Positive highlights from the 2021 Springboro Panthers football team
SPRINGBORO, Ohio — Besides winning a championship, there are plenty of other ways to consider a particular season to be successful. While a championship is one of the biggest indicators of shared success, other elements have the ability to determine what success feels like. For the Springboro Panthers football team, plenty of individuals came together to make this season a positive one.
Over the last few seasons, consistency has been a big part of Springboro’s program and has kept them going in a positive direction. The 2021 campaign marked their fifth straight season in which they recorded a positive points differential (+17) during regular season conference play.
By finishing with a 4-3 conference record in the 2021 regular season, the Panthers also clinched their third consecutive season with a winning percentage of .50 or better in the Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC). Going into the postseason, Springboro held an overall record of 5-4.
In October, Springboro faced conference foe Centerville in round one of the playoffs. Despite grabbing a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the Panthers allowed 34 straight points and lost 34-14, thus eliminating them from a conference title and resulting in a final record of 5-5.
Other than their team statistics from this season and in the past, three individual players on the Panthers made their names known by being selected to the GWOC first team All-Conference.
Junior running back Evan Ruzzo finished with nine touchdowns in 10 games and averaged six yards per carry. His average of 97.2 yards per game was third best in the GWOC and 1,094 all-purpose yards were fifth most in the GWOC.
On the defensive side of things, senior linebacker Jacob White put together 63 tackles in 10 games played and recorded two sacks. According to his Twitter page, White has received offers from Capital University and Wittenberg University.
Arguably the biggest standout from Springboro this season was senior safety Nathan Coy. Along with being on the GWOC first team All-Conference, Coy was named the GWOC’s Defensive Player of the Year.
As one of five team captains for Springboro this past season, Coy led by example with 86 tackles (fifth most in the conference), four interceptions and a sack. Last month, it was announced that Coy was selected to the AP All-Ohio third team as well. Similar to his fellow defensive teammate, Coy also received an offer from Capital University and an additional offer from Siena Heights University.
Springboro will go into the fall of 2022 looking to continue taking steps in the right direction as 61 of their 87 rostered players from 2021 will return, including their top running back, as they hope to become conference champions.
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