TRUST PAYS OFF
With belief in the process, Gresock and Buttermore have led Upper Arlington program to great success
After finishing 3-5 in his first season at Upper Arlington last year, Justin Buttermore believed that the 2021 season would be more successful. ● But even with an optimistic outlook, an undefeated regular season and a run to a Division I state semifinal to finish 14-1 far outstripped Buttermore’s vision for his team. ● For his role in the Golden
Bears’ most successful season since 2000, Buttermore is the Dispatch’s All-metro coach of the year. Upper Arlington senior running back Carson Gresock, who rushed for 2,366 yards and scored 33 touchdowns, has been named the All-metro offensive player of the year.
Marysville linebacker Gabe Powers, an Ohio State signee, rounds out the top honorees on the All-metro team as defensive player of the year. Powers helped lead the Monarchs to the Division I, Region 2 championship game while starting at running back and punter in addition to his main role at linebacker.
Gresock was at the heart of Upper Arlington’s offense, particularly early in the season. Even as the Golden Bears found more balance as the games went on, they never stopped putting the ball in his hands.
“He was our rock,” Buttermore said. “He was certainly the player that our offense revolved around. We had a lot of other players that were important, but everything started with our run game and with Carson getting the ball 20 times a game.”
Gresock started the season with a bang. He broke Upper Arlington’s single-game rushing record in the first game of the year with 384 yards — 25 more than the previous record from 2000. He finished the season with more games above 150 yards (seven) than games below 100 yards (four).
“We had high expectations for him,” Buttermore said. “And even though we had really high expectations, I think he exceeded those expectations. I never envisioned somebody running for 400 yards against a team that’s good as Reynoldsburg or being able to rush for 2,500 yards in our conference with the schedule that we play.”
Gresock didn’t have many carries as a sophomore, so while Buttermore could tell that Gresock had
potential, he didn’t truly know what caliber of player he was getting when he took over the program.
It didn’t take long, though, for Buttermore to see that Gresock was special.
“I would describe him as a powerful back,” Buttermore said. “He’s so powerful off the ground and so difficult to tackle, but he also has that element of speed that most backs with his style of running don’t have. He has the ability to run people over or run past them. I think that makes him really unique and special as a tailback.”
Like most running backs, Gresock is quick to credit his offensive line for his success. But on a broader scale, the trust-based culture Buttermore brought to the Golden Bears has paid dividends on the field — both for Gresock and for the team as a whole.
“My four years of high school, we’ve had three different head coaches,” Gresock said. “It was really great to have a coach coming back for a second year. That helps a lot with trust . ... In football, you need trust. Everybody’s got a job to do. There’s 11 dudes who have to do their own job. If you don’t trust the guy next to you, it’s really hard to play.”
After a challenging 2020 season, trusting in Buttermore’s plan was crucial for Upper Arlington to bounce back
“Our staff as a whole is very up front with our players,” Buttermore said. “We try to be up front and honest about everything, from football to life. I think they trust us because of that. I do think that played a huge role in our success.
“... There’s a lot of players and a lot of places that don’t necessarily buy into the team concept. Our group trusted the process, they trusted the coaches and they trusted their teammates. It allowed us to have a great year.” bjohnson@dispatch.com @baileyajohnson_