High school football playoffs: Ryan Wilhelm keeps going straight ahead for Buckeye

Buckeye fullback/inside linebacker Ryan Wilhelm is polite and articulate, but the 18-year-old answers questions in a straightforward manner. He plays football the exact same way — straight forward. Refusing to go backward unless in pass coverage, the rugged 5-foot-11, 211-pound senior is a large reason why the top-seeded Bucks (10-0) will host eighth-seeded St. Marys Memorial (8-3) in a Division III, Region 10 quarterfinal playoff game Friday at 7 p.m. "I'm aggressive," Wilhelm said of his running style. "I'm north and south. It's head down, forward lean and get yards. Almost every time, the offensive line has let me get back to the line of scrimmage and more. "You want to be the freight train plowing away for your running back (as a blocker). If you have the ball and someone is in your way, you've got to get them out of your way. I make cuts getting through the hole, but if there's a safety in front of me, I just try to run him over." That style has worked perfectly for the Cleveland West Conference champion Bucks, who have six players with at least 166 yards rushing, with all of them averaging at least 5.1 yards per carry. Wilhelm, the lone true fullback in the group, leads the way with 627 yards and 10 touchdowns. More impressive, he's done that on just 82 carries, meaning he's averaging 7.6 yards per attempt. Just as important is his blocking, which has helped pave the way for Liam Phillips (561 yards, 9 TDs), Brayden Sopko (470, 7), Roman Krettler (277, 6) and Denis Shevchenko (166, 2), with slot receiver Nick Prouza adding 216 yards and a TD on the ground. "We've had different kids get banged up, but somebody else steps in and takes over," Bucks coach Greg Dennison said. "That's why our tailback yards are spread out. The one constant has been Ryan. He's the one clearing the holes and getting yards once teams start keying on the tailback. "He never has negative yards (on a carry). The thing that's best is he runs the best when you need a play the most. You can't teach that kind of thing." A scout team and special teams player as a sophomore, Wilhelm tore the labrum in his right shoulder while wrestling that year, but earned "most improved" in both sports as a junior, when he wrestled at 190 pounds and just missed a D-II state berth when he lost in the blood round. The owner of a 4.4 grade-point average — he plans to study finance or accounting and is considering playing football at a D-III college — Wilhelm uses his head and the leverage he learned through wrestling on the football field, but a lot of his success comes through sheer desire and willpower. "I've seen two sides of him," senior strong safety and Cloverleaf transfer Logan Letner said. "Off the field, he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever run into. On the field, you don't want to run into him. He's able to flip the switch." Wilhelm uses that mindset to his advantage, but never crosses the line. He'll hit you hard whether on offense or defense, but he won't stand over you after he knocks you down. "I have a lot of aggression once I walk into the locker room or onto the bus (before a game), but at the end of the day sportsmanship is very high on my priority list when I play," he said. "Between the whistles, it's every man for himself." As an inside linebacker with Shevchenko in Buckeye's 3-4 scheme, Wilhelm uses what he's learned at fullback to help him on defense. It's worked, as he's second on the team to Shevchenko (76) with 70 tackles and leads the Bucks with 10½ tackles for loss and 5½ sacks while adding a fumble recovery. "As a fullback, when I have to block a middle linebacker I know they're going to see a pulling guard," he said. "I have an idea of how they are going to fill that hole. It's the same thing at linebacker. If I see a pull, I know there is going to be a down block coming or a fullback trying to isolate me on that play." The Bucks, who pride themselves on winning physical battles in the trenches, will be facing a Memorial team that has a huge offensive line and runs the wing-T while often employing two tight ends. When defenses sell out in an attempt to stop the run, the Roughriders aren't afraid to throw the ball deep. "They're going to be a good team and run-heavy, which I like," Wilhelm said. "It's going to be a good game. I'm excited." The Bucks will be attempting to join the 2018 and 2023 teams as regional semifinalists. They'll also be attempting to become the first Buckeye team to win 11 games, as 10-0 teams in 2005, 2015 and 2017 all lost their first playoff game. "I could not be closer with this team," Wilhelm said. "I played flag football with almost all these people in kindergarten. Once we all came together in seventh grade, we had something going. "If you're not playing for a state championship, then what are you playing for? I know the three 10-0 teams before us all lost their first (playoff) game. We're trying to change that." Contact Rick Noland (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.