ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609130056
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: FLOYD
TYPE: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
Floyd County High junior Nick Wohn likes to watch the Detroit Lions' Barry Sanders run but cheers for the Chicago Bears.
He enjoys returning punts and kickoffs but prefers running out of the backfield.
He watched his Floyd County team get smothered 42-7 by Giles Saturday yet thinks it has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.
Sound indecisive? Try versatile.
True to his personality, Wohn is a utility player for the Buffaloes, doing anything and everything coach Winfred Beale asks. That includes playing offense, special teams and occasionally defense.
"No. 1, he's a first class young man who brings a lot of speed and intensity to a game," said Beale, now in his 15th year at the helm. "He's a team player that does the kind of things to help the team be successful ... He's a pretty versatile young man."
That's quite a compliment considering Wohn didn't start playing the sport until his freshman year at Floyd County. It was at that point the excitement of watching home football games as a seventh and eighth grader brought him to the field. In three years, he's impressed more than just his coach. In the Buffaloes' season opener against James River Aug. 30, Wohn had 16 carries for 215 yards and three touchdowns on the way to 309 all-purpose yards.
"My best so far," he said. "I'd like to hit 2,000 yards rushing this year as a tailback."
A pretty lofty goal by any standard, but particularly in light of recent Floyd County football difficulties. The Buffaloes went 1-9 in 1995 and are off to a 1-1 start this season after Saturday's pummeling by Giles. The entire Floyd County team managed just 103 yards of offense and four first downs in that outing.
"Our team goals are to make it to the playoffs - definitely," Wohn said. "The Giles score was deceiving. We were tied up in the second quarter, we just self destructed. We fumbled a punt and then our quarterback missed a snap from center, and it all went downhill from there."
It wasn't Wohn who fumbled the attempted punt return; he can certainly sympathize, though. Wohn admits he had a big problem holding onto the ball last season himself. Since, he has improved day-by-day, kick-by-kick.
"Just catching the ball is hard," Wohn said. "It's not so much harder when it rains, but when the lights are on and it's dark outside. The ball gets lost in the lights and becomes real hard to see, real hard to catch. Repetition is the key."
In addition to his time as a return man, Wohn also continues to gain experience at tailback. He and senior fullback Dale Phillips are Floyd County's backfield tandem this season. Wohn said he and Phillips try to push and encourage the younger guys.
"I tell them you can't get down on yourself when you [mess] up," Wohn said. "You have to get right back up and go at it again."
Wohn moved into the starting tailback slot last season, just in time for Floyd County's lone victory. It's one he won't soon forget.
"We had one week to prepare for Narrows after about eight starters quit the team," Wohn said, "and we came back and won. I scored the winning touchdown on what was supposed to be a lead play ... but there was a little hole up the middle and I ran it in."
The 10-yard score was apparently just the beginning for Wohn, who allows he has dreams of continuing his career in college. As a sprinter on the Buffaloes' track team (Wohn runs a 4.5-second 40-yard-dash), the 5-9, 165 pound junior has plenty of speed, coach Beale said, adding that the player needs to continue maturing both physically and mentally.
"He's relatively new as a football player so he's still learning the game, but he has a tremendous amount of heart" Beale said. "He's not a big back, but if he grows more he might have the potential to move on ... it's just one of those things where you have to wait and see."
But indulge Wohn in his dream of playing collegiate ball for a moment and this native of St. Petersburg, Fla. will tell you it's not Miami or Florida State he dreams of suiting up for.
"It's Virginia Tech," Wohn said, "that would be quite a place to play."
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Nick Wohn is a utility player for the Floyd County Highby CNBBuffaloes, which includes playing offense, special teams and
occasionally defense.