Dispatch
8/25
CITY LEAGUE SOUTH
Marion-Franklin star leads by example
Nicholson already listed among school’s greatest athletes
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Steve Blackledge
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
By earning All-Ohio honors last season, two-way tackle Torrance Nicholson joined an exclusive group of athletes in Marion-Franklin’s Wall of Fame:
Herb Williams, who has carved out a successful career in the NBA as a player and coach; Ken Lanier, a former All-Pro with the Denver Broncos; Alphonso Carreker, who also starred in the NFL; Eddie Milner, who played major-league baseball; and former state long jump champion Kiwan Lawson, who is competing at Indiana University.
Nicholson, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound senior, can’t help but beam when he sees his photograph prominently displayed among other Red Devils legends. But he almost wishes the honor had come a year later instead.
"One of the freshman players came up to me the other day and said, ‘You’re the guy on the wall, aren’t you?’ and it made me realize that I have a responsibility on and off the field and in the classroom to set an example for the rest of the guys," he said.
"As a senior, I’m in a position where I need to lead by example for the team to be successful. I can’t ever afford to be slacking. What would that freshman think of me if I didn’t beat him in a sprint drill? It would give him an excuse not to give his all."
A National Honor Society member, a 42-4 state tournament qualifier in wrestling and a pillar in his community, Nicholson represents everything that is good about high-school athletics.
Rather than use Columbus’ open-enrollment policy to join a more successful program, he stayed at the school a block from his home. In 2004, he helped Marion-Franklin (9-2) to a share of the City League South Division championship and its first playoff berth. It marked the Red Devils’ first winning season since 1996.
"We had set some high goals, but after the three seniors (Alex Daniels, Keith Massey and Antoine Roberts) transferred to Brookhaven last summer, we got down for a while," he said. "It said a lot about our character and the talent we had that we still achieved those goals.
"What I remember most about that run was how our success brought the community out. Seeing our fans lined up against the fence in that playoff game (at Pickerington Central) made me so proud. Representing my community means a lot to me."
Nicholson, who made 80 tackles — 24 for negative yardage — prefers the defensive side of the ball, where Marion-Franklin made its mark with six shutouts. He was the Central District defensive player of the year.
"All I know is that he was pretty darn tough to deal with when we faced him last year," said first-year coach Brian Haffele, who served as an assistant at rival Walnut Ridge. "We just couldn’t run the ball against him at all.
While the muscular Nicholson — who benches 350 pounds and squats 575 — gets tremendous leverage, some college recruiters believe he lacks the ideal speed to play defense. Because of his height, some project him to play center or guard.
Nicholson rattled off six Big Ten schools, including
Ohio State, that interest him, but he doesn’t plan to make any official visits until winter. Right now, his only concern is leading the Red Devils back to the playoffs.
"With 28 seniors back, and having gone through that experience, we should be better than last year," he said.
sblackledge@dispatch.com
