Waverly beats Unioto 28-14 in Friday Night Thriller
By: Lucy Schaefer
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CHILLICOTHE Ohio (WOUB) — Encompassing this exciting Friday night, the Waverly Tigers traveled 30 minutes down the road to face the Unioto Shermans for the third week of high school play.
Unioto, who came into this game 2-0 after wins at Vinton County and Amanda-Clearcreek, had a 9-2 season last year and walked away with a victory in their last matchup versus Waverly 48-27.
Waverly is 1-1 this year after a loss to Miami Trace 27-26, and a win at Zane Trace 42-28.
Unioto began the game fast, gaining yards quickly using a pass offense. Although aggressive, Unioto turned the ball over on downs on their first possession.
Likewise, Waverly also went four-and-out; Unioto’s defense was scrappy and held the Tigers from the end zone. Coming off of their strong defensive performance, the Shermans pulled a trick out of the bag with a Hook and Ladder play that resulted in a large gain and Unioto’s first touchdown.
Both teams were moving quick, but mistakes were crucial. Waverly’s receivers found themselves open near the end zone multiple times, but their hands couldn’t quite find the ball. There were four total possessions in the first quarter, and three total holds deep between the two teams, deep in the others’ territory.
Unioto continued their streak, with running back Conner Dollison running 60 yards to set the Shermans up for great field position. Transitioning into the second quarter, Dollison just kept going, giving the Shermans their second touchdown with a one-yard run to the end zone.
Unioto was playing significantly more aggressively than Waverly, who was losing momentum by the second. However, this didn’t last for long. A glimmer of hope turned into a ray of light when Kody Swords ran 46 yards to give his team their first score of the night.
Shortly after, the Tigers took a few notes from their opponent, and ran the second Hook and Ladder play of the night. This resulted in a 60-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the half that put Waverly even with Unioto.
As halftime drew to a close, the Waverly Tigers came out with fire. Unioto lost momentum as well as focus, while the Tigers roared down the field not once, but twice, in seven minutes. Waverly’s defense proved exceptional, as they held the Shermans to a scoreless second half.
The Tiger flag flew in the wind as fans stood on their feet when the time expired and Waverly came out on top. The Tigers will step high into their matchup next week against Valley, while Unioto will go home to reload and host Westfall for week four.