Trevor Moran finds a hole in the Jonathan Alder defensive line during Week 1 of the regular season. Moran ran for 53 yards against the Pioneers. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
The Wildcats of North Union are hungry.
The grid-iron gang opened its season of uncertainty last week against Jonathan Alder and lost a fourth quarter battle, 16-7.
NU coach Nick Hajjar said his team is hungry for a win, but will have to get through Indian Lake tonight to feed its appetite.
“Both teams are coming off losses,” Hajjar said. “Indian Lake does a good job on both sides of the ball. They know what they are doing.”
Hajjar said the Lakers had a veteran crew last year at the majority of positions.
IL has some new faces stepping and “they are doing a good job.”
One of those new faces will be under center.
Junior quarterback Caleb Wurst had a decent game last week during a 20-0 loss to Bellefontaine.
He went 14-32 for 132 yards and also picked up 24 yards on six carries, something Hajjar said his defense will have to watch out for.
“(Wurst) does a great job,” he said. “He is savvy in the pocket, throws on time and has good foot work. He is a good runner and can extend plays. It is definitely a concern.”
The Lakers also have a pair of solid running backs.
Last week, the Lakers relied on their heavy bruiser Elijah Slagel to net them 41 yards on nine attempts.
“He is a real Jerome Bettis type,” Hajjar said. “He is big and just muscles his way down field for yards.”
Hajjar said Indian Lake also has a running back who can make tacklers miss.
Luke Jackson only collected three yards for the Lakers, but Hajjar said he’s fast and can find holes.
Wurst has several wide-out options.
Kaleb Hurley gained 101 yards through the air last week.
Hajjar, though said there are multiple players who NU will have to keep its eyes on.
“They have several guys at wide receiver who can make things happen,” he said. “We have to know where they are at all times.”
Hajjar will be leaning on his veteran secondary to keep the Laker wide-outs locked down.
Trevyn Feasel, Preston Crabtree and Isaiah Radcliff will be responsible for keeping the Lakers in check.
Evan Hoffer has experience at safety, while Tucker Wedding is a newcomer to the Wildcat defense.
Hajjar said the key to the win will be about offensive consistency.
“Penalties killed us last week,” he said. “We had some back-to-back penalties that backed us up and forced our hand. We have to keep getting first downs.”
He said third downs were a struggle.
The Cats managed only 58 yards rushing. Trevor Moran, who rushed for 53 yards, carried the bulk of the load.
Hajjar said the Lakers are going to try and slow the Cats’ attack by mixing their defensive front.
“They are a 3-4 base defense, but will put four and five men on the line depending on what we do,” he said. “We have to keep our eyes up.”
If NU can put it all together Hajjar believes a win is in its immediate future.
“The kids worked hard this week in practice,” he said. “We had opportunities last week to win and they know it. This week we are going to capitalize on those chances.”
Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Indian Lake.