Prior To Southern - Nichols was coached by David Large at Cassville High School where he was a coaches association first-team All-State athlete as a senior ... he was an Associated Press second-team All-State pick, while being named the Big 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Year ... He was a first-team All-Conference pick as a quarterback and a second-team pick by the Southwest Missouri Coaches Association as a quarterback ... He rushed for 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns, while throwing for 700 and 10 passing touchdowns ... He also returned two kickoffs for a score ... As a junior, he was a second-team All-Big 8 quarterback pick, rushing for 809 yards and 12 scores, while throwing for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns ... he was also a first-team All-State pick as a shortstop on the baseball diamond and holds the school record for batting average.