is what football is all about.
The 2-year-old wears a No. 44 jersey with pride because to him, Buckeye running back/linebacker Tyler Van Drei is a celebrity.
"He thinks he's a stud," said Don Van Drei, Jamison's father and brother of the Buckeye junior.
Don Van Drei also admires what his little brother and the 9-1 Bucks have accomplished this season. The two-time All-Gazette quarterback led Buckeye to 5-5 and 7-3 finishes in 1990 and '91, respectively, but never sniffed the playoffs.
This year's team will be making its first postseason appearance Saturday at 7 p.m. when it travels to Willard for a Division III regional playoff game.
"Their team is not a bunch of stars," Don Van Drei, 28, said. "That's the difference from when I played. We had just a couple of stars."
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Tyler Van Drei appreciates Buckeye's balanced approach although it took him a while to embrace the idea.
When he started playing football at the age of 9, he tried playing quarterback like his brother, but learned quickly that he needed to find his own niche.
"I wasn't that good," Tyler Van Drei said. "I couldn't throw the ball. I threw an interception every time I passed the ball.
"I'd rather run the ball. I figured I'd just stick to running back."
This season, he has proven what he can do when given the ball. He is tied for third in Medina County with 12 touchdowns. His 75 points tie him for 25th place in Buckeye history.
His 169 receiving yards on 10 catches are second on the Bucks, while he is third on the squad in rushing with 522 yards on 85 carries.
Last season, Van Drei had one touchdown and rushed for just 18 yards on four attempts.
Despite his success on offense, Tyler Van Drei said he is partial to playing defense.
"I like defense a lot more," he said. "I'd rather give the hits than take the hits. But I'd rather go both ways than just play one way and have to go stand on the sidelines. I don't like that at all."
Buckeye first-year coach Chris Medaglia agrees that if he had the luxury of not having to play Tyler Van Drei both ways, he would have him focus on defense.
"As an outside linebacker, nobody protects the field better than him," Medaglia said. "I can't explain it but to get outside of Tyler is almost impossible. He has the ability to read plays."
Van Drei is enjoying the season and what the program has accomplished but takes his own accomplishments in stride. He knows the importance of the team concept.
"I'm not any different than any of (my teammates)," he said. "They're blocking for me, I'm running behind them. I'm making the tackles, they're making the tackle with me. That's team."
He remains humble when talking about his team, but don't think Tyler Van Drei isn't eating up the attention he receives at home and being able to one-up his big brother.
"(My brother and I) were talking about it earlier this week about how he'd love to be in the playoffs," Tyler Van Drei said. "He'd love to get another chance at it. I just kept laughing, ‘I get the chance and you don't.' I was kind of rubbing it in.
"Everybody likes glory."
Comments
There are no comments for this announcement.
