Trevor Nailor shied away from contact during his freshman and sophomore football seasons.

With his sports background consisting largely of bowling, he felt more comfortable knocking down pins than players. But that changed as a Liberty junior. He grew bigger and stronger, and became more aggressive.

So, as a senior safety, he was better at filling the lanes in Liberty's defensive line than those in the bowling alley.

Nailor emerged as a stout run-stopper despite his undersized 155-pound frame, and he finished as the Eagles' leading tackler last fall. That performance, and his prowess on the lacrosse field, helped make Nailor the 2017 Fauquier Times Liberty Boys Athlete of the Year.

It's a credit to him and his hard work ethic, Eagles football coach Sean Finnerty said. He worked until he's doing something I don't think anybody thought he was capable of when he was younger.

Never the biggest guy, Nailor didn't play football or lacrosse until he entered high school. Bowling, on the other hand, entered his life at age 5.

It was the family sport. His parents, Patti and Keith, met at a bowling alley and later ran the Quantico Youth Bowling League for nearly a decade. Trevor Nailor's league team often won, but he eventually stopped bowling competitively as high school neared.

In eighth grade, he tried baseball but didn't enjoy it. He also dabbled in track and field by competing in the Fauquier County middle school championships.

Trevor was one of the fastest kids in the county in seventh and eighth grade, Nailor's mother said. He was always fast.

He has an athletic ability to him, she said. Whatever he's tried, he's done well. I think it's just natural for him.

But Nailor didn't enjoy running competitively. He joined Liberty's winter track team as a freshman only to leave the team after a few weeks. He did the same again as a senior, but his endurance still proved helpful as a football and lacrosse player, especially as a midfielder in the latter sport.

I run really long distances without getting tired, Nailor said. It's [helpful] being able to get in the game whenever I need to.

Play it, safety

Liberty's football coaches have a plus-two motto that Trevor Nailor eagerly adopted.

So 20-yard sprints turned into 22-yarders for him.

He would always be that kid, Sean Finnerty said. He would always go plus-two.

He was our hardest worker, the coach said. No one equaled his work ethic.

That was a constant throughout Nailor's four years with Liberty, but it wasn't quite enough for him to crack the starting lineup until his senior season.

He always was one of the smaller kids, Finnerty said. It took time for him to kind of mature and develop.

He just finally caught up. He got big enough and strong enough, Finnerty said. He's just one of those kids that kept working and made it a goal to be a starter.

Nailor was listed at 5-foot-9, 155 pounds as a senior.

During Nailor's first three seasons, he learned from film study and playing on the scout team.

He did all the little things that you want from a kid, Finnerty said. Became an extremely smart football player.

Regardless, Nailor was still undersized as a senior safety. He sought contact, nonetheless.

He did not worry about his body, Finnerty said. Coming up to make tackles, he didn't care how big that guy was he was tackling. That kind of makes you a good tackler.

Nailor finished his senior season with more than 80 tackles, which led the Eagles.

Trevor's small, but he just works harder, Nailor's mother said. You can't tell him, 'You can't do' something, because he's going to do it.

That's a quality that eventually forced Finnerty to put Nailor in the starting lineup.

He was very good at playing near the line of scrimmage, the coach said. He never had any issues diving in there.

One of those kids who would just take on the biggest kid on the field, Finnerty said. He might get knocked down especially hard, but he'd be the first one up every time.

So Nailor made the all-Conference 22 second team as a defensive back.

His Eagles finished the 2016 season with only a 4-10 record. It was their first sub-.500 record since going 2-7 in 1999, but they still won the regular-season finale Bird Bowl against county rival Fauquier for the 14th consecutive season.

Liberty's defense recovered a fumble with 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to set up its offense for an 86-yard, nine-play touchdown drive that gave the Eagles a 29-28 victory.

I'm not really the best safety out there, Nailor said. One of the plays, I was supposed to be guarding my zone and they ended up getting a touchdown.

I messed up in that game, he said, so winning that trophy again was amazing.

Nailed it

As a senior, Trevor Nailor became a full-time starter for Liberty's boys lacrosse team.

That coincided with the Eagles' best season in more than a decade.

Liberty posted a 5-9 record to tie for the program's most wins since at least 2005 and finish with a better winning percentage than the 2012 Liberty team that went 5-10.

We had really good teamwork and we were really fitting together, Nailor said. This year the seniors helped everybody. There was a lot of leadership.

During Nailor's previous three seasons, the Eagles amassed a 2-37 record. Yet they started 2017 on a 3-2 run, including an early win over James Monroe, 10-8.

Playing that close game ... really helped us, Nailor said. And Gar-Field in the scrimmage. That really helped us boost our confidence. We beat them by a lot and that hyped everybody up.

The Eagles ended up scoring 88 goals in 2017 after producing only 32 last season en route to a 1-11 record. Nailor nearly matched that 2016 total by himself this past spring.

He led Liberty with 31 goals on 96 shots as a senior.

Good motor, good speed and a determination to find the cage, Eagles coach Michael Gesiotto said. Better ball movement and spacing creates opportunity for good scorers.

Also helping were Nailors increased lacrosse IQ [and the] evolution of our offense, Gesiotto said.

The midfielder finished with 12 assists, 35 ground balls and 13 solo clears, which helped him earn a spot on the all-Conference 22 second team.

Nailor, who hopes to next play lacrosse at Northern Virginia Community College, also emerged as a Liberty leader during his senior season. As a captain, he became a sort of on-field offensive coordinator, Nailor said.

Heart of the team, Gesiotto said. Led by example.

He was a gamer, the coach said. No matter the circumstances he kept pushing, playing and encouraging his teammates.

Nailor may have developed that attitude inside his Goldvein home, which can be a busy place at times.

We're foster parents, Nailors mother, Patti, said of herself and her husband, Keith. We always have different children in our home and it's always possible to have more at any moment.

He just kind of goes with the flow, she said of her 18-year-old son. He's really good with them, helping to show them the ropes.

Nailor has a pair of adopted 4-year-old siblings in Ryder and Lily. One of his fathers high school friends, Krystle, also lives with the family. They have shared their home with the 31-year-old for Trevor Nailors entire life, since she fell on hard times at age 11.

Nailor also has pair of 21-year-old twin brothers, Kevin and Matt. So there was plenty of competition for attention in his household, but he adapted fine.

Trev's an all-around good kid, Nailors mother said. He's very personable. ... Just a pleasant young man.

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Trevor Nailor is the 2017 Fauquier Times Liberty Boys Athlete of the Year - Fauquier Times