Gavin Beasley has made it hard on opposing quarterbacks all season long, and the North Olmsted senior will get at least another week to cause havoc in the backfield as the No. 7 Eagles head on the road to battle No. 2 Medina Highland in a Division II, Region 6 quarterfinal.
North Olmsted’s hard-nosed defensive tackle leads the area with 15 sacks, and he’s been able to have the senior season that he has by setting goals.
“I set goals before the season, I knew that I wanted to get a lot of sacks,” said Beasley. “One of my goals before the season was to get 100 tackles, and I think I’m at 112 with the season not over yet. I think just setting goals is what you need to do, and I just kept going after I got my first couple sacks.”
Playing on the interior defensive line, Beasley isn’t very big compared to the centers and guards he faces on the offensive side. However, he uses his smaller stature to his advantage and is able to get leverage by being lower than his opponents. He’s also a good wrestler, finishing last winter as a Division I district runner-up at 190 pounds. There are plenty of characteristics between the two sports that make them similar, they go hand-in-hand quite well.
Beasley’s presence on the defensive line has also made his teammates better this season. When he’s not wrecking plays in the backfield, it’s because he’s getting double or triple-team blocked. North Olmsted also has other capable players on the d-line, and they’ve delivered when Beasley has been tied up with multiple offensive linemen. Daniel Furdui and Jacob Holtz have combined for 12 sacks on the season, and that’s not including freeing up linebackers to stop the run.
“He just gives us a guy that no matter who we’re playing, he’s a big play waiting to happen,” said North Olmsted coach Tim Brediger. “There’s been multiple times this year that he’s come up with a huge negative yardage play. Even more, what people don’t see in the stands or in the media, is that when he’s getting doubled and tripled, it’s somebody else. Being worried about him opens it up for other guys to make plays.”
Beasley didn’t get a sack last week, but the Eagles advanced with a 42-34 home win over No. 10 Valley Forge in the first round. He’ll have another chance to sack the quarterback and keep his career alive in this upcoming game with Highland. The Hornets are undefeated entering the contest at 11-0 and are only giving up 5.2 points per game, so it’ll be quite the task to pull off the upset
Highland’s elite defense sets up the offense well, Brediger said. However, North Olmsted will have something to say about the opposing offense with Beasley inside to stuff the run and create pressure. He is looking forward to being in position to try to win the game, and the team is using an underdog mentality as fuel.
“I honestly love these games that we’re the underdog because I know that there’s something we have to fight for,” said Beasley. “I know everybody else is just expecting us to lose, and that’s a feeling that I like.”
