- WEEKLY POLL
Tammerine setting new rushing, scoring records
By Mark Griffin
Special to the
Press
sports@presspublications.com
First-year Clay football coach Mike Donnelly knew what kind of running back he was inheriting in Nick Tammerine when he took the Eagles’ job.
What he didn’t know was that Tammerine is, by his own admission, a numbers guy. And the 5-10, 175-pound senior knew what kind of numbers he needed to put up this season to become the leader in several offensive categories.
“He knew his stats when I got hired,” Donnelly said, laughing. “He said, ‘Here’s what I need to get.’ I thought it was funny. He’s earned it. I haven't called the offense any differently. It just so happens our tailback position is an important position in our offense, which I don't think he complained too much about.”
Entering this Friday’s game against Woodward, Tammerine is 43
yards away from setting Clay’s career rushing record and three
touchdowns away from setting the career TD record.
Both records are held by Clay Hall of Fame running back Jim Harrell, who set
the records in 1971-72 and went on to play at Ohio State.
Tammerine, who also plays cornerback, admitted he doesn’t know Harrell, but he certainly knows Harrell’s records.
“I’ve always been a big stats guy, even on my video games,” Tammerine said. “I like the rushing records. That’s been a big one since I came in as a freshman.
“My mom wanted me to pick which school to go to, Clay or Central. At first I went to Clay because I wanted to be the first state champ in wrestling at Clay. Things didn't work out, and I saw football records and I said, ‘hey, if I work hard enough I can get that.’ ”
As a sophomore, Tammerine got his opportunity when starter Brad Rucki got hurt against Sylvania Northview.
“I was the third-string running back,” Tammerine recalls. “They put me in there and I rushed for like 85 yards my first game, against Northview, and I've been the starter ever since.”
Entering Friday’s game, Tammerine has 2,894 career rushing yards on 487 carries (5.9 average), with 36 touchdowns.
Tammerine also wants to set the school record for career rushing attempts and total career points. He has 216 points for his career, 22 shy of Harrell’s mark.
Last Saturday, Tammerine rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns – giving him 12 on the season – in the Eagles’ 28-6 City League rout of Scott.
Donnelly, who was the offensive coordinator at Central Catholic prior to moving to Clay, recalls the Irish coaching staff talking about shutting down Tammerine when the two teams met.
“One thing was we didn't want him to get to the edge,” Donnelly said. “We wanted to contain him between the tackles. Because they were in the spread offense, they only ran three or four running plays, so we had seven (defenders) in the box. If we were going to get beat, we were going to get beat in the passing game not by Nick.”
Tammerine said it is a “good feeling” knowing defenses are geared to stop him week in and week out.
“I like it,” said Tammerine, who admitted to being a very vocal leader on the field. “It’s good knowing you're the guy they have to stop. If they don't, it's going to be a long night for them. I think by me being the main focus of their defense, that opens it up for the other guys, especially (senior receiver) Jordan Kovacs and junior quarterback (Drew) Kuns.
“When I have success, they start keying on me and it opens everything up. It's kind of a win-win situation for us.”
This season Kuns is completing 62 percent of his passes, with one interception. Kuns set a Clay single-game record for completion percentage, when he completed 15 of 17 passes (88 percent) in a game this season.
Tammerine said he owes a lot of his success to his offensive line. The line paved the way for him to gain more than 200 yards rushing against both Anthony Wayne and Springfield.
“My sophomore year, that was the biggest line I had,” Tammerine said. “Last year was the most talented line. This year is probably the best and favorite line I’ve run behind. They calm me down when I get upset and they would do anything for me.
“That's the kind of attitude they have. They just want to see us get in the end zone. They sacrifice themselves for me and I want them to know I appreciate that.”
Tammerine said he is also thankful that Donnelly has continued to utilize his talents, the same way former coach Jeff Lee did. Tammerine also recalls telling his new coach about a certain player’s statistics.
“He’s a cool guy and easy to talk to,” Tammerine said. “He knew who I was and that I was a leader on the team, and he looked to me and Jordan. I printed up a sort of goals list and my goals for the season.
“I had four of my personal goals, and my team goals were to beat a Catholic school and to be over .500. I haven't had an over-.500 season since middle school. We were 5-5 last year and we were 4-6 as a sophomores.”
The Eagles were 4-4 (3-2 CL) through eight games after a slow start. But with the leadership provided by Tammerine and others, Clay has a chance to finish 6-4 this season.
