Friday, October 29, 1999
Bellevue's Berkley can one-up brothers
BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer contributor
The touch football games the Berkley brothers played on Bellevue's Ward Avenue a decade ago are now paying off for the Bellevue varsity.
Junior quarterback Nate Berkley is trying to do something older brothers Nick and Neil never could: lead the Tigers to the Class A state championship. Nate is a major reason Bellevue (9-0) is the state's top-ranked team entering tonight's regular-season finale at Dayton, and he credits his brothers for his success.
“They taught me so much, not about football but about life,” said Nate, 16.
Nate followed both brothers in Bellevue's quarterback position. Nick, now 29, threw for 436 yards as the starter in 1987, and Neil, 27, totaled 763 career passing yards in 1988-89.
Nick, who sets up concert and opera stages in Cincinnati, said Nate is the best passer of the three because of Nate's 740 yards so far this year. Such praise does not protect Nate from serious teasing.
“We get on Nate — me and Neil both,” Nick said. “He's as skinny as a rail. All his teammates say, "Why can't you get big like your brothers?' ”
Said Neil: “It's (amazing) how early (Nate) developed good skills. He's got a lot of potential, and he's only a junior.”
The potential started years ago on Ward Avenue, where Nick and Neil treated then 6-year-old Nate as an equal.
“We loved playing; we loved sports,” said Neil, who is now a Newport police officer. “We played football games in the street. (Ward) is one of the wider streets in Bellevue.”
Nick's and Neil's careers mostly consisted of handing off to running backs. “I had two 1,000-yard rushers, Doug Leopold and Gary Hoop,” Nick said.
Nick later played baseball and football at Thomas More, but a torn knee ligament ended his playing career.
Nate didn't watch much of his brothers' games, but he knew quarterback was his position when he went out for the Bellevue Tigers youth team.
“I never really wanted to play anything else,” Nate said. “It just seemed natural to me. I never really talked to (Nick and Neil) about playing quarterback. When I was little, I was always told I was a leader type.”
The Berkleys are a team within a team this season. Neil is something of a personal coach — he quizzes Nate about coverages and blitzes after every offensive series — while Nick mostly sits in the stands and scans the entire field.
“Before games they're asking whether I'm nervous,” Nate said. “I wait for opportunities (on offense) to come my way.”
There has been only one setback. Nate suffered a slight tear in a knee ligament against Mason County six weeks ago; he wears a brace and says the joint sometimes stiffens when he's home.
“When I'm moving around, I'm fine,” Nate said.
If Bellevue is in the Class A state finals Dec. 3 at Louisville's Cardinal Stadium, the Berkleys are ready. Neil said he'll come directly from graduation at the state police academy in Richmond.
Said Nick: “I told (bosses) I'm not working another Friday night from here on out.”
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