SETH WILSON, BY THE NUMBERS

There was a time ballpark vendors would yell ‘You can’t tell the players without a scorecard,’ in attempt to sell those attending the game said scorecard.

Scoring a game, be it baseball, from where the saying originated, or any other sport is largely a lost art due to the availability of instant statistics, digital rosters, and so forth.

But there are exceptions. Take Bearcat sophomore Seth Wilson for example.

In the season opener at Ozark every tackle Wilson made was, according to the public address announcer, the work of Xander Miller.

That is because Wilson, who moved to tight end during the summer, was listed as number 28 on the roster and Miller was reportedly in the 64 jersey.

In need of a tackle, the Bearcat coaching staff turned to Wilson, who played the position in junior high, but that meant he needed a different number.

“I was on the o-line so I cannot be 28 so they put me in 64,” said Wilson. “I played tackle and I play linebacker.”

Unlike the tackle requirement of a number between 50 and 79, linebacker has no restrictions.

“He is such a great kid and he will do whatever he needs to do for the team to be successful. He has played several different positions for us this year,” said head coach Doc Crowley. “We are super excited for have him back for two more years and he is going to do some really special things in a Bearcat uniform.”

No matter the number.

Shifting to a 64 was not exactly foreign since that is what Wilson wore in junior high when he was a tackle/linebacker.

Wilson taking over the 64 moved Miller to the 59 jersey, which Miller wore last year after freshmen moved to the senior high roster following the season.

However, Wilson has since shifted back to 28.

“I told him I don’t care what number he wears as long as he continued to play like he does,” Crowley said.

“Right now they are moving seniors on the line so the line can be bigger,” said Wilson. “I’m like 165, 170 pounds. I’m good at it, I’m just not big enough.”

Which position is better?

“Honestly, I’d probably rather play tackle than tight end, but I like being tight end. I like wearing 28,” said Wilson.

That was his number in little league and in seventh grade.

“In eighth grade I had to go to the o-line,” said Wilson.

Miller is not going back to 64.

“I have to carry it with me in case I have to go back to the o-line,” said Wilson.

That means he has to always has to, at least mentally, prepare two for two sets of blocking rules.

“If I didn’t know my rules at tackle, I wouldn’t be there at all,” said Wilson.

Even if you do find Wilson on a scorecard you might not always know who his teammates are cheering for because Wilson was given a nickname last season.

“Black Magic. I love my nickname,” he said.

It’s almost magic to watch him play.

“I really like football. I like to get after it at practice. Get better,” said Wilson.

“Seth has an unbelievable motor. He brings it every day in practice and every Friday night. He is one of the hardest working kids we have,” said Crowley.

Like several sophomores, Wilson got a head start on his high school career by playing not only minutes, but meaningful minutes as a freshman. He did that in a 44 jersey.

As a freshman he had two solo tackles, including a sack in a playoff game (Junction City).

This year Wilson has 13 solo tackles and nine assists. He has one solo sack and has assisted on another.

“We have really good coaches. I pick up pretty easy on things,” said Wilson. “I think that’s what’s helping me.”

Wilson is almost exclusively a football player. He said he will hang out with friends but he does not play video games – “I don’t really have time.”

Wilson is the son of Teena Wilson, who teaches self-contained classes at the junior high school and is the color guard sponsor for the band. He has an older brother, Levi, who is in college.