Wildcats Race To Early Lead, Hang On Late

A week after Festus overran them in the second half, the first quarter on Friday felt like deja vu for Sullivan.

Union scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes and appeared to have the game firmly in hand.

Over the next 43 minutes, Sullivan’s defense stiffened up, battled back and ground the Union attack to a halt.

Despite the effort, the Eagles offense never could puncture Union on a night where rain fell off and on, alternating between a downpour and a mist. 

Injuries along the offensive line and some unfortunate turnovers led to a 14-0 loss. 

Sullivan (0-3) mustered a little more than 100 yards as they failed to get a consistent rushing attack. 

They were felled in their scoring chances near the Union goal line, including a drive that started at the Wildcats 2 to begin the fourth quarter.

Devyn Harmon picked off a pass over the middle from Liam Hughes, then took it 56 yards before the Wildcats shoved him out of bounds.

Sullivan tried to ram the ball through on their first three plays, but Union resisted. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Eagles quarterback Gabe Dace pitched the ball to Ian King, who was wrapped up in the backfield.

It represented the struggle the offense faced all night, especially after being forced to play from behind early on.

Union bolted out of the gates before sputtering in the final three quarters. They needed four plays and 69 seconds to complete a 45-yard opening drive. Dalton Voss punched the ball in from one yard to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.

On the next drive, Hughes rolled out of the pocket, maneuvered through the Eagles defense and scored on a 25-yard touchdown run. 

The Wildcats needed a little more than two minutes to score and went up 14-0 with 7:09 to play in the quarter.

From there, Sullivan put them in check. They allowed Hughes to complete a pass on third-and-7, but on the next set of downs, made stops on third and fourth downs. 

Sullivan advanced the ball down to the Union 24 before eventually punting away. The teams swapped punts and fumbles throughout the second quarter. 

Hughes lost the handle on the snap with just over three minutes left in the half, with Trevor Carey recovering at the Union 35. 

The Eagles gave the ball away on a fumble, only to get it back when Hughes fumbled again. Rice collected the loose ball with 24 seconds left. 

On a third-and-2, Dace tossed a pass towards Dillon Farrell, who was whistled for offensive pass interference. The Eagles would turn the ball over on downs and went into the half trailing 14-0.

The second half was more of the same as neither team gained an advantage. Harmon’s interception gave the Eagles a flicker, but after Union turned them away, they wouldn’t get another chance that close. 

Sullivan Independent News

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