Barnesville Entertains Union Local Friday Night For Bragging Rights, More
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BARNESVILLE - There's a lot more than just bragging rights in western Belmont County at stake Friday night when Barnesville hosts Union Local at Shamrock Stadium to close out the high school football regular season.
The Shamrocks (9-0) will be looking to go 10-0 for the third time in the last four seasons and secure a bye in the first round of the Ohio Division V, Region 17 playoffs next week. Meanwhile, the Jets (7-2) are now fighting for their Division IV, Region 15 playoff lives after a 22-21 overtime loss at Bellaire last Saturday.
However, according to both head coaches - who are alumni of their respective school - none of the aforementioned material matters: It's Milk Bucket Trophy Week!
"The only thing on our mind this week is Union Local," Barnesville head coach Blake Allen stressed. "We tell the kids that we kind of split the season into thirds. There's weeks 1 through 9, there's Union Local week, and there's the playoffs. We'll worry about the playoffs when the clock hits 0:00 Friday night."
Thompson echoed those sentiments.
"Our mentality right now has to only do with Barnesville. We're not thinking about the playoffs, only about Barnesville," he stressed. "We don't care about the playoffs, at the moment, all we're thinking about and preparing for is Barnesville."
The Shamrocks enter the much-anticipated contest ranked No. 2 and are one of four 9-0 teams in Region 17. While a playoff berth has already been secured, a home field still hasn't as the top 4 receive first-round byes.
"I'm sure Union Local is going to be an angry team coming in here," Allen said. "That was a tough loss, they are coming off. This is what makes rivalries special.”
The Jets are No. 10 in Region 15, with the top 12 qualifying for the postseason.
"This game is, obviously, big," Thompson allowed. "There's going to be added excitement. There's going to be added intensity. There's going to be added focus. This game means everything to us. I know our kids will be up for it and give everything they have."
Both teams possess high-powered offensive attacks led by a pair of outstanding running backs. Union Local senior Brody Perzanowski recently broke Quincy Wilson's all-time OVAC rushing yardage record of 6,161 and now has 6,369 in his career. He has 1,736 yards and scored two dozen rushing touchdowns this season. Barnesville counters with senior Trey Toliver who has run for more than 5,000 yards in his career. He currently has 1,878 yards and an eye-popping 33 rushing touchdowns in nine games.
Senior Evan Wells (311 yards, 2 TDs) and Colt Carpenter (209-4) and sophomore Mac Boroski (215-2) are also viable options on the ground for Barnesville. Senior Kolten Snyder (220-6) is more of a blocking back and short-yardage ace, while junior Caden Price (121-1) is another option for Union Local.
Neither team has had to throw the ball much as Barnesville senior Colt Carpenter is 42 of 59 for 719 yards. He has thrown six touchdowns and two interceptions. Union Local sophomore Evan Poziviak is 50-for-90 for 859 yards, nine TDs and four picks.
Senior Phoenix Graham is the lone Shamrock with double-digit receptions with 15 for 212 yards and a touchdown. