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Bear makes every carry count

Though he isn't the feature RB, Bryan Nutter has big-play potential every time he touches the ball.

By DAVID MURPHY
Published October 5, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - At last glance, the FHSAA hasn't instituted a rule that gives a team six points each time Bryan Nutter touches the football. But last week, it certainly seemed that way.

In a 35-0 win over Ridgewood, the Central running back carried the ball just 10 times, but scored three touchdowns and finished with 210 yards rushing as the Bears improved to 1-1 in Class 4A, District 8.

"That's 21 yards a carry," Nutter made sure to point out before practice Tuesday.

A 5-foot-7, 170-pound senior, Nutter has spent most of the season playing Juliet to junior running back DuJuan Harris' Romeo. While Harris has garnered headlines and game balls with his blazing speed (teammates call him Fox) and big-play ability, Nutter has existed largely in anonymity.

Even on the 95-yard fourth-quarter run against Ridgewood, the defense bit on a fake to Harris, leaving the field wide open.

"I guess they thought Fox was going to get all the carries," Nutter said. "I guess they forgot about me."

That is a marked difference from last year, when Nutter was the one doing the forgetting.

He suffered a pair of concussions in the fourth week of the season and spent the rest of the year dealing with the side effects.

In case you aren't familiar with concussions, they pretty much feel as if God is having a bad day and your head is his stress ball. Headaches, nausea, blurred vision, vomiting - pretty much all the symptoms of the flu without an over-the-counter remedy.

"You get migraines all the time," Nutter said. "You can't remember anything, you are sitting in the class staring off into space. You can't pay attention."

Nutter missed four games before he was cleared to play. He saw action in the last two weeks of the season, but finished the year with just 79 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.

This year, though, Nutter has established himself as an integral part of the Bears' three-headed rushing attack. He has run for at least 50 yards in four of Central's six games and three of their past four. While Harris is the team's feature back and senior Carlos Becaria is the No. 2 option, Nutter uses his carries wisely.

When the Bears lost to Tarpon Springs 44-14 in Week 4 - a game in which Harris and Becaria combined for just 43 yards - he carried 11 times for 79 yards. In a Week 3 win over Crystal River, he gained 52 yards on just five carries.

And in a 16-11 loss to Lecanto two weeks ago, he had a 29-yard run negated because of a seemingly inconsequential penalty.

"He runs real well," Central coach Greg Bigham said. "He has pretty good speed. He's a water bug, a lot of quick moves. He's got good vision inside."

Nutter still will get to use that vision this week, despite the fact Central has a bye. He and his teammates will be at Hernando on Friday night to watch the Leopards take on Springstead, a team Central faces next week in a pivotal district game.

The bye comes at a good time. Though Central is not terribly banged up, it did get some bad news Monday when starting linebacker/offensive lineman Justin Adams arrived at school with a knee injury he sustained in a weekend four-wheeling accident.

According to Bigham, Adams will have an MRI this week on his knee and a previously-injured shoulder. Bigham has not ruled out Adams playing against Springstead.

Duane Marks, a sophomore linebacker, stepped in for Adams when he hurt his shoulder last week and will see more action if the senior is unable to play. Junior Joe Marty would take his place on the offensive line.

"If we win, we can get a playoff spot," Nutter said.

And, despite his recent success, the senior says that is all that matters.

[Last modified October 5, 2005, 01:14:17]