“He's definitely a vocal kid,” Donnelly said. “He'll let you know if you're not doing your job. His competitive desire is a big attribute, and he has an ability to play through minor injuries. He's been dinged up and played through them.
“His toughness, effort and desire - those are three things that have allowed him to set records.”
Tammerine considering running track at Notre Dame
By Mark Griffin
Special to the
Press
sports@presspublications.com
A once-promising wrestler, Clay senior running back Nick Tammerine was a runner-up in the CL as a sophomore before injuries took their toll and he decided to concentrate on football and track.
He owns school records in the 200- and 400-meter dash and in the 4x100, 4x400 and sprint medley relays. Tammerine was a state qualifier in the 200 as a sophomore, and last year in the 400 and 4x400 relay.
“I like track more,” he said. “I’m better at track. The 400 is my favorite one. I'm going to run track in college.”
Tammerine, who has a 3.3 GPA and is a member of DECA, said he has been accepted to run track at Notre Dame “and that’s more than likely where I'm going to go,” he said.
Tammerine considering running track at Notre Dame
By J. Patrick Eaken
and
Mark Griffin
sports@presspublications.com
Clay senior running back Nick Tammerine gained 126 yards running the football in the Eagle’s 30-12 victory over Woodward, enough to set a new career rushing record at Clay.
Tammerine has 3,020 career rushing yards with 38 touchdowns, and is one touchdown short of the school’s career TD record.
Both records are held by Clay Hall of Fame running back Jim Harrell, who set the records in 1971-72 and went on to play at Ohio State.
Tammerine also wants to set the school record for career rushing attempts and total career points. He has 228 points for his career, 10 shy of Harrell’s mark.
A once-promising wrestler, Tammerine was a runner-up in the City League as a sophomore before injuries took their toll and he decided to concentrate on football and track.
He owns school records in the 200- and 400-meter dash and in the 400, 1,600, and sprint medley relays. Tammerine was a state qualifier in the 200 meter run as a sophomore, and last year in the 400 meter run and 1,600 relay.
“I like track more,” he said. “I’m better at track. The 400 is my favorite one. I'm going to run track in college.”
Tammerine, who has a 3.3 GPA and is a member of DECA, said he has been accepted to run track at Notre Dame “and that’s more than likely where I'm going to go,” he said.
Could Nick Tammerine be Notre Dame’s answer?
By Terrence Lengel
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com
Six years ago, my brother and I went to watch little league football at Clay Stadium on a typical fall Sunday. That day, one particular player left an impression with me.
He played running back for the Starr team and his name was Nick Tammerine. I mentioned to my brother that he was the best I’d seen in the Oregon little league since Mike De Maria, who eventually walked on at Ohio State and earn a letter.
He agreed. “He shows promise,” he said “but time will tell.”
One year later, Nick became my concern rather than my entertainment. He was now the running back at Fassett Middle School and I was coaching football at Eisenhower, the cross town rival. When the two teams met on Middle School Night, Tammerine made the difference and to my disappointment Fassett beat Ike. Once again I came away impressed with his abilities.
Now five years down the road, Tammerine has become Clay High football’s all time leading rusher, amassing over 3,100 yards in his career, and even surpassing Clay legend Jimmy Harrell’s long held record. We can now safely say “time was told and promises have been fulfilled.”
Clay coach Mike Donnelly says, “There are some kids that are dominant in the younger levels but plateau right there and never reach a higher level. Evidently, Nick is not one of those.”
Donnelly added, “More importantly, with everything Nick has personally gone through he has grown to become a well rounded person academically as well as athletically. He has worked very hard to accomplish what he has.”
Watching Tammerine play many times over his career at Clay, I can say that it is his big play potential that makes him an exciting runner. That is what Harrell also possessed.
"Going into the (senior) season, I made team goals and season goals. Surpassing Jim Harrell's record was one of my personal goals. The team goal was first but I was aware I had a chance to beat his record," Tammerine said.
It’s difficult to compare players from different eras, but as I have watched both and what they have in common is their big-play ability.
Donnelly says he will miss “definitely his break away ability and also his game time leadership. Those are two key things among many others.”
This year being Donnelly’s first at the helm, he indicated to me that he never implemented the complete passing offense and Nick’s possible role in it.
“Nick has good hands and we would have liked to have gotten more involved in the pass offense earlier in the year,” Donnelly said, “but the pass offense can be complicated and there was a lot to learn in the new run offense alone. We did start to get him some screen plays as the season progressed.”
I personally noticed as the year progressed, Tammerine did catch more passes and actually caught five in Clays’ 11 th game, the Hall of Fame Game against Start.
