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Union Local Gets the Milk Bucket, Defeats Barnesville

Photo by Paul Krajnyaj Union Local’s Cal Kildow breaks away for yardage Friday night against Barnesville.

MORRISTOWN — There’s a lot of celebrating going on in this western Belmont Community.

Union Local scored at will in the first half Friday night in claiming rights to the Milk Bucket with a 49-20 pasting of visiting Barnesville (3-7) before a huge crowd on Senior Night at Jets Stadium.

With the school’s first Ohio Valley Athletic Conference football championship (Class 3A) already secured, the Jets (8-2) led 14-7 after one quarter before taking off for 28 second-quarter points as the margin ballooned to 42-7 at the half.

“The kids came out and played really hard and did what we wanted them to do,” Union Local coach Bruce Stiles said. “Barnesville came out in a little different look, but we adjusted.”

With the win, Union Local cemented its second home playoff game in school history as it will play host to an Ohio Division V, Region 19 game next Friday night. The Jets also won eight games for the fourth time in school history.

“These guys are truly players of the game,” Stiles said. “It’s exciting, but it’s all about the kids. They have bought into all the stuff that we’ve been selling them and they believe in each other.

“It’s fun to watch them play because we don’t have a bunch of Division-I football players. We’ve got a bunch of kids that love each other and love to play football.”

Union Local honored 16 seniors prior to the game, but one stood head and shoulders above the rest despite being 5-foot-9, 165 pounds. Bradan Lucas, who didn’t play football last season, scored six touchdowns in five different ways to lead the onslaught. He scored on runs of 3 and 5 yards, caught a 15-yard scoring strike from Cal Kildow, threw a 15-yard score to Kildow, returned a punt 65 yards and scooped up a fumble and sprinted 25 yards to paydirt.

In the process, he shattered the UL single-season touchdown mark of 19 previously held by Jordan Barbina. Lucas has 23.

“It’s great what he has done,” Stiles said. “That should just send a message to kids that you never know what’s going to happen in your football career, so go play the sport and good things could happen.”

Lucas gave the Jets the lead with his 5-yard run around left end, but the extra-point kick was blocked as UL led 6-0.

The Shamrocks answered right back as junior quarterback Cade Hannahs sprinted 61 yards to the end zone on the second play. Ayden Hannahs put the visitors on top, 7-6, with the PAT at the 5-minute mark.

Union Local needed four plays to cover 67 yards and regain the lead for good. Kildow found Zane Thompson down the sideline for a 37-yard gain before connecting with Lucas on a crossing pattern from 15 yards out. Kildow found older brother Ty for the 2-point conversion, making it 14-7.

The second quarter belonged entirely to the hosts as a little trickery got the explosion rolling when Lucas took a pitch and rolled to his right before pulling up and finding Cal Kildow all alone in the left flat for a 14-yard hookup. Lucas ran for the two points and a 22-7 advantage.

Things quickly unraveled for Barnesville as the Jets scored 14 points in 64 seconds.

Lucas picked up a bouncing Shamrocks punt and wove his way 65 yards to the promised land. Along the way he used a crushing block by fellow senior Zach Greene. Will Juarez booted the extra point as it was 29-7. Then on Barnesville’s second play from scrimmage, Cade Hannahs attempted a screen pass in the right flat, but Greene picked the ball out of the air and rambled 30 yards to the end zone. The run failed for a 35-7 margin.

“The bottom line is they (UL) are a veteran team with a lot of experience. They don’t make many mistakes and they capitalize when you do. We made a few there in a row and before you knew it it was a 35-point difference,” first-year Barnesville coach Blake Allen said.

“Hats off to them. They have a very good team.”

Lucas completed his outstanding first half by running in from 3 yards out. Juarez once again kicked the PAT for a 42-7 cushion at the half.

On Barnesville’s second play of the third quarter, Cade Hannahs swung a pass out to Gage Hannahs in the left flat. After catching the ball 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage, it popped loose and who else but Lucas was there. He picked it up and strolled to the end zone to make it 49-7.

The Shamrocks made it 49-14 when Jacob Starr ran in from a yard out.

“I think we’ve come a long way,” Allen said. “We’ve got to learn from this and get better. I would like to acknowledge my senior group for having great attitudes all season.”

The game’s shining moment came in the final minute when Barnesville’s Connor Johnson was led by a convoy of players down the sideline and into the end zone from 52 yards out. Johnson, the son of former Barnesville head coach Luke Johnson, is a special needs student.

“Connor is one of the most delightful young men I’ve ever been around,” Allen said. “It’s really hard to be in a bad mood around him. He works so hard in practice and he deserved to have a moment like that. We were all thrilled with that touchdown run and excited for him.”

Stiles agreed.

“When they said they had a special needs kid that they wanted to score a touchdown, we were all for it. There’s a lot more important things than high school football.”

Union Local 49, Barnesville 20

Barnesville 7 0 7 6 — 20

Union Local 14 28 7 0 — 49

U — Lucas 5 run (kick blocked)

B — C.Hannahs 61 run (A.Hannahs kick)

U — Lucas 15 pass from C.Kildow (T.Kildow pass from C.Kildow)

U — C.Kildow 14 pass from Lucas (Lucas run)

U — Lucas 65 punt return (Juarez kick)

U — Green 30 INT return (run failed)

U — Lucas 3 run (Juarez kick)

U — Lucas 25 fumble return (Juarez kick)

B — Starr 1 run (A.Hannahs kick)

B — C.Johnson 52 run (run failed)

Rushing: Barnesville 31-179-3td (C.Hannahs 9-87-td, Johnson 1-52-td, Strous 10-32, Raines 1-17, Lake 1-12, Woods 1-5, G.Hannahs 2-4, Starr 2-1-td, A.Meade 1-(10), Team 3-(-21). Union Local 27-118-2td (Lucas 10-73-2td, Bailey 6-23, Howell 2-15, Crum 3-11, C.Kildow 2-10, Menges 1-5, McCort 1-3, Team 2-(-2).

Passing: Barnesville 9-16-127-x (C.Hannahs 8-13-100-x, A.Meade 1-4-27). Union Local 9-12-153-2td (C.Kildow 6-7-131-td, Lucas 1-1-14-td, McCort 2-3-8, Z.Bateman 0-1).

Receiving: Barnesville 9-127 (Gallaway 5-25, U.Meade 2-43, A.Meade 1-13, H.Hannahs 1-(-4). Union Local 9-153-2td (Lucas 3-42-td, Thompson 1-37, McCort 1-31, T.Kildow 1-21, C.Kildow 1-14-td, Crum 1-6, Duke 1-2).

First Downs: Barnesville 10, Union Local 15.

Penalties: Barnesville 7-75, Union Local 7-60.

Fumbles: Barnesville 2-2, Union Local 1-0.

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