By Ryan Ernst
Cincinnati Enquirer

As a kid, Nick Rice had enough siblings to field a football team. He was the youngest of 12 but found his favorite teammate six Newport blocks away in his nephew, Matt Atkins, who was one year his junior.

Now, after starring at Newport High, the uncle-nephew duo trade childhood barbs, and hits, on the Thomas More football squad.

"He talks trash," Rice says of his nephew. "Especially in practice. Since he plays center and I play linebacker, he'll come out and try to cut (block) me, and I just try to blast him. It makes practice great. We always try to one-up each other. But he's younger, so I can't let him talk trash."

When Atkins was younger, however, his mom did his talking.

"When we were growing up, our teams would scrimmage," Rice said. "And my sister Debbie, Matthew's mom, would always tell me, `Don't hurt my son.'"

When parents and pads weren't around, though, Atkins and Rice would take it to "The Blacktop" - a stretch of vacant asphalt near the Rice house. Along with other siblings and children from the neighborhood, the two honed their football skills.

"It would get pretty heated," Rice said. "My older brothers would play with us. They always wanted to make me better, and Matthew's brother always wanted to make him better."

Once he graduated from "The Blacktop" to Newport, Rice contributed almost immediately.

He is the school's all-time leading tackler and was an all-state selection as a senior. But you don't need to run down Rice's resume for Atkins.

"My freshman year that's all I heard. Nick this, Nick that," Atkins says. "But I remember my first varsity game as a sophomore. I played right next to him on the offensive line. I was lost, but he kind of guided me through it. After he left, I tried to take on that leadership role."

Rice gave advice to his nephew in high school. He also gave him something less desirable.

"My little nephew used to call me Mattchoo, because he couldn't say Matthew," Atkins said. "And Nick, being a little punk, started calling me Choo. Now the head coach, everyone, calls me that. I'll bet most guys on the team don't even know my first name."

Despite that obvious handicap, Atkins has made a name for himself. He was a second-team all-state selection as a senior and was sixth in his graduating class with a 3.9 GPA, leading many - including Rice - to think Atkins was heading for an Ivy League school.

"But my senior year I came to watch Nick - not even Thomas More so much - play," Atkins said. "I think the atmosphere here just kind of fit me."

Atkins also fit right into the starting lineup. And, like his uncle, he has not missed a start in his college career. In the three-plus years since Rice blazed the trail, the Saints have posted a 31-7 record - a statistic coach Dean Paul says is no coincidence.

"They have been a big reason why we've won a lot of games," he said. "Not only are they good players, but they're hard workers and strong leaders. They're both very physical and they never miss practice."

Miss practice? And miss an opportunity to beat up on a favorite rival? Don't even think about it.

"Typically, we don't get to go against each other in one-on-one drills," Atkins said. "But when we do, it's pretty heated. We don't want the other one to have anything to talk about at family events."

Then again, there's always "The Blacktop."

Others

Indian Hill graduates Andrew Debord and Matt Minor anchor the defense for the Division III, eighth-ranked Wooster soccer team. The Scots (13-0-2) have allowed only seven goals.

Northern Kentucky volleyball player Maggie Pugh, a Mason graduate, was named last week's Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the week. Teammate Sara Taylor ranks second nationally in Division II with 13.86 assists per game.

Miami soccer player Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield) was awarded the Mid-American Conference player of the week after scoring three goals in two wins. The wins clinched the RedHawks' first regular-season conference title.

Four Xavier athletes took home Atlantic 10 honors this week. Miles Maillet (golf) and Ryan Potts (tennis) were named the conference players of the week, while Meggie Hoffman (volleyball) and Rob Simpson (tennis) were named rookies of the week.

Moeller product and DePauw football player Dan Ryan recently became the school's all-time leading receiver. He has caught a touchdown pass in 16 straight games.

Mount St.Joseph sophomore linebacker Robbie Phillips (Bethel-Tate) was named last week's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the week. Phillips had nine tackles, an interception and a sack for the Lions (4-2).

Ginny Thomas, a senior middle hitter at Mount St.Joseph, was named last week's HCAC player of the week. The Newport Central Catholic graduate had 56 kills during the week.

Hanover's Erin Matson (McAuley) was named the HCAC cross country runner of the week. She finished eighth at the 6K Wilmington Fall Classic in a time of 24:12.

Xavier soccer goalie Brian Schaeper (Moeller) set a school record Friday night when he recorded his sixth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over St. Bonaventure.

Hanover baseball coach Richard Naylor will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan.3 in San Diego.

E-mail rernst@enquirer.com