Announcement
From the GAZETTE, By Brad Bournival, Staff Writer
Excuse Nick Tavernelli if he does a little jig on the way back to the huddle after the first snap tonight.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound offensive tackle/defensive end from Buckeye didn't exactly have the most normal offseason, so a little extra enthusiasm can be expected following the 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Bedford at Edwin Steingass Field.
"I want this real bad," said Tavernelli, who has logged more than 200 tackles and nearly 20 sacks in three years. "With all the stuff happening and the levy issue, to thinking about having to split up, there was a lot of emotional stuff going on before tonight.
"It was so unreal the way it all happened."
What started off as the best offseason a junior could have turned sour real quick. It's a 10-month period Tavernelli, who was All-Ohio last year after being named special mention all-state the year before, remembers every day.
After his all-state recognition, the call came from Army, which invited him to the All-American combine in San Antonio.
The fact only 400 players are selected put him at the head of his class before his senior campaign started.
That drew interest from Syracuse, Kansas and Nebraska. But then the levy failed, and momentarily, there were no sports at Buckeye.
The day after, many athletes walked in a daze, wondering what the next step was and where their transfer papers were headed.
But Tavernelli, who benches 340 pounds and squats 600, started his daily regime in the weight room, ready for the next challenge.
"It was more of a fact of I can't stop what I'm doing," Tavernelli said. "I've come too far to let it go to waste. It'll feel good once that first snap goes, but it'll all come down to finding a way to win."
Finding that way actually started three weeks ago when two-a-days began. As he did in the past, Tavernelli immediately stepped up his game and became an instant leader.
His in-your-face style at practice brought out the best in the Bucks as some melees ensued, including one where an assistant coach's truck was dented.
"He's still the same hard-working kid that bails hay on the weekend and enjoys football, but that tells you how much he wants to play," Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia said. "We're geared up to go out and hit somebody else.
"We know what we've get with Nick. He'll do what he's supposed to do and if somebody isn't pulling their weight, he'll grab them by the face mask and make sure they do it right the next time."
With the recent press he's received, Tavernelli knows the archers are out, waiting to hit the bull's-eye painted on his chest.
That will push him to do better than last year, when he recorded 104 tackles and 10 sacks in nine games.
Don't get the two-way standout wrong. It's not about personal stats. Tavernelli, who has been on both of Buckeye's playoff teams (2002, '03), would just as soon heap praise somewhere else if it means a win.
"I'm not letting myself get ahead of the team," he said. "I'd give all the individual stuff back to get to Canton, Ohio (where the state finals are held).
"Honestly, I just want to repeat what I did last year and maybe make an All-American team."
Bournival may be reached at Bournival929@sbcglobal.net or 330-721-4045.
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