North Union’s varsity football team runs onto the field holding the school and the United States flags during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats had some ups and downs during the year, but were able to win a CBC Mad River Division title during their first campaign in the circuit. (Journal-Tribune by Sam Dillon)
Success can be measured in many different ways. Winning a state title can the pinnacle of success for some, while others might say a won-loss record above .500 could be the mark of a good season.
For North Union head football coach Nick Hajjar, the season may not have gone according to plan.
However, the Wildcats did something they had not been able to do for the previous six seasons… win a conference title.
NU won the Mad River Division title of the Central Buckeye Conference. It was North Union’s first season in the new circuit after having played for more than two decades in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference.
Hajjar recently reflected on the 2019 campaign in which the Wildcats posted a 7-3 record.
“We finished the year as conference champs and five-game winning streak, so I think the finish was huge for us as a team and a program,” he said.
The Wildcats went 5-0 during the second half of the schedule, but the season was not completely smooth sailing.
The Wildcats struggled during a 22-21 loss to Heath in Week 3.
Those difficulties “snowballed” to account for NU’s three losses.
“That (the Heath loss) was a very difficult setback to overcome (after holding a 21-0 lead) and we carried that with us for a while,” Hajjar said. “Turnovers and penalties became a problem and everything just kind of snowballed a bit.”
The Wildcats took their losing streak into divisional play still with something for which to play.
For that, Hajjar praised the CBC.
“I think that is a benefit to how the conference is set up,’ he said. “No matter what happens in those first five games, you can still go win a league title and that was good for us this year.”
The conference is broken up into two divisions.
The Kenton Trail Division features the bigger schools in the CBC, while the smaller schools are in the Mad River.
Each school within the CBC plays seven conference games – five within their own division and two crossover games in the other division.
The sixth week enabled the Wildcats to wipe the slate clean and start their push toward a conference title.
However, they first had to make it through the defending league champion Indian Lake.
Hajjar knew being the first year with the CBC that all teams would be gunning for the Cats.
“Being the new guys on the block in a new league, there was going to be a bull’s-eye on our chest,” he said. “We had the opportunity to knock some people off and establish ourselves in this league.”
The Wildcats pulled off a 35-14 victory over the Lakers kept the good times rolling through the next five weeks to win out the season.
Hajjar points to the win over the Lakers as a major turning point for NU’s season.
“The Indian Lake game was a big game for us,” he said. “The kids fought, pulled away and won the game handily. It was the catapult for the rest of the season.”
The divisional title also kept the Wildcats in the hunt for a post-season birth, something they hadn’t achieved since 2015.
Despite the push, the Wildcats finished their season in 10th place in Region 18 of Division V.
The top eight teams in each region earned post-season berths.
Despite not making it to Week 11, Hajjar said the Cats still accomplished their season goal.
“One of our first goals every year is to win a league title and we did that,” he said. “Sometimes with the post-season, it is about numbers and I feel like we are one of the best 32 teams in the state.
“However, with the region we are in (Region 18) we didn’t do enough to get in.”
With the door closed on the 2019 season, Hajjar is already priming his players for 2020.
“We’ve got to get rejuvenated and healthy before we start our off-season calendar,” he said. “In the world of football, the calendar flips quickly.
“We’ve got to get back in the weight room and challenge our kids to start prepping for next year and have just as tough of an off-season.”
The Wildcats will have to do that after losing a solid senior group. Hajjar said the seniors on this year’s team were huge in helping turn around the season.
“They got tested as seniors to keep the ship going in the right direction, especially after those three losses,” he said. “It is a complement to them. They are going to be successful going forward.”
Despite the loss of this year’s seniors, Hajjar has some younger talent that has been laying in wait for its opportunity.
“I’m excited about some of our younger kids, he said. “Some of them got onto the field this year, but there are going to be some healthy battles for positions within the team next year.”
North Union linemen prepare for the snap during the 2019 game against Col. Crawford. Pictured in motion is Jaxson Harrah (11). The Wildcats finished with a 7-3 record. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)