After Nick McElroy tore an ACL in a club game last summer, it looked as if the Boyd-Buchanan senior would spend his final high school soccer season cheering on his teammates from the sideline.
Even when doctors cleared him to practice a few weeks ago, McElroy and Buccaneers coach Dustin Walker knew it would take a deep run in the postseason for McElroy to get game action.
So when the Bucs made it to the Division II-A state quarterfinals and McElroy finally got the chance to join them, all he wanted to do was help them win. Little did he know that he would be right in the middle of possibly the biggest goal this senior class has scored.
With just over five minutes remaining in Friday night's game against visiting Franklin Road Academy, McElroy beat the Panthers' diving goalkeeper to the ball off a free kick and tapped it back to fellow senior Ayden Otero, who buried it in the back of the net. That held up for a 1-0 Bucs victory that sent them to the Spring Fling state semifinals in Murfreesboro next week.
"Just playing again feels amazing," McElroy said with a huge smile. "I saw the free kick and knew that I wanted it. I wanted to score, but I'll definitely take the assist any time."
"It was like slow motion," Otero said. "After the keeper went for the ball and Nick tapped it to me, I just took my time and made sure my technique was perfect. I just had to finish it."
Boyd-Buchanan (20-1) created several scoring opportunities in the second half prior to the game-winner, coming out of halftime extremely aggressive after a sluggish first half offensively in which the Bucs managed only five shots.
"We just started slow; they were beating us to first and second balls," Walker said. "So at halftime we kind of gave them the reality of the situation, that this thing that we love, the guys that sit in this locker room, would be over if we don't change the way we go at it."
The Bucs took Walker to heart, winning nearly every loose ball in the early minutes of the second half and consistently getting behind the Panthers' defense. The Bucs outshot Franklin Road Academy (9-4-4) 11-2 in the second half and 16-7 for the game.
The Bucs defenders did their part as well, not giving the Panthers any clean looks at the goal. Bucs keeper Harrison VanEaton made a diving save late in the first half on a strike from just outside the box - the Panthers' best scoring opportunity.
"One thing we really stress is that we're family," Walker said. "Getting to go to Murfreesboro with this family means the world. We just hope that we've brought glory to God, and we're thankful for the way that he's blessed us, even to be a part of this team as coaches. We love these guys and they love each other, and we see that as a blessing."
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com