Jon and Cheri Nutter will tell you raising three boys – Andrew, Kyle and David – has been no easy task.

Constant bickering and one-upmanship were constants in the Nutter household just a few years ago.

“We had competitions when we were younger,” Andrew recalled, “like who could get out of the car first and get in the house the fastest.”

“We got all the fight out of us at a young age,” Kyle said. “We used to fight non-stop. It was ridiculous. But, we've matured. I can't remember the last time we had a fight.”

Genoa's band of brothers, backs David Nutter (25), Kyle Nutter (34) and Andrew Nutter 20).  (Press photo by Harold Hamilton/HEHphotos.lifepics.com)

Andrew is now a senior at Genoa, while Kyle is a junior and David is a sophomore. All three play football for coach Mike Vicars' third-ranked (Division IV) Comets, who had won 48 straight regular-season games and four straight Suburban Lakes League titles heading into Friday night's home showdown against seventh-ranked Eastwood.

Andrew, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound split end/cornerback, and Kyle (5-11, 190), a fullback/outside linebacker, are both starters while David (5-10, 163) plays on special teams and gets playing time at halfback and outside linebacker. Kyle, however, is the team's star.

That, believe it or not, is just fine with his brothers.

“We're so close – we are brothers in a household and on the field and it unites us closer together,” David said. “Our whole family is close. I'm not jealous. Me and Andrew have our shots to score touchdowns. This is Kyle's sport. He's really into football. If I have to make a block for him so he can make an 80-yard touchdown, I'm not going to be selfish. If he gets all the glory, that's fine with me. He's not the bragging type.”

Kyle picked up right where he left off last season, when he rushed for 1,143 yards and 18 touchdowns during the regular season to earn third-team All-Ohio honors. Through nine games this year, Kyle had 164 carries for 1,265 yards and 23 touchdowns. He ran for 182 yards and five touchdowns in last week's 62-12 win over Rossford.

“He's a very humble kid who gives you everything he has,” Vicars said. “He's a very focused athlete and an even better person. A lot of guys on this team really look up to Kyle.”

Andrew, who played for Genoa's soccer team as a freshman and sophomore (he led the Comets to the 2009 regional finals), went back out for football last season. After eight games this year, Andrew led the Comets in receiving (16 catches, 387 yards, six TDs) and also had one interception and 15 tackles on defense.

“Last year he got reacquainted with football,” Vicars said. “This year he continues to grow and he has become a very important member of our team. He's a great kid who is more of a do-it leader than a vocal leader. He's a very focused athlete and an even better person.”

David had 22 carries for 205 yards and one touchdown through eight games.

“He's another very humble kid who plays very hard,” Vicars said. “They come from a great family. They have great parents, and clearly they are a product of their parenting. They are guys who you can count on. Even though they receive individual accolades, the team is most important to them.”

The brothers recorded what they now jokingly call the “Nutter Trifecta” during last week's rout of Rossford. Not only did Kyle score five touchdowns, but David scored on a 12-yard run and Andrew scored on an 84-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter as Genoa improved to 9-0 and 6-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference.

Kyle said he used to think Andrew was jealous of his athletic prowess. As it turned out, that was the farthest thing from the truth.

“Really, he bragged about me all the time,” Kyle said. “He's always so supportive. He bragged to his friends how good I was. He said to his coaches, 'Hey, I have a younger brother who is pretty good.' It makes me feel pretty good that he's not upset or jealous, but he's proud of me and he's glad I'm having this kind of success. I definitely love playing with my brothers.”

Andrew remembered approaching his football coaches when he was in the sixth grade and telling them how good of an athlete Kyle was.

“I told them my brother is going to be a great player,” Andrew said. “I'm not really a selfish person. If Kyle is going to get the glory, I hope he continues it. I'm not afraid to say Kyle is a way better running back than I am. I don't see why I should be jealous. He's my brother. Shouldn't I be proud of that?”

David said he's glad he has such good role models.

“Having older brothers, especially with the success we're having with football and stuff, they leave big shoes to fill,” he said. “You don't want to be the younger brother who is slacking or be the one not capable of filling your brother's shoes. You have to push hard to fill those shoes. It's good motivation. It pushes me to be at the level they're at and to be a better person and a better football player.”

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed