Oak Harbor senior Travis Bouyer’s father died in 2019.
“Every game, I think about him,” Bouyer said. “It placed a chip on my shoulder. I wish he was here — he lives through me, so I have to leave it all on the field for him. I play for him.”
Bouyer has 249 yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries this season. He rushed for 87 yards and two scores on 13 tries in a win over Port Clinton in Week 3.
“We’re dedicated to running it down your throat,” he said. “Keep running it until they go away. I love being physical; that’s all we preach all summer. Beat the guy in front of you. Focus, fight and finish.”
Most teams that utilize wildcat packages at quarterback emphasize speed, change of pace and quickness. With Bouyer receiving direct snaps at times, Oak Harbor hangs its hat on power.
“We started this summer; we’ve practiced it and done it,” he said. “I love to be physical, and I love the ball in my hands.”
Oak Harbor’s offensive line has been relentless, even as Isaac Schulte works to recover from an injury. It allows Bouyer to be patient at times before choosing his thundering path.
“Every snap they go for six seconds,” Bouyer said. “They don’t stop; endless motors. Isaac coaches them up, and we’ll love when he’s back.”
Brayden Porath is a first-year starter at quarterback, and unbeaten Oak Harbor has leaned on the run game early. The wildcat supplements Blake Nickel, who has 482 and eight touchdowns on 61 carries, and Kason Marshall, who has five touchdowns on the ground.
At 5-foot-11, 220 pounds, Bouyer is a bowling ball, although he does have a little wiggle as well.
“Our wildcat has been good,” Rockets coach Mike May said. “A lot of beef on the field. He can run between the tackles, and he’s hard to bring down.”
His role in the backfield has expanded after he collected 72 tackles as a junior linebacker.
Bouyer’s stepfather is Rockets assistant Renel Thompson. Friday was Thompson’s 46th birthday.
“Four wins against Port Clinton in four years, you can’t beat that record,” Thompson told Bouyer late in the game. “That’s the best present ever.”
mhorn@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Oak Harbor’s Travis Bouyer plays football with his father in his heart
Reporting by Matthew Horn, Fremont News-Messenger / Fremont News-Messenger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
