Buttrey heart and soul of Yellowjackets defense
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
By JIM BUTTA - The Parkersburg News & The Parkersburg Sentinel

WILLIAMSTOWN - When defending Class A state champion Wheeling Central takes on No. 1 ranked Williamstown at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, for a chance to repeat its crown, you can bet the Williamstown player every Maroon Knight will be looking for is No. 53, junior Travis Buttrey.

"He is the heart and soul of our defense," said defensive coordinator Ben Preston. "We have a lot of talented players around him, but they kind of feed off what No. 53 does."

And, what Buttrey has done so far this season is torment opposing offenses.

With a Mid-Ohio Valley high 162 tackles, the 231-pounder has given offensive coordinators some sleepless nights this fall.

In the Yellowjackets' 17-0 semifinal victory over Little Kanawha Conference rival St. Marys, the Williamstown lineman came away with nine stops-six solo-and got to Blue Devils quarterback Gavan Renner one time.

"Definitely my hustle," said Buttrey about what makes him such a force on defense. "You can't expect to make the tackle if you don't hustle after the ball."

And, hustle after the ball this Yellowjacket has made a habit of doing.

A starter on the defensive line since his freshman season, Buttrey knows what lies ahead for himself and his teammates as they prepare this week to take on No. 15 Wheeling Central (9-4).

"You can't look at their ranking and say we are automatically the favorites," said Buttrey. "They are the defending state champs and will remain that way until someone beats them."

A feat the maroon and gold accomplished in 2003 when Williamstown traveled up to Wheeling Island Stadium and laid a 34-15 whipping on the Knights.

"It helps knowing that you can beat them," added Buttrey. "But, that was a different year and a different team. We ended up losing to Moorefield in the championship game, making that win meaningless."

Meaningless, but still important.

"They have a new coach, but they haven't changed a lot under the new one," said Preston. "They still like to run the football and throw when they want. The key for us is to make them throw when we want."

And, that's where Buttrey comes into play.

Of his 162 total tackles, 100 have been solo stops. That number also includes 19 tackles which have resulted in losses and 15 others that have seen the opposing team's quarterback sacked.

"He rarely faces a player one-on-one," said Preston. "Most teams double-team him and there have been many a time when he's been triple-teamed on passing downs."

But even those tactics have failed to slow down the Williamstown express.

"I like the challenge," said Buttrey.

"I know that when teams are forced to spend more time on me, it gives one of my teammates a chance to make the play."

And, linebackers L.B. Wingrove and Ryan Lott and defensive back Michael Goertler have been doing just that. The trio has combined for 322 tackles-21 for losses and 9 sacks.

"He (Buttrey) makes our linebackers tougher because they can't get to them without leaving him and you don't want to leave Travis," continued Preston.

And, you can bet Wheeling Central's coaches will make sure the Maroon Knights don't forget who No. 53 is.

Contact Jim Butta via e-mail at jbutta@newsandsentinel.com