NU’s Trevyn Feasel leaps over a pair of players on the ground on his way to the end zone. Feasel tallied a pair of touchdowns during the Wildcats’ 48-0 playoff win over Fostoria on Saturday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
The North Union Wildcats opened their 2020 Division V playoff season with a bang. NU trounced Fostoria 48-0 on Saturday during a game in which the Cats had the upper hand from the opening kickoff.
North Union’s defense was able to stall a Fostoria drive that pushed the Redmen to midfield, before giving up the ball on a punt.
The Wildcats, on the other hand, could not be stopped.
Coach Nick Hajjar called one running play after another as NU marched 66 yards down the field on six plays.
The scoring strike came from Trevor Moran from 15 yards out as he worked his way up the middle of the field for six points.
Ricky Weigand added the PAT to give the Cats a 7-0 lead.
North Union held that score through the first quarter.
Hajjar said it was the start he was looking for in this game.
“We knew we needed to start fast,” he said. “The mind set was don’t let them get outside.
“We had to corral them early, try to get some points on the board, get some stops and try to force their hand moving into the middle of the game.”
NU’s defense kept the Redmen’s aerial attack in check by getting in the backfield. Fostoria again worked the ball to midfield.
A sack by North Union’s Trevor Gilbert put an end to the drive and the Redmen had to punt.
The Wildcats’ offense went back to work running the ball around, over and through Fostoria’s defense.
NU only needed five plays to work the ball 62 yards down the field for a two-yard TD run by Moran. Weigand kicked a successful PAT to make it 14-0.
NU forced a three and out that set the Cats up at their own 39-yard line.
Two plays later, Trevyn Feasel picked a touchdown on a 13-yard run, leaping over the goal for six points. Weigand added the points after to make it 21-0.
After a quick turn of the ball, North Union was back on the attack.
The infantry did not slow as NU picked up 10-yard chunks at a time to work the ball 75 yards down the field.
The scoring push came on an 18-yard scamper by Feasel around the end.
Weigand pushed another kick through the uprights to make it a 28-0 game with less than four minutes left in the half.
NU’s defense continued to punish Fostoria’s backfield with its fourth sack of the night.
That led to a punt deep in Fostoria’s own territory.
The return set the Cats up at the Redmen’s 31-yard line.
With the short field, NU made short work of the drive.
Moran took the ball 30 yards on the ground and set up quarterback Preston Crabtree for a QB keeper up the middle for the one-yard score.
Weigand had another solid kick to give NU a commanding 35-0 halftime lead.
Hajjar said the Wildcats’ defensive dominance came from understanding the Redmen like to throw the ball.
“Schematically, we did some things to minimize the things they like to do,” he said. “We put some guys in different roles and they stepped up and made it happen. That was important to execute the game plan.”
The second half was just a formality for North Union.
Owen Davis picked up the Wildcats’ sixth TD on an 11-yard run.
The final strike came in the third quarter when Trey Bossaller worked through the Redmen defense on an eight-yard run to give the Cats a 48-0 lead.
The North Union defense held Fostoria in the final stanza, shutting out the Redmen offense.
Hajjar said the playoffs bring a new mentality to the game and he wanted to use that to motivate his team.
“Sometimes you can use that as an opportunity,” he said. “Guys can get locked in knowing it could be their last game, especially for the seniors.
“It is a win or go home mind set. That is the way we approached this game.”
North Union will host Genoa Area in the second round of the playoffs. Genoa picked up a 55-0 win over Brooklyn to move on to the next round.
Kickoff for that game will be 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Trevor Moran (10), of North Union, stiff-arms a Fostoria tackler as he runs the ball down the sideline Saturday. Moran scored a pair of touchdowns during the 48-0 victory. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)