Cade Stover: Senior Night emotions, a key Lexington win and mama cows

Ohio State commitment Cade Stover is set to embark on his final season of high school football and basketball at Lexington (Ohio) High School. Lexington, a small town of just about 4,700 people near Mansfield, is a farm community that’s played an instrumental role in raising Stover, the country’s eighth-ranked outside linebacker. He committed to the Buckeyes in late April this year, picking Ohio State over Penn State, Notre Dame and 20 other schools. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound athlete is on the verge of becoming his school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball, and Cade Stover will share all of the ups and downs of his senior year with Lettermen Row in this weekly journal.

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Senior night was as special of a night as I thought it was going to be. 

As I was walking out on the field with my Mom and Dad, I thought of all the people that have been there through the good times and the bad. It was very emotional, and sometimes when you’re in the middle of something you may not know how much it means to you.

It felt as if I had accomplished a great task. I’ve given everything I have to the city of Lexington and the Lexington football program. After walking out there and feeling that rush of emotion, though, I knew I had one more opportunity for sure to play with my brothers on the team. If we won, we would keep playing. With a win, we’re in the playoffs after starting the year 1-4.

We won 35-6. On a cold, rainy and ugly night, we dominated.

I couldn’t have been more proud of my team and what we have gone through to get to this point — from starting the season how we did to finishing how we did in Week  11. You better believe that we are hungry as ever and not satisfied with just making it to the playoffs. We are here to win more games and to keep getting better.

Playoff preparation is much more intense and much more focused. At this point in the season, it’s more about the mental part of the game rather than the physical aspect — especially during the practice week, because we’re all tired and banged up. We spend more time in the film room rather than the practice field. We play Tiffin this Friday at 7:00 p.m., and I know we’ll be ready. 

The weekend at home was more on the slow side because it was raining and cold. That didn’t stop us from moving our “mama” cows with their babies back home to the farm, of course.  

I’ll try to make a long story short because I have a senior paper this week and it’s kind of kicking my butt.

In the summer, we have to take all of our mother cows and their babies to a 150-acre farm that we rent to graze grass. We take them there so the steers and heifers we are feeding out at home have plenty of grass and grain. During the winter months, we bring all of them back home and feed them here at the main farm. With help from both my sisters and my girlfriend Olivia, who was home from college for the weekend, it was smooth loading them up in the stock trailer and taking them back home.

Though Olivia grew up a “city girl,” she wants to learn and did a great job, so I know she’s a keeper. She didn’t let any cows escape, which is a huge positive, because I’d probably have to bring them back in. While we’re out working, Tatum, my youngest sister would find the barn cats and play with them, so she’s learning to be involved as well. Gabby, my middle sister, is two years younger than me and is becoming very good at helping out and working on the farm, which I appreciate. 

I think that’s going to be very helpful for dad when I leave for college next year. Senior Night has me thinking about that kind of stuff a little bit more than usual.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Go Bucks.