Greenbrier West had had an historic season the the defensive side of the ball so far this season.
The offense hasn’t been too shabby either.
So far this season the Cavaliers have scored 269 points over the first six week, an average of almost 45 points a contest. However, several of those contests have been shortened and used a running clock in the second half due to the lopsided score.
One of the biggest weapons for West on offense this season has been running back Ty Nickell who could have earned Player of the Week honors in all six games when you look at the numbers.
For his standout performance this week against Shady Spring, Nickell finally got the nod and has been named the 2022 Week 6 Lootpress Player of the Week by the Lootpress sportswriters.
The award is sponsored by Bodyworks, the Law Offices of Brandon Steele and Mid-State Ford.
“This feels great. I have been waiting for this for a long time and I finally got it,” Nickell said about the weekly honor. “It shows that hard work pays off.”
The numbers for Nickell are staggering this year. The senior bulldozer has carried the ball 107 times for 1,214 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Last week against Class AA Shady Spring, Nickell carried the ball 27 times for 203 yards and crossed the goal line five times with the rock.
“I never thought I would be having a year like this, but I just go out there and the guys block for me and good things have happened,” Nickell said.
There were some questions heading into the season about the group up front with only one starter back in the trenches. Nickell stated he did not share those concerns about his linemen.
“Coming into the season, a lot of people were saying we didn’t have a line, but I never thought that,” Nickell said. “They are not as big as most guys are up there, but they get the job done and they have a big heart. They take their job very seriously and they have proved people wrong.”
“(Senior) Reney (Cordial) is the only guy on the line that is over 200 pounds and they see themselves as the underdog. It’s awesome to watch them do their thing and take care of me.”
Nickell was a beast to deal with last year, but this year he has been even tougher to stop. A big reason for that is the senior tailback is fully healthy for a change.
“Ty wasn’t very healthy last year. We went into last August really uncertain if he would need surgery on his gall bladder or not,” Greenbrier West head coach Toby Harris said. “He had to miss some practice time and he didn’t really feel good. He wasn’t in good shape. We went down to Buffalo first game last year and he was sitting on the bench at halftime. He was just gassed. This year he has worked so much harder and I have heard him say several times, I just feel a lot better.”
Ironically, Nickell only played one half against the Bison this year when weather forced the game to be shortened with West up 33-0.
At that point, Nickell had already piled up 248 yards and scored three times.
“I was never 100 percent because of the gall bladder issue. I could be perfectly fine one night, then wake up the next day and be sick for a week and a half,” Nickell said.
Feeling better has also allowed Nickell to work harder and he has taken full advantage.
“I have been in the weight room and have been doing some drills at practice to help my footwork,” Nickell said. “This is my last season and will be the last time I get to put on that uniform, so me and the guys are really working hard.”
Offense is not the only part of Nickell’s game. He has been a stalwart on the other side of the ball too. So far he has 40 combined tackles, a sack and nine tackles for loss.
“We just fly around out there. People hit us, but we are going to hit them harder,” Nickell said. “We have 11 guys going to that football and I love being part of that.”
Nickell and the Cavaliers will look to keep their winning streak alive Friday night when they travel to James Monroe for a battle of undefeated teams.
The Mavs have won nine of the 11 meetings between the schools, including the game last year in Charmco.
“We haven’t beat them since like (2001). It is a really big game,” Nickell said. “We made some mistakes last year that cost us that ball game. We are going to go out there and keep doing our thing. It is a rivalry type game like Meadow Bridge and Summers County. It’s one of those fun games that is awesome to play.”
