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Nicholas County receiver Sebert-Sweeney given Moss Award

By: Rusty Udy (The Register-Herald) for the West Virginia Sports Writers Association

Nicholas County senior Carter Sebert-Sweeney went into the 2016 season with one thing on his mind — do whatever he could to get the Grizzlies back into the playoffs.

Sebert-Sweeney’s play helped accomplish that goal for his team, but it also earned him an award that he had never dreamed he would win.

As a result of his stellar play on the gridiron this season, the standout wide receiver was selected as the winner of the Randy Moss Award, given annually by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association to the state’s best high school receiver.

“That really sounds great. It is really a great honor,” Sebert-Sweeney said. “I never thought anything like this would happen, for sure. I am really surprised.”

While being overwhelmed by the award, Sebert-Sweeney, as he has all season, immediately passed the praise to his teammates.

“I have to thank my offensive line for blocking for (quarterback) Tate (Mayes),” Sebert-Sweeney said. “Me and Tate have been playing together since Little Bears football and just being together for all of those years really helped us form a great bond. We really know each other well and hang out all of the time. Our coaches were great and we had such a great team. I think that really helped me and Tate succeed, seeing we had such a great team around us.”

The numbers for Sebert-Sweeney are impressive, to say the least.

On just 32 receptions he tallied 830 yards — an average of nearly 26 yards per catch. But that was not his most impressive statistic.

Sebert-Sweeney scored 17 touchdowns on those 32 receptions in a season where he spent several halves on the bench during blowout wins by the Grizzlies.

“We knew coming into the season that he was a dynamic and explosive player, so we did some things to get him as many one-on-one matchups as we could,” Nicholas County head coach Gene Morris said. “We are a little biased in the fact that we think he can win most of those matchups.

“We had a pretty good guy to get him the ball. Him and Tate worked great together, but getting that many touchdowns in that many touches is a tribute to how hard he has worked.”

Sebert-Sweeney shined in the big games. In a road win over James Monroe, a team that made it to the Class AA semifinals, he scored on an 89-yard touchdown pass and finished the game with five grabs for 154 yards.

His biggest night of the season came against Westside, when he hauled in six passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns.

He displayed his versatility against Shady Spring, scoring four touchdowns in the first half.

Along with two touchdowns on just three receptions, Sebert-Sweeney returned a punt 83 yards for a score and a kickoff 61 yards for another touchdown.

Being named the Moss Award winner was not the only surprise for Sebert-Sweeney — even playing wide receiver was, too.

“I actually played running back when I was younger,” Sebert-Sweeney explained. “I always thought I would be a running back because in my third grade year I rushed for, like, 1,100 yards. We dominated the league and won the Super Bowl in our little division. But as soon as I got to high school, I played wide receiver.”

No doubt the move to wide receiver was great for him and the Grizzlies.

“Even as a sophomore he had really good athleticism,” Morris said. “He was just learning the offense at that point, but he could still contribute on a varsity level. He didn’t play JV at all. He stepped up and helped us immediately on the varsity level, even in his first season.”

And that sophomore season, while successful, gave Sebert-Sweeney the full understanding of what it takes to play on the varsity level.

“I didn’t play my freshman year, but after my sophomore year I could tell I wasn’t strong enough because I got pushed around a little,” Sebert-Sweeney explained. “So I started lifting weights after my sophomore year and I started running more.”

It was a work ethic that really impressed his coach.

“To me he is just a great guy and it has been a pleasure to coach him,” Morris said proudly. “He is somebody that is not only a great athlete and somebody that has worked really hard, but he is a total team player. He understands that he will be moving on after this season. So his ability to work with the younger receivers and help them understand our offense has been impressive. He is a total team player.”

East Hardy’s Brett Tharp was second in the voting, followed by Isaac Brown from Martinsburg and Chase Riley from Lincoln.

The Moss Award is named for former DuPont High School receiver Randy Moss, who went on to win the 1997 Biletnikoff Award at Marshall and was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1998 NFL Draft.





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