History
The rivalry that almost wasn’t.
The story of the rivalry starting between Nelsonville-York and Trimble began with the state of Ohio in the early 1960s directing schools with a student population of under 500 students to consolidate with neighboring school districts. In northern Athens county all schools were directed to consolidate, and different plans were set forth by different groups. In 1962 a group known as the Ohio University Education Survey Team recommended that Nelsonville, Chauncey, Glouster, Trimble and York districts merge. This plan was ultimately rejected when it was determined that none of the existing school buildings could properly accommodate the number of students that would be combined. In the spring of 1963 a plan was created to consolidate Nelsonville, Glouster, Trimble, York and Ames-Bern into one district, but was rejected due to concerns over travel distances for students that would live on the far edges of the proposed district. As the state Department of Education pushed for consolidation, a “temporary solution” was decided in the fall of 1963 to only combine the Glouster and Trimble districts together starting in the 1964-1965 school year. This temporary solution has since become permanent. On November 8, 1966 voters in the Nelsonville and York school districts voted to approve the consolidation of the two schools and Nelsonville-York was created. The fall of 1967 Nelsonville-York High had its first day in session.
The league issue
After consolidation, both Glouster (as it was known until 1973) and Nelsonville-York honored the league commitments to the Muskingum Valley League and the Southeastern Ohio Athletic League respectively. These leagues were not a good fit for the Tomcats or the Buckeyes and the process of removing themselves from these conferences were an early priority for both schools. Glouster would leave the MVL at the conclusion of the 1964-65 school year and land first in the Mid-Ohio Valley League in 1968, before joining the Tri-Valley Conference in 1978. Nelsonville-York would leave the SEOAL at the conclusion of the 1969-1970 season for the Tri-Valley Conference in 1970. In the fall of 1970, due to openings in the football schedule with the new league affiliations, Glouster and Nelsonville-York would play their first game at Polley Memorial Field in Nelsonville. The two teams have played every year since.
A false start (1970-1973)
The first four games between the two schools were less than competitive match-ups. The Glouster Tomcats controlled the first game 24-0 holding the Buckeyes to less than 100 yards of total offense. Glouster senior Byron Guinther had an outstanding game on both sides of the ball as he intercepted three passes, returning one 73-yards for a touchdown and rushed for 120 yards and another score. The Buckeyes returned the favor in 1971 in a big way, exploding in the 3rd quarter for an astounding 38 points as they routed the Tomcats 58-0. Nelsonville-York’s Kim Rosser rushed for 116 yards and a score, while Buckeyes Dan Dishong and Greg Smathers both contributed two rushing touchdowns a piece as a part of the 335 total yards gained by the Orange and Brown. The following season, the Buckeyes would once again dominate the game as they defeated the Tomcats 45-0. Glouster would finish the season winless. The 1972 game featured the passing prowess of Nelsonville-York’s Dave Pritchard who became the first QB to throw for over 100 yards in a game in the series. Pritchard passed for three touchdowns to three different receivers (Bill Woodson, Max Pitts and Greg Smathers) for the game, Woodson and Smathers both scored three touchdowns for the Buckeyes. The 1973 contest was more of the same. Nelsonville-York dominated from start to finish 48-0. Once again the passing of Dave Pritchard and the running of Greg Smathers allowed the Buckeyes to cruise to an easy win, racking up 408 total yards in the process. The highly touted Nelsonville-York defense was true to form, shutting out the Tomcats for the third straight year and holding Trimble to just 92 total yards on offense. After four years the Nelsonville-York/Trimble match-up was anything but the intense rivalry it would grow to be.
