No panic for North Union as it pulls away from Greeneview in the OHSAA football playoffs
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RICHWOOD — While the playoffs were a new experience for the bulk of the roster, what wasn’t new for North Union was being in another tight football game.
Leading by a point at halftime, the Wildcats (7-4) handled their business in the second half to win the Division V Region 20 playoff opener over Jamestown Greeneview (7-4) Friday, Oct. 31.
“The first half there were some nerves and uncharacteristic mistakes and plays, but I think we settled in there in the second half on both sides,” NU coach Nick Hajjar said.
What did the Wildcats do to pull away?
The North Union offense started the second half with an 11-play, 65-yard series with Wyatt Arver finishing with a 6-yard touchdown run up the middle to take a 14-6 lead. From there, the defense pitched a shutout, forcing a punt, an incomplete fourth-down pass and an interception from Griffin Osborne to thwart the Rams.
“No panic,” Hajjar said. “It was more of a wake-up call. Here we are again and it’s the playoffs. We better wake it up. I thought the guys were really good at halftime. The talk and energy was right, and I think it showed in the second half.”
North Union put the game away with 2:29 left when Nickolas Hajjar finished a 16-play, 73-yard drive that ate more than seven minutes off the clock, running it in from the 1.
“We kept feeling offensively if we can get another score up on the board or get up two scores, the defense is playing well enough that this thing’s over. It was when is that separation going to happen. It took a little longer than maybe we wanted it to, but we got it,” the coach said.
What do the stats say?
The Wildcats doubled up Greeneview 305 to 154 in total yards, adding a 19-12 advantage in first downs. NU was 5 of 9 on third downs, while holding Greeneview to 4 of 13. NU lost a fumble and an interception, and it was penalized eight times for 75 yards, but the defense recorded a pair of sacks and six tackles for loss as Trenor Kyte had a hand in 15 tackles and Kadrin Riffle in 10 tackles.
Nick VanHoose led the Wildcats with 102 yards on 19 rushes, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a 5-yard run. Osborne ran 10 times for 76 yards and caught three passes for 33 more. Arver ran for 49 yards on seven carries and caught a pair of passes. Dainon Lindsey added three receptions as Hajjar was 8 of 10 passing for 71 yards.
“It feels amazing. It’s one way to end it,” Osborne said. “Last game on the field as a senior, it feels pretty nice.”
After beating the No. 9 seed Rams, No. 8 seed North Union goes to Region 20 top seed Williamsburg (10-0) near Cincinnati for a quarterfinal game Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
“At this level it’s win and advance, no matter what it looks like. You learn from it and move on,” Hajjar said.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: North Union settles in against Greeneview in OHSAA playoff football
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