Panthers ‘remarkable’ season ends in elite eight

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Nease football’s magical run came to an end following a 37-14 loss to Gainesville Buchholz on the road in the Class 6A regional finals.

Although the outcome was not what the teams and its fans wanted, it does not take away from the fact that they were one of the best eight teams throughout the state and have revitalized the program.

“There’s a culture being built here,” senior Aiden Kipp said. “The drive and the want are there.”

It was a path that not many outside the walls of the Nease football facilities saw coming after the team had gone 1-9 each of the past two seasons.

“It’s been a once-in-lifetime type of experience,” Senior Creed McClafferty said. “Nobody expected us to do what we did after what we had been through. That adversity is what builds character, and you can see it in this team. We bonded and stuck together, that’s what really carried us.”

However, something changed for the Panthers and according to head coach Collin Drafts, the credit for the improvement starts and ends with this year’s senior class, which included 36 players, most of whom had endured the rough times that accompany two wins in two years.

“When you look back in the grand scheme of things at what we were able to accomplish was remarkable and legendary,” Drafts said. “To go from one win to nine wins and the third round of the playoffs, those 36 seniors should be proud. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids to coach.”

According to senior Ben Bogle, the chemistry of the team began being formed during the offseason.

“Last offseason, us seniors sat around in a circle, and we all said that we were going to buy in and go for it,” Bogle said. “From then on, we’ve just been going hard in the weight room and holding everybody accountable.”

Kipp transferred to Nease from Creekside just as fall practice began, and although he was new to the squad, it did not take the senior long to feel right at home.

“I came in and instantly everybody was so friendly, and it was like a family,” Kipp said. “It took me like a week to get to know everybody and I had already become friends. I’ve enjoyed every second of this ride.”

Grant Stevens dealt with his own share of adversity this season after missing most of the regular season after having ankle surgery a couple of weeks into the season.

However, he went through the rehab process and was able to get back on the field in time during the Panthers’ playoff run and became instantly involved in the offensive game plan once again.

“I told the guys during the regular season to just get me to the playoffs and I’d be there to show up for them,” Stevens said. “I’m just thankful.”

The Panthers trailed 16-7 at halftime, as the defense gave up yards but stood strong on several occasions in the redzone to keep the deficit within reach.

“Obviously Buchholz is a good team and they’ve got a shot to go all the way, but I wish we could play it again, because event though the score was what it was, we had our chances and just didn’t capitalize,” Drafts said. “We kept it within two scores for a really long time.”

Nease finished the season with a record of 9-4 and advanced to the elite eight of the state playoffs for the first time since 2008.

“I left it all on the field and I know my boys did too,” Bogle said.

Nease Panthers, football, elite eight, FHSAA