For the Woodruff Wolverines’ Talented Senior Class, the 2022 Season is one Final Chance at Glory
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
Carson Tucker is exceptionally nostalgic for a high schooler.
The rising senior and starting quarterback for the Woodruff Wolverines is, in many respects, an old soul.
Well grounded, wise beyond his years, and not at all aloof to what the 2022 football season means.
For Tucker and his fellow seniors, this season is the final time they will all play football together. For a group that has shared the gridiron since their early childhoods, it is one last ride they hope will end in Columbia with a state championship.
“I love every single one of my guys,” said Tucker. “I wouldn’t want to play my last year with anyone else, and hopefully, we can make a good run.”
Each member of the Wolverines’ senior class has carved their paths and made their marks on a historic program with a litany of legends. All those roads still intersect at the same place; the grass and lights of Varner Stadium, where each says they have made the best memories of their still-young lives.
None take for granted the final opportunity to make a few more.
“I’ve learned not to take those moments for granted,” defensive back and wide receiver Eastin Burch said.
“Since my sophomore year when only four or five of us were up on varsity as underclassmen and as a senior, I would love to make a memory of winning a state championship which is the ultimate goal for us as a team.”
Linebacker Luke Runyans, a three-year starter, saw his junior season cut painfully short by a shoulder injury. Another two-way player doubles as a tight end and wide receiver. Knowing how quickly things can end in a flash, Luke says last season helped him learn never to take anything for granted.
“With my shoulder injury last fall, it really helped me appreciate every moment and opportunity to play football,” he said. “And the injury helped me to realize that football is only something that lasts for a short period of your life, and it can get taken away from you very fast. That helped me realize I need to go in with a different mindset to practice everyday or game and treat it like it’s your last.”
For two other Wolverines, their examples of hard work and selflessness carry greater familial ramifications. Though they cherish their brotherly connection to teammates, an older sibling for one and a kid brother for another also drive them to be the best player and people they can be.
Logan Gaspar, linebacker and Woodruff’s placekicker, watched as a junior varsity player and then varsity reserve as an eleventh grader as his older brother Noah shattered school records for field goals and kicking percentage.
Gaspar substituted for his older brother following an injury to Noah last season and connected on all 15 of his point-after kicks and pair of field goals. Copying Noah is not what Logan wants to do, however. He wants to make his brother proud but in his own way and style.
“Noah was a great kicker and taught me some things, but I feel confident in my kicking, and I’ll just take over and kick to the best of my ability and stay calm,” stated Gaspar.
Meanwhile, Anthony Graybill knows the eyes of his little brother Shaun are on him. Anthony, who is being recruited by a number of colleges both as a wide receiver and defensive back, wants to set an example for Shaun to follow. That, he says, is a weight of responsibility far greater than anything he does on the field.
“I want him to always give his best effort, even when the coaches aren’t watching,” advised Graybill. “If you cheat your reps in the weight room or on the practice field, you won’t get any better. Pay attention to detail and be disciplined.”
Their journey from the pee wee fields to talented seniors on a squad expected to be a contender in the 3A ranks has taken different turns, but despite all of their differences, each of Woodruff’s seniors cherishes the opportunity to arrive at the finish line together.
“It means a lot to finish my high school career with almost everyone on the team being guys I’ve grown up playing midget league with and also the bond that has grown over the years from midget league to high school,” stated Burch.
Runyans says he will try his best not to count down the days until he takes his helmet and pads off for the final time. Rather, he wants to strive to live each day and each game in the moment and enjoy each mile as it passes.
“Knowing that it’s my last year playing high school football is hard to think about,” he admitted. “But my goal is to win a state championship, and to win a state championship, you have to focus on each day and really focus on what needs to be done or fixed during practice, so we have the opportunity to win it all.”
Graybill wants to leave a legacy as a good friend and teammate, a player who gave his very best 100 percent of the time and left everything on the field for his little brother to follow behind and pick up in his own time.
“Our legacy is our brotherhood,” insists Graybill. “That we play as a team and love one another. I hope when my brother is in the position that I’m in, he takes advantage of every opportunity that comes his way.”
Gaspar says he would not mind giving Noah’s percentage records a run for their money, either. It is loving competitiveness, after all, that helps drive him as a player.
“It would mean a lot to break some of his records,” Gaspar said. It would also be a big achievement for my career to break records and go all out for both the kicking game and receiver and linebacker. Noah and I have a big sibling rivalry that drives me to compete with him because we are both competitive and try to beat each other. We are competitive in everything we do. We are just being athletes.”
As for Tucker, who is already among the program leaders in most statistical passing categories, he hopes to be the strongest tie that binds the Wolverines together and takes them on one last ride to the football-promised land.
“I want our guys to know that this is our last run at it,” he said. “We’ve waited for this since we were kids, so let’s make the best of it.”
Author: Tracy Sanders