But there is one bit of news that most people did not know about, according to Coach Donnelly. Apparently Tammerine played through some painful shoulder injuries during this season.
You can take quite a pounding as a feature back in the City League, but Nick played through those injuries to his credit. He didn’t miss a game and always came ready to play.
Indications are that Nick may attend the University of Notre Dame on a track scholarship next fall. I personally would be excited if this turns out to be true.
"I couldn't afford to pass up almost a full ride to such a good academic school," said Tammerine. "They also have one of the best track programs in the Big East."
My family has season tickets for ND football and I wonder if Nick might try and walk on in football, too.
"I will visit the Notre Dame campus in January and will discuss with the coaches on walking on for football," Tammerine promised.
I’ve compared Nick to former Cardinal Stritch standout and Ohio State walk-on Mike DeMaria whose father and uncle are close friends of mine. For Nick, it’s the lifelong attention from a single mother that has been vital.
"I have to thank my Mom Melissa Perry, she works hard at two jobs, she has been great support along with my Grandparents,” Nick told The Press.
The similarities are quite striking. Both Tammerine and DeMaria are very good football players as well as track sprinters. Both excelled in the classroom.
When DeMaria was a walk-on at OSU, they won a national championship. I even got the chance to try on his championship ring.
I am kind of hoping Nick would walk on and bring the same results at Notre Dame. Being a lifelong Irish fan, it would make me very happy if I were able to try on another championship ring……..one can always hope.
Tammerine in line for Wendy’s prep Heisman Award
Clay is extending a special congratulations to Amanda Mannon and Nick Tammerine, who were named school winners for the Wendy's High School Heisman Award.
They are being joined by Genoa volleyball player Chelsea Nissen and Gibsonburg football player Jordan Kirwen as their respective schools’ selections for the national nomination.
Tammerine, son of Melissa Tammerine, has a 3.3 GPA and has worked at the Little Sisters of the Poor Senior home. He has been All-City League, Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press, and All-District in football, holds Clay career records for rushing, attempts, points, and touchdowns.
Tammerine, who is considering running track at Notre Dame, has been All-League in track and holds Clay records in the 200 and 400 meter dashes, and with 400 and 1,600 relay teams.
Mannon, daughter of Brian and Ann Mannon, has a 4.05 GPA and has worked at vacation bible school and as a FCA Huddle Leader.
Mannon has been a four year letter winner in track, three year letter winner in basketball, two years letter winner in cross country, and one year letter winner in golf. Twice, she was All-City League and a regional qualifier in cross country; also three times selected for Ohio Girls Top 64 Basketball Showcase.
"Amanda Mannon and Nick Tammerine are future leaders and will represent their school well in the next phase of judging," said Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of the prestigious Heisman Memorial Trophy and Wendy's High School Heisman program spokesperson.
"I'm proud to be involved with an award that embodies the spirit of the Heisman tradition of hard work, dedication and an outstanding record both on and off the field."
The school winners were selected from a group of five school applicants from Clay High School. Applicants include Lauren Frank, Brandy Holmes, Amanda Watson, Amanda Mannon and Nick Tammerine.
Also selected is Genoa volleyball player Chelsea Nissen, daughter of Al and Kay Nissen. Nissen has a 3.9 GPA, is first in her class and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Nissen is All SLL Academic, All Ohio Academic, a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, member of Key Club and attends Owens College part time. She has letters in volleyball, earning All-SLL and All-District honors.
Genoa Applicants included Kelly Swartzmiller, Justin Lau, and Chelsea Nissen.
Gibsonburg’s nomination is football player Jordan Kirwen, son of Bill and Connie Kirwen, Kirwen has a 3.9 GPA, is a member of National Honor Society, Key Club, S.A.D.D., and F.C.A.
Kirwen is a three year letter winner in cross country, a three year letter winner in track and field, and a two year letter winner in basketball. In cross country, he earned All-SLL, All-District, All-Regional and All-State honors.
Kirwen also is Academic All Ohio. In track and field, he has All-SLL, All-District, Regional and State honors. He is also Academic All-Ohio. In basketball, he has All-SLL and All-District honors and led his team into the Regional Playoffs. He has been Toledo Blade Athlete of the Week and News-Messenger Male Runner of the Year.
To be eligible for this award, students must display academic aptitude, athletic talent and exceptional commitment to their communities.
