Trevyn Feasel (3) of North Union runs through a hole in the Buckeye Valley defensive line. The Wildcats struggled to hold onto the ball, losing four fumbles during the 31-20 loss.
(Photo submitted)
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High school football can be a fickle game.
Everything could be going just as it should be and then the wheels fall off the wagon. For the Wildcats of North Union, it was one of those games where they would take one step forward and two steps backs as they fell to the Barons of Buckeye Valley, 31-20, Friday.
The Wildcats received the open kick-off and started in with their traditional running game.
They used Trevor Moran, Carson Smith and Trevyn Feasel to work the ball down field to the Baron’s 34-yard line.
However, a flag derailed the push, moving them back to midfield. Two incomplete passes later, the Wildcats had to punt.
That was the start of a string of setbacks for the Wildcats as they struggled to find the end zone.
The first crack in NU’s game came on the defensive side of the ball when BV’s Zach Garber took the ball 60 yards to the Wildcats’ three-yard line.
He got the call again to finish what he started to open up the scoring. After a successful PAT, the Barons had a 7-0 lead.
The Cats’ woes continued as they took over possession after the kick-off. Two plays into the series, the ball squirted out of Moran’s hands as he ran around the end. Buckeye Valley scooped up the loose ball at the 47-yard line, but the Barons were unable to move the ball against NU’s defense.
“It was a tough loss,” said North Union coach Nick Hajjar. “We battled and gave ourselves some chances, but we fell short due to some self inflicted wounds.”
The Wildcat offense gained some momentum after the three-and-out stop by their defense.
They moved down field with a series of running plays, but the one that paid off for the Wildcats was on a fourth-and-two.
NU used some play action to fool the Barons into biting on the run. QB Anthony Padovano stepped back and threw a strike to a wide-open Harley Day from 21 yards out. Padovano sailed the ball through the uprights to tie the game at 7-7.
The Wildcats regained possession and worked the ball down field with time running short in the half.
They struck again when Smith took a hand-off from Padovano. He made a cut inside to take the ball to the end zone. Padovano sailed the ball through the pipes to give the Cats a 14-7 lead they took into halftime.
The second half was when things went from bad to worse for NU.
The Barons received the ball to start the third quarter and needed only three plays to work the ball 68 yards down field to score. Another PAT tied the game at 14-14.
The Wildcats’ opening drive of the second half ended in another fumble and gave the ball back to the Barons after only six plays.
Hajjar said the turnovers, along with some untimely penalties, really got his team off rhythm.
“Turnovers were a challenge for us tonight,” he said.
The Barons needed only one play to take the lead.
Garber rambled 55 yards for the go-ahead score. The Barons kicker added a point after to make it a 21-14 contest with 2:13 left in the quarter.
The Wildcats’ bad luck continued on their second drive of the quarter. The running game was making some headway as Moran converted a fourth-and-three to give the Wildcats a fresh set of downs on BV’s 16-yard line.
A holding call, though, brought the ball back to the 31. NU then turned the ball over after a fourth-down sack.
The Cats’ defense managed to mitigate any damage and got the offense back on the field.
The fumble monster returned as NU coughed up the ball for a third time.
BV took over deep in NU territory and needed only one play to make it a two-possession game.
Grant Owens threw a 22-yard TD strike to Andy Anthony. The PAT upped BV’s lead to 28-14.
Felipe Scharff added a 35-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to make it a 31-14 contest with just over six minutes left in the game.
The Wildcats finally put together a sustained drive late in the game.
Padovano finished the series with a five-yard TD pass to Feasel.
The points, though, came too late as the Wildcats could not fight their way back. With a great deal riding on the line in this game, Hajjar said where the Cats go from here will be up to them.
“It will be a collective question for the team to answer,” he said. “It is senior night (next week) and I’m sure the rest of the team is going to want to go out there and do it right for them.”
The Wildcats fell to 6-3 on the season and will host River Valley next week to close out the regular season.