Urbana Shows Fight in Thrilling Win Over North Union

After falling behind by 11 with less than four minutes remaining, the Hillclimbers got a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, and then scored again to beat the Wildcats 34-33.

Richwood, OH –Being down by two scores and buried deep inside their own territory during the closing minutes put Urbana in a precarious position Friday at North Union.

But whether it was the result of having a new coaching staff and a better mentality, or if they are simply cashing in on the lessons learned from being in similar positions earlier this fall, the Hillclimbers never seemed fazed by their situation.

Combine the recovery of an onside kick and a clutch pass on fourth-and-long with a general lack of panic, and Urbana pulled out a 34-33 thriller to provide a momentum boost as it prepares to open CBC-Kenton Trail action next Friday at five-time defending-champion London. 

“I trust in our guys, and there was never a doubt,” senior quarterback Grady Lantz said. “We’re in it until the clock hits zero. You just have to trust your guys to make a play. It feels good, but we definitely have a lot more work to do to get better.” 

The Hillclimbers, who moved to 4-1 while the Wildcats dropped to 3-2, found themselves trailing 33-22 and at their own 9-yard line with 3 minutes, 55 seconds left after blocking a field goal attempt. 

Lantz was sacked for a 4-yard loss on the first play of the drive but answered with three long passes during the possession, including a 48-yarder to junior Drew Dixon that set up a 15-yard scoring pass on the next play to sophomore Dexyn Yohey.

Then with 2:10 remaining on the onside attempt, Lantz squibbed it to the right side of the field. Senior Colton Roberts, among a group of several players, came out with the ball to give Urbana one final chance to come back.

 “I was in the bottom of that (onside kick),” Roberts said. “We just loaded our guys on the field and everyone went straight for the ball.” 

After a long pass from Lantz to Yohey was nullified by a false start, Lantz ran for 19 yards on the next play and then for 1 yard before throwing back-to-back incompletions. 

On fourth-and-9 from the North Union 34 with 1:25 to go, Lantz rolled to the right and found his sophomore brother, Tate Lantz, open for a 32-yard reception.

Lantz ran for 1 yard on the next play and then splashed into the end zone for what proved to be the game-winning play with 27 seconds left.

“They just keep fighting,” first-year Hillclimbers coach Geron Stokes said. “They were giving us a lot of space (on the long passes). We didn’t execute in the first half. We don’t practice well. We don’t play very well. We just scrap. That’s who Urbana is. I’m proud of our staff because they’re a bunch of Urbana guys. It isn’t going to be pretty, but we’ll fight you for four quarters and we’ll get better.” 

North Union got it back with 23 seconds to go at its own 38, and on third-and-6, senior quarterback Nickolas Hajjar hooked up with senior Dainon Lindsey for a 29-yard pass down the right side of the field with four seconds left.

Hajjar threw incomplete on the game’s final play to seal it for the Hillclimbers, who beat the Wildcats for the fourth time in five seasons. Last season, Urbana lost to North Union 46-27 on its way to a 3-7 finish.

 “It’s just all the work we do and our effort on Friday night,” Tate Lantz said. “Everybody gives it their all. We got the ball back and knew we were going to get it done. Our connection is really good with our wide receiver corps. It’s great (to be 4-1)–definitely a change from last year.”

 Urbana is averaging 38.8 points but has given up more than 30 points in each of its last three games, including in its only loss, a 37-34 decision against Lima Central Catholic on Sept. 4.

The Wildcats attempted to neutralize the Hillclimbers by controlling the clock. They put together an 18-play, 68-yard drive on the game’s opening possession, with Hajjar hooking up with sophomore Dominic Hainline for a 12-yard touchdown with 3:43 left in the first quarter. 

Then on North Union’s second possession, it went 79 yards on 10 plays, with Hajjar running in from 5 yards for a 12-0 lead.

Urbana answered with a 77-yard, six-play drive that was capped by a 36-yard touchdown from Grady Lantz to Tate Lantz with 8:55 left in the first half. 

Roberts intercepted a pass from Hajjar at the North Union 41 with 8:08 to go before halftime, and the Hillclimbers marched to take their first lead at 15-12 on a 1-yard run by Grady Lantz.

Hajjar then connected with Lindsey for a 12-yard touchdown that gave North Union a 19-15 halftime lead. 

“It was not pretty football, was not high execution, but man that was fun to watch,” Stokes said. “It would help if we played some form of defense.” 

Grady Lantz ran for a 68-yard touchdown on the opening play from scrimmage of the third quarter to give Urbana a 22-19 lead, but Hajjar ran for a 6-yard touchdown with 7:10 to go in the period to give the lead back to North Union at 26-22. The Wildcats made it 33-22 with 2:11 left in the third on an 8-yard pass from Hajjar to Hainline.

Grady Lantz rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns and completed 19 of 36 passes for 306 yards with two scores while Dixon had three catches for 90 yards, Tate Lantz had four receptions for 96 yards, and Yohey added five catches for 61 yards. 

For the Wildcats, who will look to bounce back next Friday at Indian Lake, Hajjar rushed for 57 yards and completed 17 of 21 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns while Hainline had five catches for 103 yards. 

“It was a great high school football game,” coach Nick Hajjar said. “Obviously when you come up a little short, it’s not fun. At the end of the day, we had a chance to put it away on all three phases of the game. We always talk about the process. We’ve got a big one again next week.”