Defense (1974-1979)
Some great rivalries begin with close competitive games that immediately let the fan bases know that this is the start of something special. In other circumstances a particular game is circled as the point where the rivalry intensifies. The 1974 Nelsonville-York/Trimble game at Polley Memorial Field could very well be that game. The game, that season, was played in the second week and both the Buckeyes and the Tomcats entered after posting shutout wins to start the season. With neither team managing more than 100 yards of total offense, the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate. For the remainder of the decade, defense would dominate the series with scores like 12-2, 20-6, 7-0, 21-20, 7-6. Even in years where the Buckeyes or Tomcats demonstrated high powered offenses, the game was the exception to the rule. The 1978 game created new meaning to the rivalry as for the first time the Buckeyes and the Tomcats were both members of the TVC. That game at Polley Memorial Field was an instant classic. After a scoreless first quarter, the Buckeyes got on the board first as Jim Robson set the longest run in the history of the rivalry and Nelsonville-York football. Robson's fullback dive went 98 yards to start the scoring. Trimble's Mike Roback answered back with a 9 yard touchdown run, but the Buckeyes would reclaim the lead before the half as Dave Boston Jr. would cap a short field, seven play drive with a 1 yard TD run. Early in the third quarter the game seemed all but over when the Buckeyes recovered a fumble deep in Trimble territory which resulted in Dave Boston Jr.'s 2nd score of the night. Trailing 21-7 Trimble took nearly the rest of the third quarter off the clock as the drove the field ending in a Jeff McClelland 1 yard run. Heading into the fourth quarter Nelsonville-York held the lead at 21-14. After an exchange of possessions, and now late in the fourth, Trimble's Mike Roback found Scott Bycofski for a 10-yard touchdown in the middle of the endzone and it was decision time for the Tomcats. Later, Trimble Coach Paul Culver would say that he didn't believe any other team in the league would beat Nelsonville-York and he would rather attempt to win a league title rather than tie for one. With that mindset, the Tomcats went for two. The play call was a halfback option pass, but before Trimble's Jeff McClelland could decide to run or throw, Tom Pritchard of the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes went through the lead blocker to make a tackle for a loss and preserve the Buckeye victory.
The Athens County version of The Ten Year War (1980-1989)
Not saying that one team is Michigan and the other is Ohio State, but during the legendary "Ten Year War" the record between the famed college football rivals was 5-4-1. During the decade of the 1980s the record between Nelsonville-York and Trimble was, you guessed it 5-4-1. In 1980 the first ever undefeated Trimble Tomcat team capped a perfect regular season with a 41-0 win at Polley Memorial Field over the Buckeyes. The following season, Nelsonville-York returned the favor as they invaded Glouster Memorial Stadium and left with a 40-12 win and perfect record in route to the 1981 State Championship. In 1982 Nelsonville-York once again capped a perfect regular season with a 28-12 win. In the first three games of the decade, the winning team was undefeated and either won the state championship or was defeated in the playoffs by the State Champion or the State Runner-up. The 1983 game ended in a 6-6 tie which also resulted in each team finishing with an identical 6-3-1 overall record. The 1984 game saw both teams evenly matched with the deciding point between the two rivals kicked by Freshman Jeff Koons as the Tomcats won 7-6. A shocking 41-6 Trimble win in 1985 ended the season for both teams with identical 5-5 records. 1986 was the only season in the 1980s that both the Buckeyes and the Tomcats finished with losing records, both teams entering the game with 3 wins. Nelsonville-York was able to rack up 428 yards in a 34-0 victory to secure their 4th win of the year. The 1987 Nelsonville-York win was controlled by the Buckeyes who gained 620 yards of total offense in a dominating 51-12 win. In a odd twist of the schedule the 1988 game was played in week 9, not the normal week 10. After a first half tie, the Buckeyes pulled away for a 29-14 victory. The Athens County version of the Ten Year War ended on October 27, 1989 in Glouster Memorial Stadium. In a spectacular game for defensive football fans, the Tomcats ended a perfect regular season with a 7-2 win.
