Computers can be helpful or they can be a real hindrance. Computer rankings are everything to a playoff-hopeful high school football team in Ohio. Most of the time, several rankings, which take into account multiple factors such as won-loss record, level of competition and game scores to compute a team’s rank, are pretty close to accurate. The Wildcats of North Union are one of those teams keeping their eye on the computer rankings for Region 18 of Division V football. After Tuesday’s release of the official computer rankings by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, NU sits at seventh in…
Author: Sam Dillon
Grace Brandt of North Union tips a 50-50 ball over the net as an East Knox player attempts to block it. Brandt tallied two kills and a block to help the Wildcats sweep East Knox, 3-0. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) –––– North Union’s season-long volleyball mission continued on Tuesday evening. The Lady Cats recently won their first league title in school history and have not lost a game since Sept. 27, when they fell to the team they share a Central Buckeye Conference title with, Benjamin Logan. That winning spirit continued on Tuesday when the No. 9 Lady Cats…
Fairbanks’ Austin Becker (17) moves the ball around a Pleasant opponent. The Panthers won the opening match of the Division III tournament. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) –––– Post-season high school sports can be real pressure cookers. If you win, you move on and if you don’t, your season is over. The Fairbanks boys soccer squad is one of those teams that has extended its season. The Panthers did so with a 2-0 victory over Pleasant on Monday during the opening round of the Division III tournament. Fairbanks was able to score both goals in the same way . .…
The North Union Wildcats pose with their CBC trophy after taking first in the Mad River Division. (Photo submitted) –––– The Wildcats of North Union made their move to the Central Buckeye Conference this season and have topped the competition with a cross-country conference title in the Mad River Division. The Wildcats took first place at the CBC championships on Saturday with a team score of 116. Both divisions of the CBC- Mad River and Kenton Trail – competed simultaneously, putting the Wildcats as fourth overall finishers. Jonathan Alder, in the Kenton Trail Division, finished its season as runners-up with…
Jacob Nicol rushes with the ball to the outside as a West Liberty defender prepares to tackle him during the wet conditions Friday. Nicol rushed for 124 yards during the 38-35 loss. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) –––– The Fairbanks Panthers got their first taste of true football weather Friday night as the rain fell along with the temperatures. The one thing that kept the game heated was the score. Both teams, West Liberty Salem and Fairbanks, flip-flopped the lead during the high scoring contest, but the Tigers came out on top, 38-35. The Tigers were able to put on…
Trevor Moran leaps over a fallen Marion Harding player while getting tackled during last week’s contest. The Wildcats will travel to Galion where each team will battle for a victory late in the regular season. (Photo submitted) –––– With Week 8 of the regular high school football season at hand, the Wildcats of North Union will travel to take on offensive powerhouse Galion on Friday. The Tigers find themselves 1-3 in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference, despite scoring 94 points throughout the MOAC season. This offensive power is something that NU head coach Nick Hajjar has been preparing for all…
North Union’s Journey Blevins blasts a hit over the net as an Indian Laker blocker attempts to get her hands on the shot. Blevins tallied 24 kills during the Lady Cats’ 3-0 sweep of the Lakers to remain in a tie for first place in the Central Buckeye Conference. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) –––– North Union’s volleyball squad took another step closer toward a Central Buckeye Conference championship on Tuesday. NU remains tied at the top of the standings with Benjamin Logan after a 3-0 victory over Indian Lake. “It (the CBC title) is a goal of ours and…
North Union’s boys’ cross-country win streak has come to an end. The Wildcats, who have won several consecutive invitationals this season, tallied the same amount of points (54) as Fairfield Union did during Saturday’s Johnstown Harrier Showdown. Fairfield Union, however, won the title based on the sixth-place score for both teams. NU placed second. A total of five teams competed in the Hawks Division of the event. Westerville South was third with 58 points, followed by Licking Heights-72 and Whitehall-119. Adam Brown was the Wildcats’ best finisher on the hilly course during a humid race. He was sixth overall with…
Triad’s Coleman Hauk (5) can’t make the tackle on a West Liberty ball carrier on Friday. Also pictured is Austin Bails (3). The Cardinals fell, 42-19. (Photo submitted) –––– “We were able to establish the line of scrimmage and our defense was able to get off the field in the second half.” Those were the words of Jonathan Alder head football coach Brett Glass after the Pioneers’ 38-26 victory on Friday over Kenton Ridge. JA held a 7-6 lead after the opening period. Jacob Fenik scored Alder’s first touchdown on a five-yard run. Jackson Welsch booted the extra point. Jonathan…
NU’s Jaxon Harrah gets tackled by a Marion Harding defender after returning an interception on Friday. The Wildcats rolled to a 34-7 victory during the MOAC game. (Photo submitted) –––– The Wildcats of North Union have taken their licks this year, but have always been able to get back up the horse and keep their season on track. This week was huge for the Wildcats, according to head coach Nick Hajjar. Not only did North Union roll to a 34-7 win over Marion Harding – something they have not been able to do since the Presidents entered the league in…
The Triad Cardinals have had a turnaround season this year and the proof is in the numbers. They currently sport a 5-1 record, but this week will be a real test when they square off with West Liberty-Salem. The Tigers are a team that Triad head coach Joe Cardinal said will give his squad a physical challenge. “West Liberty plays a physical style of football and we’ve got to match that physicality” he said. “I think they may be the most physical team we have played this year.” Even with the physical nature expected to be high, Cardinal believes Triad…
Journey Blevins leaps to block a Graham hit during the opening set of the Central Buckeye Conference match. The game went to five sets, but NU eventually won to increase their record to 7-1 in the league. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) –––– North Union’s volleyball team has made it a mission to make a big splash in its new conference. The Lady Cats are competing for the first season in the Central Buckeye Conference, after more than two decades as an affiliate of the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference. Thursday’s marathon (three hours), five-set victory over Graham upped the team’s…
In this file photo Trevor Moran (10) of North Union escapes the tackling arms of two Fairbanks defenders during Week 1 of the regular season. Moran has been a big part of the Wildcats offense this season with more than 700 yards of rushing in six weeks. (Photo submitted) –––– Football is a grinding, grueling sport and with the seventh week of the high school season here, teams around the state are feeling the grind with mild injuries and mental exhaustion. The game, however, must go on. “You have your typical bumps and bruises like every program does and I…
Members of the North Union boy’s cross-country team pose with their trophy after taking first place at their home meet on Saturday. The Wildcats has won four of their last five meets. (Photo submitted) –––– The North Union Wildcat runners don’t know how to lose. For the fourth time in a month, the boys cross-country took top honors on Saturday. This time it w as their home meet, the North Union Cross-Country Invitational. The Wildcats took first place with a team score of 32, while Elgin was second with a 61. The Cats put four runners in the top 10…
Harley Day (86) runs with the ball after making a catch on a pass thrown by Anthony Padovano to score a touchdown. Day scored the only offensive touchdown of the night for the Wildcats during their loss at Pleasant. (Photo submitted) –––– Every football schedule has its share of tough battles and every battle has a winner and a loser. On Friday, the Wildcats of North Union played one of those tough battles and came out on the losing side of the scoreboard, 35-13, to Pleasant. Both teams brought high standings in Division V, Region 18 into the game. The…