Beloit, OH- The 10-0 West Branch Warriors welcomed 5-5 Hubbard Eagles to town to kick-off the OHSAA Football Playoffs Friday night. The Warriors, fresh off their undefeated regular season kicked off the 'second season' in front of their boisterous fans.
It wouldn't take long for the Warrior offense to get on the scoreboard, as they followed the opening kickoff return with a 3 play 72 yard drive capped off by a 43 yard touchdown run by Senior Running Back Boston Mulinix. Exactly one minute off the game clock and the Warriors already stormed out to a 7-0 lead.
The Eagles would take to the ground themselves, coming out with an offensive mindset that one of the best defenses could be keeping the high powered Warrior attack on the sidelines. Big runs by Junior Running Back Michael Hazimihalis of 23 and 14 yards got the Eagles into Warrior territory quickly before the Warrior defense took hold and forced a long field goal attempt that sailed left off the foot of Hubbard kicker Caleb MacKay.
The Eagles defense would solidify on the Warriors next possession, forcing a punt and ending the opening frame down only 7-0.
The 2nd quarter unfortunately featured injuries to key stars on both teams, with Michael Hazimihalis suffering what appeared to be a lower leg injury during the 1st quarter and reaggravating it in the 2nd frame. On the West Branch side, it was star QB Jeremiah Thomas taking a hard hit at the end of his 25 yard gallop for a first down near the red zone that saw his night end prematurely.
In Thomas' absence, coach Tim Cooper turned to Sophomore QB Grady Hirst to lead the Warrior attack. Luckily for Hirst and the Warriors, they have a workhorse at running back that they can turn and hand to, which they did, with Mulinix rumbling in from 6 yards out to extend the Warrior advantage to 14-0 with 7:39 left in the half.
The Warriors weren't done with their first half scoring, as Hirst connected with Senior WR Joey Jackson for a 7 yard touchdown pass with 4:28 left in the half. As time expired on the half, senior WR/DB/Kicker Anthony Perry split the uprights from 36 yards out to give the Warriors a 24-0 lead at the break.
The Eagles, with the threat of a running clock one West Branch touchdown away, received the opening kick of the 2nd half. They would trade possessions with the Warriors before capitalizing on some untimely Warrior penalties and striking pay dirt in the form of a 14 yard pass and catch from Senior QB Alex Hackwelder and Junior WR Braydon Songer. The 2 point attempt was unsuccessful and the score stood 24-6 with 5:55 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
The Warriors would tack on one more score on the night, as Boston Mulinix found the end zone for the 3rd time on the night with 0:38 left in the 3rd quarter from 1 yard out. On the evening, Mulinix finished with 202 yards on 24 rushing attempts and 3 touchdowns.
The Warriors move to 11-0 on the season and move on to face Cleveland Glenville (8-3) who was victorious over Notre Dame Cathedral Latin by a score of 47-20 in their opening round match-up. Kickoff is set for 7:00 on November 8th from West Branch High School.
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