By Craig Dunn
Logan Daily News

NELSONVILLE — Several members of the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes' 1981 state championship football team showed up to be honored on the 30th anniversary of their terrific accomplishment Friday night at Boston Field prior to the renewal of the Logan/Nelsonville-York grid rivalry.

While both the old Buckeyes and present-day Buckeyes showed up, however, the Chieftains didn't arrive until the second half.

They were there physically, but the Buckeyes ran around and through them in the first half, piling up a 19-0 lead barely seven minutes into the game and taking a 29-0 halftime advantage en route to a convincing 42-6 non-conference victory.

The score was indicative of two teams going in different directions midway through the 2011 season. The Buckeyes are 5-0 and flying high; the Chiefs are 0-5 for the first time since 1990.

Logan has started a season 0-6 only once, way back in 1929.

If Friday night's game had been a boxing match, it would have been stopped in the first round because the Chiefs took a beating.

“I told our kids at halftime... we got taken to the shed in the first half. We really did,” said Logan coach Kelly Wolfe. “We were taken to the shed in every aspect of the game, and that's what is more disappointing than anything.

“That's a great football team and those (N-Y) kids came to play,” he added. “If they come to play like that every week they'll probably go 10-0. They came out and played hard and our kids were not in the game in the first half. I guess that's my fault. It comes back on me.”

The Buckeyes quickly showed the Chiefs why they're 5-0. N-Y scored three touchdowns on its first 12 plays from scrimmage.

“We really felt that in order to take momentum completely out of their hands, we had to get a quick start,” said Nelsonville-York coach Dave Boston Jr., a member of that 1981 state championship team. “That was real important for us all week in practice, in preparation, to come out strong real quick and finish strong.

Logan is “a big Division II school,” he added. “Anytime we get an opportunity to play them and we get them it's a great win for our kids."

It didn't take long for the Buckeyes to get the Chieftains Friday night.

N-Y drove 57 yards on eight plays in less than three minutes to open the game, scoring on a 7-yard mis-direction run by junior wingback Austin North.

The Chiefs then fumbled the ball away on a fourth-and-2 at their own 46-yard line, and three plays later the Buckeyes were in the end zone again, this time courtesy of a 39-yard touchdown run by junior fullback Clint Handa straight up the middle.

About all that went wrong for the Buckeyes early was that they failed on a couple 2-point conversions... but they were in command 12-0 with 5:15 left in the opening period.

The Chiefs then fumbled the ball away on their first play from scrimmage on the ensuing possession, and N-Y immediately capitalized. Quarterback Nathan Dean threw deep to receiver Daniel Kline, who out-jumped a Logan defensive back, caught the ball at the 10-yard line and raced into the end zone to complete a 40-yard touchdown play.

Dean kicked the extra point and it was 19-0 N-Y with 4:51 still to play in the first quarter.

"This team's been a big-play team all year,” Boston said. “We have a lot of weapons. Coach (Earich) Dean's done a great job utilizing those weapons. These kids click. They're a very unselfish group. They don't care who scores, they just continue to block for each other and play hard for each other."

Logan did get into Nelsonville-York territory a couple times in the first half with sophomore Jack Music at the controls. He played the first half at quarterback in place of senior starter Kelly Long, who was suspended for the first half for disciplinary reasons.

“(Long) had to be suspended for the first half today,” Wolfe said. “That's my code of conduct and I have to stick to my guns.”

N-Y didn't let up in the first half. The Buckeyes had a five-play, 59-yard scoring drive capped off by another big play, a 39-yard TD run up the middle by senior tailback Dustin Young, who went the distance with barely a hand being laid on him, with 7:09 left in the half.

Dean then drilled a 37-yard field goal in the final two minutes to lift Nelsonville-York into a 29-0 lead at the break.

Logan then came out and played a decent second half, making a bit of a bid to cut the deficit in half.

A 54-yard run off a fake punt by McCarty set the Chiefs up in scoring position at the outset of the half and McCarty eventually scored Logan's only touchdown on a 1-yard run.

The Chiefs then put together an excellent drive, aided by a couple N-Y penalties, moving from their own 20 to the Buckeye 1-yard line, with Long and Isaac Lindsey hooking up on a 39-yard bomb.

But an illegal procedure penalty, an incomplete pass and a quarterback sack ended the rally and Logan's best chance at getting back into the game.

“We felt that we could take the momentum into the locker room and put things away,” Boston said, “but they come out with a flash in the second half and fake a punt on us and move it down the field (and) got one (TD) in.

"It's always huge anytime you make a big goal-line stand,” he added. “Our defense believes. We haven't given up a lot of points this year anyhow. They play hard when their backs are against the wall. They're ready to jump out and get after you."

“That really hurt in the second half when we drove down there and didn't get any points,” Wolfe stated. “If we would have gotten a touchdown right there we would have had some some momentum going and would have been back in the game.”

Logan has played well in the second half nearly all season against teams who, through Friday night's games, have posted a combined record of 19-5.

“I think I need to give my halftime speech during pregame I guess,” Wolfe said. “There's been no margin for error. We're trying to figure out what buttons to push. I don't what it was tonight. I thought we were ready to play this week.

“I thought we had good practices, and every coach thought we had good practices this week,” he added. “I thought we worked hard and got some things done. And it's just not showing up on the field.”

N-Y then scored a couple late touchdowns to pull away, including a 35-yard scoring pass from Dean to Kline on which Logan defensive back Isaac Schmeltzer batted the ball away only to see it deflect right into Kline's hands for a TD.

“In the second half we looked a lot better, moved the ball and did some good things,” Wolfe said. “It was only 12-6 in the second half, counting that fluky touchdown pass.”

Young, Dean and Kline were the real deal for the Buckeyes. Young rushed for 178 yards on 25 carries, Dean connected on 8-of-15 aerials for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and Kline caught four passes — two for scores — for 92 yards.

McCarty was the Chiefs' main bright spot. Not only did he rush for 118 yards and score the only Logan touchdown, but he was also all over the field making tackles on defense.

The Chiefs travel to Gallipolis next Friday for a Southeastern Ohio Athletic League contest while Nelsonville-York opens Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division play against visiting Wellston.