Westerville North tops Hilliard 21-20
By Ray Stein
Dispatch Sports Reporter
When nerves are raw and palms are sweaty and the heart goes pitter-patter, there’s nothing much a high school football coach can do but see whose team makes the big plays and wait for the clock to run out.
Adam Marinello made the wait worthwhile last night for Westerville North coach Ron Balconi, sacking Hilliard quarterback Steve Baird in the final seconds to preserve the Warriors’ tense 21-20 win over the visiting Wildcats.
Marinello’s tackle, which came on a fourth-and-5 play from the North 28, was the last of a slew of big plays in the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division opener.
“Right now, I couldn’t even tell you what happened,” North senior linebacker Peter Celello said. “It was like we were all in a zone, blacked out. We just played the game.”
Westerville North (6-0, 1-0) didn’t necessarily play the game better than Hilliard (5-1, 0-1), but perhaps made the best of its opportunities.
“We felt like there would be a lot of big plays” Hilliard coach John Sines said. “We just came out one big play short.”
Balconi said, “It was such an emotional game. The great athletes really came through for both teams.”
Westerville North always seemed to come through first. To start, it was splendid tailback Pat Brown, who rushed for 57 of his 118 yards in the first quarter and gave North a 7-0 lead with a 2-yard run to cap the Warriors’ first drive.
As he would all game, Baird responded, sprinting to an 89-yard Td on the final play of the first quarter to cut the deficit to 7-6. Jason Green’s point-after attempt was wide.
Gordon Bell gave the Warriors a 14-6 lead with a 14-yard run in the second quarter, but Baird pulled Hilliard even with a 47-yard scoring run and conversion pass to Dax Madden.
Bell, who rushed for 56 yards, gave North a 21-14 lead with a 3-yard run with 5:42 left in the third quarter, but the Wildcats marched right back, pulling to 21-20 on Baird’s 7-yard TD pass to Mark Belcher.
But instead of playing for the tying kick, Sines elected to fake his hold and pass for the lead. Baird’s pass to Bill Conley was too high, and North kept its edge.
“It was open,” Sines said, “and we came to win. That’s what we wanted to do: play aggressively.”
It didn’t appear the decision would haunt Sines after the Wildcats drove to the North 24 with 5 ½ minutes to play, but Baird’s pass down the right side to an open Andi Shato was tipped by Tim Hedges and intercepted by Brown, who raced 56 yards to the Hilliard 39.
North drove to the 18, but Eric Lundgren sacked Hedges on fourth down and forced a fumble, which Josh Rose returned to the Hilliard 43 with 1:48 left.
Hilliard moved to the North 28 in 10 plays, but Marinello charged in from the right side and decked Baird with seven seconds remaining to give North the ball for the last time.
“At crucial times, our defense came alive and made the plays,” Balconi said. “And that might have been the biggest.”
Dispatch Sports Reporter
When nerves are raw and palms are sweaty and the heart goes pitter-patter, there’s nothing much a high school football coach can do but see whose team makes the big plays and wait for the clock to run out.
Adam Marinello made the wait worthwhile last night for Westerville North coach Ron Balconi, sacking Hilliard quarterback Steve Baird in the final seconds to preserve the Warriors’ tense 21-20 win over the visiting Wildcats.
Marinello’s tackle, which came on a fourth-and-5 play from the North 28, was the last of a slew of big plays in the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division opener.
“Right now, I couldn’t even tell you what happened,” North senior linebacker Peter Celello said. “It was like we were all in a zone, blacked out. We just played the game.”
Westerville North (6-0, 1-0) didn’t necessarily play the game better than Hilliard (5-1, 0-1), but perhaps made the best of its opportunities.
“We felt like there would be a lot of big plays” Hilliard coach John Sines said. “We just came out one big play short.”
Balconi said, “It was such an emotional game. The great athletes really came through for both teams.”
Westerville North always seemed to come through first. To start, it was splendid tailback Pat Brown, who rushed for 57 of his 118 yards in the first quarter and gave North a 7-0 lead with a 2-yard run to cap the Warriors’ first drive.
As he would all game, Baird responded, sprinting to an 89-yard Td on the final play of the first quarter to cut the deficit to 7-6. Jason Green’s point-after attempt was wide.
Gordon Bell gave the Warriors a 14-6 lead with a 14-yard run in the second quarter, but Baird pulled Hilliard even with a 47-yard scoring run and conversion pass to Dax Madden.
Bell, who rushed for 56 yards, gave North a 21-14 lead with a 3-yard run with 5:42 left in the third quarter, but the Wildcats marched right back, pulling to 21-20 on Baird’s 7-yard TD pass to Mark Belcher.
But instead of playing for the tying kick, Sines elected to fake his hold and pass for the lead. Baird’s pass to Bill Conley was too high, and North kept its edge.
“It was open,” Sines said, “and we came to win. That’s what we wanted to do: play aggressively.”
It didn’t appear the decision would haunt Sines after the Wildcats drove to the North 24 with 5 ½ minutes to play, but Baird’s pass down the right side to an open Andi Shato was tipped by Tim Hedges and intercepted by Brown, who raced 56 yards to the Hilliard 39.
North drove to the 18, but Eric Lundgren sacked Hedges on fourth down and forced a fumble, which Josh Rose returned to the Hilliard 43 with 1:48 left.
Hilliard moved to the North 28 in 10 plays, but Marinello charged in from the right side and decked Baird with seven seconds remaining to give North the ball for the last time.
“At crucial times, our defense came alive and made the plays,” Balconi said. “And that might have been the biggest.”