2015 COVINGTON BUCCANEERS

The 2015 Covington Buccaneers had some memorable moments and some heartbreaking games in an up and down season where they finished 8-3.

2015 COVINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM: Row 1 (L-R): Shane Straw, Logan Fields, Chace Hinnegan, Ben Kuether, Zach Barnes, Brandon Magee, Ethan Nash, Jared Williams, Noah Thomas, Coleman Ryan. Row 2 (L-R): Lance Miller, Branden Robinson, Nathan Blei, Seth Thomas, Nate Armentrout, Zane Barnes, Carl Lankford, Adam Lefeld, Deron White. Row 3 (L-R): Sam Pritchard, Ethan Herron, Bowen Swank, Christian Nelson, Ty Freeman, Bryce Keiser, Caleb Rawson, Gavin McReynolds. Row 4 (L-R): Dimaurye Ewing, Parker Dysinger, Ian Wilson, Eli Gerling, Garrett Warner.

The 2015 Covington Buccaneers had high expectations entering the season and – at times – the Buccs met those expectations.

But there was a lot more out there for a football team who returned most of the roster from a team that overachieved in 2014. Unfortunately, inconsistency led to the season ending much too soon with a shocking 20-16 loss of Lehman in the opening round of the playoffs.

The season started out rough with a 27-3 loss to St. Henry, but the Buccaneers rebounded by winning six straight games. The biggest win in the streak came in a 21-20 overtime thriller over Miami East, where the Buccaneers came back from a 14-0 deficit to start the fourth quarter. What made the victory so emotional was the fact that coach Dave Miller lost the mother of his wife Sarah earlier in the day.

“Unreal,” said Miller after the game. “It’s hard to find the words to describe it. I’ve been coaching for 25 years and I’ve never been more proud of a team than I am of these kids right now. I kind of think she (his mother-in-law) had a hand in it.”

One would think a win like that would ignite a football team, but the Buccaneers failed to use the big victory as a springboard to running the table in the Cross County Conference schedule as the following week Twin Valley South stunned Covington with a last second touchdown to claim a 34-30 win on Smith Field.

Fortunately, the Buccaneers where able to close out the regular season with big wins over National Trail and Ansonia to earn a share of the league title with Miami East and advance to the state playoffs.

Hosting Lehman in the opening round, the Buccaneers had every opportunity to advance. Unfortunately, turnovers in the red zone and big plays surrendered at critical times on defense led to a stunning upset loss.

The Buccaneers lose ten seniors; Chace Hinnegan, Shane draw, Coleman Ryan, Noah Thomas, Logan Fields, Ben Kuether, Ethan Nash, Brandon Magee, Zach Barnes and Jared Williams.

BRANDON MAGEE
Brandon Magee continued his football career at Heidelberg University where he enjoyed an outstanding career. As a freshman and sophomore in 2016 and 2017 Magee played on the defensive line, but was moved to outside linebacker in 2018 and 2019 to take advantage of his speed and athleticism. In all, Magee played in 31 games and registered 39 tackle, and 2.5 sacks.

DAVE MILLER: HIS LEGACY WILL LAST FOREVER
It’s truly and “End of an Era” at Covington as Dave Miller moves on to coach football at Kettering Fairmont High School after nine unbelievable years as the Buccaneers’ head football coach in which he compiled 86 wins to just 20 defeats. The 86 wins is just three short of Larrie Tisdale’s school record 89 wins he compiled in his two stints accounting for 12 seasons.