Tale of the tape for the evenly matched 1980s
1980 Trimble 10-0 Nelsonville-York 6-4
1981 Nelsonville-York 10-0 Trimble 4-5-1
1982 Nelsonville-York 10-0 Trimble 7-2-1
1983 Both Teams 6-3-1
1984 Trimble 8-2 Nelsonville-York 6-4
1985 Both Teams 5-5
1986 Nelsonville-York 4-6 Trimble 3-7
1987 Nelsonville-York 6-4 Trimble 1-9
1988 Nelsonville-York 6-4 Trimble 4-6
1989 Trimble 10-0 Nelsonville-York 7-3
NY Domination (1990-2000)
As evenly matched the 1980s was, the 1990s was not. The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes starting in 1990 dominated the series, in both overall wins and margin of victory. Many of the games in this 11 year period were not close, but very one sided victories for the Buckeyes. As good as the Nelsonville-York offense was, the argument could be made that the "Killer B" defense was better. In this 11 game span, the Buckeyes held Trimble to an average of 42 yards rushing per game, and held the Tomcats to negative rushing yards in three different games. On the offensive side of the ball, names like Ryan Mitchell, Glenn Flores, Casey Nungester, John Corwin, Justin Gail, Nathan Stalder, Ben Robey, Eric Glass, Jasper Bateman and Chase Elliott were called numerous times over the PA at Glouster Memorial Stadium and the field at Nelsonville-York High School. Speaking of the field at Nelsonville-York, the 1992 game was the final regular season game for legendary Buckeye head coach Dave Boston Sr. It was fitting that his last game in the rivalry would cap his third undefeated season as he would one final time, lead the Buckeyes into the OHSAA playoffs. In a career that started by leading the Nelsonville Greyhounds, Coach Boston helped to unify the district after consolidation and quickly built the program into the perennial powerhouse. The following season the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes would play their games at newly named "Dave Boston Field". Also in 1993, Kevin Meade would become the just the second coach in Buckeye history. Coach Meade's teams of the 1990s continued the proud Nelsonville-York tradition and would maintain the sweep over the Tomcats for the remainder of the decade. The following year, Phil Faires would become the head coach of the Tomcats, starting his 29+ year career as the leader of the 'Cats. It was during these coaching changes that the Tri-Valley Conference changed as well. Primarily due to the consolidation of the Gallia County high schools, the Southern Valley Athletic Conference folded leading to Southern Meigs and Eastern Meigs to be absorbed by the TVC. This expanded the conference to ten teams, forcing a split between the big schools (Ohio) and the small schools (Hocking). With Nelsonville-York and Trimble in opposite sides of the conference, the rivalry game was moved from week 10 to week 5. This mid-season matchup would continue from 1993-2006, then have one season at week 3 before moving to its current opening week spot.
Nelsonville-York's playoff years during the time of rivalry dominance
1992 10-1 1994 11-1 1997 11-1 1998 9-3 2000 8-3
Back to a Rivalry (2001-2011)
Rivalries need to be competitive and the Nelsonville-York/Trimble rivalry had become one sided in favor of the Buckeyes for the previous 11 seasons. The 2001 game set the stage for a new chapter in the rivalry as the 2-2 Buckeyes traveled to Glouster to face the 3-1 Tomcats. In a classic, hard hitting game that went down to the wire, the Trimble Tomcats held on for a 14-6 victory, their first in the series since 1989. The following year, the Buckeyes left no doubt in a 49-13 route of the 'Cats, which would be the final rivalry game for Nelsonville-York head coach Kevin Meade. Coach Meade departed from the series with a 9-1 record against his alma mater. To replace Coach Meade, the Buckeyes hired Dave Boston Jr. The first year of Coach Boston's tenure is when things got interesting. In 2003 Trimble under Quarterback A.J. Jenkins set the single game passing record for the Tomcats with 349 yards. However it was the Buckeyes aided by great special teams play, including the longest punt return in series history (75-yards by Ryan Cunningham) that edged out Trimble 21-18 in Glouster. The next year, the Tomcats narrowly defeated the Buckeyes in a game that probably had the most controversial finish in the rivalry's history. Trailing 19-13 with four seconds left in the game, Nelsonville-York QB Jay Edwards found David Jolley in the middle of the field. At about the 20-yard line, Jolley looked to be tackled, but in the last moment, lateraled to Charlie Wend who then lateraled to Eric Davis. Davis then ran the ball into the endzone for what appeared to be a game tying score. A flag was thrown during the play and the touchdown was waived off by a penalty deeming the second lateral to have been illegally forward. In the court of public opinion, the legality of that pitch is determined by if you wear Orange and Brown or Red and Gray. The 2005 game saw the series enter new territory as the only overtime game in the rivalry's history was played. After a goal line stand in the first possession of overtime, Trimble running back Trent Nott raced 15-yards for a walk-off win for the Tomcats. The 2006 game saw a close game at the half blown open by a 20 point 3rd quarter for the Buckeyes behind the rushing of Bear Lewis and Jay Edwards. It is very common in rivalries for people to say that "you can throw out the records when these two teams meet" and that was very true in 2007 as the 0-2 Tomcats defeated the 2-0 Buckeyes 7-6. A lasting change in the rivalry took place in 2008 when the game was moved to the first week of the season, where it remains in each teams schedule. Nelsonville-York would win four consecutive games to round out this chapter of the rivalry, which featured clashes between great running backs like Derek Arnold (NY), Tyler Dyla (T) and Dustin Young (NY).
