Trevor Moran of North Union (10) gets past a Fairbanks defender on Friday. The Wildcats beat the Panthers, 46-3.
(Photo submitted)
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One team came, saw and conquered while the other has to go back to the drawing board.
The Battle of Union County between North Union and Fairbanks was an anticipated game by both coaches, but after a quick turnover forced by the Wildcats, it was over before you knew it as the Wildcats took the win, 46-3.
Regardless of the opponent or the score it just feels good to get a win in Week 1, according to North Union coach Nick Hajjar.
“It just feels good,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says or who the opponent is, if you can get a win Week 1 that is a huge way to start the season.”
North Union deferred to Fairbanks after winning the coin flip and the Panthers decided to take the ball.
It was not in their possession for long as they fumbled on the third play of the game. The Wildcats recovered the loose ball at their own 45.
It only took the Wildcats five plays to score.
Trevor Moran and Carson Smith kept the pigskin on the ground and the series was capped by Moran’s 16-yard scoring run.
Anthony Padovano kicked the PAT to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.
The Panthers were able to put the early setback in the rear view mirror for a while, as backup quarterback Braxton Wilhelm took the snaps under center for the injured Jacob Nicol.
Wilhelm marched the Panthers down the field until NU’s Jaxson Harrah slipped in front and intercepted the ball on the Panthers’ second possession of the game. Despite the Panthers’ second setback on offense, head coach Patrick Cotter still saw some “good things” out of his players.
“Offensively, we did a lot of good things, but we shot ourselves in the foot,” he said. “We had a pick here, a fumble there and a couple of wrong decisions on those things, but they’re all things that are correctable.”
The Wildcats were not impervious to offensive blunders as they fumbled the ball only three plays after the interception.
FHS was able to make some progress before fumbling the ball on a third down that then led to a punt.
The two sides exchanged the ball back and forth before the Wildcats found the end zone for the second time. Smith’s 15-yard run and Padovano’s conversion gave NU a 14-0 advantage.
The Wildcats stung the Panthers for another six points when Smith took a toss around the end on a 49-yard run for his second touchdown in the quarter. A Padovano kick put the game at 21-0 by the end of the first period.
“I think our guys had great energy from the get-go,” Hajjar said. “I think a lot of guys got to touch the ball and a lot of guys ran hard. I think that compliments the different running style we have.”
The Panthers continued to struggle on offense as they led off the second quarter with the ball.
The possession was short-lived when North Union’s Prestone Crabtree intercepted a pass near midfield.
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FHS’ defense was able to keep the Wildcat offense out of the end zone. The two sides exchanged blows before the Wildcats ran in their fourth TD of the contest when Moran found a seam nine yards out.
Padovano struggled to put the ball between the pipes as North Union took a commanding 27-0 lead in the second quarter.
Cotter attributed North Union’s ability to score with ease to Fairbanks’ inability to wrap their rushers.
“We had some issues tackling early in the game and that set up some problems for us early,” he said.
The Panthers continued to struggle on offense through the first half as the Wildcats continued to roll.
Padovano connected with Crabtree on a 17-yard pass to the back of the end zone for a 33-0 lead.
Hajjar said the touchdown came as a result of the Panther defense putting pressure on Padovano.
“If people are going to blitz us that much, then we are going to have to make them pay,” he said. “I think at the end of the first half we were good with that.”
The Wildcats took the ball to begin the second half and ended a five-play drive with Smith taking it into the end zone from seven yards out.
The Panthers, who will host Indian Lake on Friday, made their first offensive push of the game deep into Wildcat territory.
After 17 plays, they put three points on the board with a Cade Ziegler field goal.
That put the game at 40-3.
It was the last time the Panthers saw any change on their side of the scoreboard.
The Wildcats, who will travel to Colonel Crawford on Friday, added one more score by Trevyn Feasel on a 12-yard rush.