LINDSIDE — In the postseason, a football team needs unsung heroes, players who were not expected to make a significant contribution but have done so.

James Monroe’s Nick Kisiel is one of those players. When Taylor Robertson went down with an injury, Kisiel was asked to pick up a bigger share of the load.

“Taylor’s a good runner and he had that ankle injury and I had to step up, make some plays when he wasn’t in there,” Kisiel said. “Everything worked out pretty good. I was glad about that.”

“He’s had a tremendous year for us, especially when Taylor was hurt,” coach Don Jackson said. “He kind of took the lead. If we hadn’t had him, we’d be in big-time trouble there.”

Kisiel is accustomed to getting carries in Jackson’s offense. But Robertson’s injury meant a change in plans.

“Coach usually tries to even out the carries with us,” Kisiel said. “But with Taylor going in and out, I got more of the ball and I was pretty happy with that and I made some things happen and it worked out pretty good.”

Much of the attention on Kisiel has been focused on the offensive side of the ball. The senior has rushed for 523 yards and six touchdowns this season. But Kisiel has also had an effect as a defensive end and linebacker, making 85 solo tackles, third on the team. He also has an interception for a touchdown.

Kisiel enjoys playing defense as much as he does offense and feels he can make an equally significant contribution on both sides of the ball That is bad news for the Mavericks’ next opponent in the Class AA playoffs, Weir.

“I like defense, getting to be able to hit people, and offense, just getting to make the big run here and there, showing what I can do,” Kisiel said. “Impact-wise, I’d say (I am a bigger threat on) defense. But I’m always a threat on offense. Other teams have to worry about that. So I’d say it’s even on both sides of the ball.”

Kisiel originally wanted to spend his youth dribbling a basketball. But his family moved to Monroe County and Kisiel discovered the culture of football that saturates the area.

“I moved here in eighth grade and I was athletic, but I wasn’t really into football,” Kisiel said. “And the environment out here is more football, and ever since ninth grade the seniors have inspired me when I was a freshman to work at it.

“I played in eighth grade at Peterstown and that’s when I found a love for it. It’s great. If you don’t play football, you’re missing out. And once I started playing, I couldn’t stop.”

“He’s a hard worker in the weight room,” Jackson said. “He’s a player that’s kind of worked at it. The last two years he’s really come around.”

It is that football-crazy environment that continually inspires Kisiel and the Mavericks to greater heights. But expectations are tempered by a healthy dose of reality.

“The fans expect a lot out of us every year because we’ve done so well in the past,” Kisiel said. “And if we don’t do that good, they don’t get down on us. They just encourage us to do better the next game.

“The fans make you feel at home and the players and everybody else just make you real comfortable. And the coaches are real nice. And it’s just, you couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Last season, the Mavericks made it all the way to Wheeling for the state championship game. The experience meant a great deal to the community. It meant much more to the Mavs.

“That experience was great,” Kisiel said. “Being a junior and having all my senior friends go that year, it was a great experience and we couldn’t have had a better time. It was great.”

Now James Monroe is two wins away from another state title berth. Although the injury bug has bitten the Mavericks, Kisiel says it has not been the factor it was last season. That is why he is confident he will be making a return trip to Wheeling.

“Last year, it was pretty tough and we had a lot of injuries,” Kisiel said. “So now this year we don’t have as many injuries and we’re all ready to go. We just lack a little experience. But I think we make up for it with talent.

“We just have to keep working hard, and if we play like we have been, we’re going to be a tough team to beat. We’re getting the ball in everybody’s hands.

“Everybody’s making plays. It’s not just two or three people here. It’s just the whole team’s working together, and once you get everybody going together, it’s hard to stop.”