Created in 1994, the Wendy's High School Heisman program has celebrated youth excellence for 14 years. The program consists of six phases – Applicants, School Winners, State Finalists, State Winners, National Finalists and National Winners. Entries are initially evaluated by ACT Assessment during the Applicant, State Finalist and State Winner phases and then passed on to a distinguished panel of judges.
Twelve National Finalists are invited to participate in Heisman weekend festivities during an all-expense paid trip to New York City on Dec. 7 – 9. ESPN2 will feature all 12 National Finalists during the Wendy's High School Heisman Awards Ceremony, which airs on Dec. 9.
Pertoria, Inc. is the local Wendy's franchisee in Wood County and Oregon. Owners David and Rebecca Williams, of Pemberville, started in 1989 and now own seven Wendy's Restaurants in the area. They Williams say they support and encourage high school academics, citizenship, and athletics throughout the year. Call 419-287-3534.
The Wendy's High School Heisman program, awarded in conjunction with the collegiate Heisman, celebrates the achievements of the nation's top high school seniors both in and out of the classroom. Just as the collegiate Heisman is known for being the top award in college football, the WHSH award is known for being the most prestigious award at the high school level. The award encourages future leadership by recognizing well-balanced lifestyles at an early age.
For more information or to track a student's progress through the competition, please log on to www.wendysheisman.com or call 1-800-205-6367. The names of all applicants and school winners will be posted on the Wendy's High School Heisman Web site in early November.
Wamer’s first state relay team sets school record
By Mark Griffin
Special to The
Press
sports@presspublications.com
Clay's 4x400 boys relay team was racing for itself and for its school last weekend at the Division I state track meet in Columbus.
They were also running for their coach.
“I've been coaching track for 17 years and never had a sprint relay get to the state meet,” Eagles coach Scott Wamer said. “That was a goal I set 17 years ago and that was a big thrill for me. To have it be the 4x400, the granddaddy event, made it even a little more special.”
Clay's relay team of junior Jordan Kovacs, junior Josh Boos, senior Scott Denham and junior Nick Tammerine placed fourth and set a school record of 3:21.37 at the Amherst regional the previous week to qualify for the state meet.
Last Friday in Columbus, the foursome placed seventh in the prelims and was unable to advance to Saturday's finals. The Eagles did, however, break their own school record by finishing in 3:21.20.
Five teams in Clay's preliminary heat ended up making it to the finals.
“We were in an extremely fast heat,” Wamer said. “Josh Boos ran a 49.7 split down there and that was a PR for him. Jordan has always been a very solid leadoff runner for us. With three of them coming back, I hope we can get somebody to step up and ride their shirt tails and get us back down there.
“Last year, 3:21.20 would have placed fourth at the state meet,” the coach added. “The state is just that much faster this year. We ran that and couldn't even get to the finals. The guys were disappointed, but they were excited we did run our best. That helped ease the pain of not making it to the finals.”
The same 4x400 team took second behind Central Catholic at the City League and district meets.
“Central kind of had our number all year,” Wamer said. “They were the only team in the area we did not beat.”
Wamer added that he knew early in the season that this relay squad could be special.
“We had an idea when we ran at the University of Toledo Invitational,” he said. “We ran a nice time early in the year, a lot faster than we ran at that time last year. We knew we had some potential, we just needed to stay healthy and stay fresh. We won the Comet Relays in Amherst, where the regionals are held, and beat some real big teams there. We won our own Eagle Invitational that had Anthony Wayne, Southview, St. Francis and Liberty-Benton.”
Wamer said two other runners deserve credit for getting the 4x400 relay to state.
“We rotated some guys in, like in the City League prelims and the district prelims,” he said. “I was trying to save their legs. Our alternates were (sophomore) John Zam and (senior) Joe St. John. We were able to run those two guys in prelim races and get to the finals and still be able to get to state. They were able to keep us with some fresher legs, and they got to travel down there with us as alternates.”
Tammerine also qualified to the state meet in the 400 dash, but took fifth in his heat (49.96) and was unable to advance to the finals.
“It wasn't his best time,” Wamer said, “but it didn't help that the guy in lane 8 false started and DQ'd. Nick didn't have anybody to run down and I think that hurt him a little bit. Nick's used to being in the middle of the track because he's used to good times. He couldn't see anybody until they made that final turn, and by then it was too late.
“I'd say he was disappointed in his performance. He's a gamer - a competitive athlete. He got down to state last year in the 200 and didn't make it to finals. He wants to get on that podium and be first-team All-Ohio.”
- BUSINESS DIRECTORY
- COMMUNITY RESOURCE
