Jeremy Nelson grew up watching his head coach, Mike Chrystie, dazzle fans and devastate opponents as a standout quarterback for the Blackhawks about a decade ago.

Chrystie, a New York State sprinting champion, was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. Nelson, a senior third-year player for Oxford, is doing his best impression of his coach.

Nelson had the game of his life last Friday night in a 38-0 shutout win over division rival Hancock. Nelson scored four times – the only four times he had a chance to make a play.

For the season, Nelson has a team-high seven touchdowns scoring on offense, defense, and special teams over the last two weeks, and is this week’s Smith Ford LLC/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.

“He’s matured a lot mentally and physically over the last year,” Chrystie said of his top receiving threat. “It’s his third year on varsity, and he’s accepted the role that he needs to put up points for us to be successful. He’s worked hard in the offseason to better himself physically.”

Nelson was a big-play threat the first two weeks of the season. He was averaging nearly 30 yards per catch, but did not find the end zone as the Oxford offense struggled with consistency.

The scoring drought ended against Harpursville as Nelson raked in a 40-yard TD pass from John Wonka, and scored on an 89-yard kickoff return that broke a tie game in the fourth quarter and secured the Blackhawks’ first win. He returned another kickoff – 75 yards – for a TD against Unadilla Valley-Edmeston the ensuing week to set the stage for his biggest game.