Two of the Best Programs in the State (2012-2019)
The OHSAA expanded the high school football playoffs in 1999 allowing the top 8 teams in each region to qualify. From 1999-2011 Trimble and Nelsonville-York were a combined 2-14 in the post-season. While each team regularly won their side of the TVC, the schools were struggling to compete at the next level. In 2012 Trimble would win a close match-up with Nelsonville-York 21-14. The Buckeyes would finish the season 7-3 just barely missing the playoffs. Trimble would finish 9-1 and defeat Colonel Crawford in first round of the playoffs, then fall by a score to state runner-up Newark Catholic. The following season was a rare rebuilding year for th Buckeyes. The Tomcats on the other hand, returned a majority of their starters from the previous season including seniors Konner Standley and Jacob Koons and junior Austin Downs, all three of these players would be named state player of the year. Trimble defeated Nelsonville-York 40-0 in a mohawk filled 2013 season that would end in the State Championship game. Powerhouse Marion Local would hand the Tomcats their only defeat of the season. The following year the Tomcats again defeated Nelsonville-York, this time on the legs of Justice Jenkins in route to an undefeated season and a regional title. In 2015 Nelsonville-York staged an epic comeback behind a pair of Alex Mount touchdowns to stop a three game slide in the series 26-20. Coach Dave Boston Jr. would step down in 2015 and Trimble graduate and former assistant Coach Rusty Richards would lead the Buckeyes. Coach Richards would lead Nelsonville-York to a 27-7 victory over the Tomcats in his first game and then would win the first playoff game for the Buckeyes in 18 years. The following season Nelsonville-York returned a majority of their starters and shut out the Tomcats 21-0. With the offense led by Garrett Maiden and the defense by Ronnie Wend, the Buckeye won the 3rd regional championship in school history with their only loss coming by way of powerhouse Kirtland in the final four. In 2018 it was once again Trimble's turn. The Tomcats defeated the Buckeyes 34-7 on their way to a 9-1 regular season that would end with another appearance in the State Championship game. The 'Cats were led primarily by Juniors that season, with State Defensive Player of the Year Sawyer Koons, Conner Wright and Cameron Kittle all returning for the 2019 campaign. 2019 was the best defensive year in Trimble history and it started with a 35-0 shutout of the Buckeyes. The only loss for the Tomcats would be to state runner-up New Middleton Springfield by a point in the playoffs.
Banner Years - Trimble 2013 (Regional Champions, State Runner-up)
Trimble 2014 (Regional Champions)
Nelsonville-York 2017 (Regional Champions)
Trimble 2018 (Regional Champions, State Runner-up)
Combined playoff record 2012-2019 - 20 wins 11 losses
The COVID Year (2020)
A global pandemic creating a shortened season could not stop the Nelsonville-York/Trimble rivalry. When the OHSAA announced that the 2020 season would consist of six regular season games and then the playoffs, most schools made sure to schedule all of their conference opponents to preserve league play. Since Trimble and Nelsonville-York are in different sides of the TVC, and the TVC Ohio had seven teams, the math did not work out to preserve the rivalry game. When the updated schedule was announce, there sitting in the week one spot, was Trimble at Nelsonville-York. The Buckeyes had dropped TVC-Ohio member Alexander in order to keep the rivalry. In a fierce tale of two halves, the Tomcats behind the passing attack of Tabor Lackey held off a second half charge by the Drew Carter led Buckeyes 34-28.
Present Tense (2021-2023)
The Nelsonville-York vs Trimble rivalry is in as good of spot as it has ever been. The 2021 game was a 7-6 Tomcat nail-biting win that feature two teams that would win their side of the league and then a playoff game. The 2022 match-up was a 16-0 Buckeye hard fought victory between a rebuilding Trimble team and Nelsonville-York team that would win it's second consecutive TVC Ohio Championship and then two playoff games. The latest installment was a down to the wire 14-12 Tomcat victory between two teams that would finish with similar records and a playoff win. Parity is what preserves the intensity of the game, and at this stage, the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes and the Trimble Tomcats are about as evenly matched as any two successful programs in the state of Ohio.