Trevor Moran of North Union attempts to run through an Ontario tackler during last week’s game. Moran has been a huge part of the Wildcats’ ground attack and leads the MOAC in rushing yards.
(Photo submitted)
––––
The Wildcats are a team that is playing with high energy and confidence. That confidence will be needed as the Wildcats make the short trip to rival Pleasant on Friday for a 7 p.m. game.
The familiarity that both teams have with each other stretches beyond their proximity.
Pleasant is a team that likes to run the ball and North Union is the same.
The Mid Ohio Athletic Conference numbers show this. Leading the MOAC in rushing yards is NU’s Trevor with 632 yards and eight touchdowns.
Patrick Blubaugh of Pleasant is second with 570 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Head coach Nick Hajjar knows his Cats will have to tame Blubuagh in order to compete with the Spartans.
“The main focal point of their offense is their running back, Blubaugh,” he said. “He is leading a lot of categories in the league. He was pretty dynamic last year, was able to get out on us a couple of times and is doing some special things for them this year.”
With such a dynamic running back, the North Union defense will face what Hajjar calls “a heavy, heavy dose of running the football.
“Offensively, they are in the 90th percentile of running the football out of a bunch of different sets,” he said. “They are going to try and formation the heck out of you with a lot of different motions and try to come right at you.”
The Spartans will use the Wing T, jet sweeps, I formation and triple I set, all with a focus on running the ball.
“They have shown some triple I this year where they have some big kids – Byadon Stark (6-2, 225) and Bryce Lowery (6-1, 220) – in front of themand they are going to come right at you.”
Leading the entire running game will be senior quarterback Ethan Warner. The 6-5, 190-pound signal caller has the ability to throw the ball as he has tallied 319 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.
However, the Wildcats look at him as another running threat in the backfield.
“He (Warner) is playing real well right now and can do some things in the run game,” said Hajjar. “It gives them an extra running back in the backfield. It is going to be a pretty stiff challenge.”
With running being the preferred method of moving the ball for each team, Hajjar realizes that his Wildcats are going to have to do some things outside of the box.
“Any time you go into a big game you have to hang your hat on what you believe in and for us, that is running the ball,” he said. “However, they know we want to run the football, so there are going to be times that we have to throw it.”
NU has the ability to put the air in the air with Anthony Padovano, who had thrown for 410 yards and four touchdowns through four games.
He has plenty of receivers in Moran, Carson Smith and Preston Crabtree.
“We are not going to be able to run it every single play,” said Hajjar. “We are just trying to figure out the right times and formations in which to do that.”
This game could be the final one against a historical rival for the Wildcats as they prepare to move to the Central Buckeye Conference next year.
As such, Hajjar said it has a bitter-sweet feeling leading up to Friday.
“This game has been a big game for a while,” said Hajjar. “We are excited to play it.”
Like most years. it will also be a true test for the Wildcats as they face the undefeated Spartans on home turf. However, Hajjar believes his team has the ability to go on the road and get the job done.
“We know it is going to be a physical four-quarter affair,” he said. “We know when we play a team like Pleasant, it is going to have like a playoff atmosphere.
“There is a lot at stake, not just playoffs but in the league race,” said Hajjar. “There is still a lot of league play left and we are a game behind everybody now with that loss to Clear Fork. To keep ourselves in the mix, we got’ve to try and go over there and come out with a win.”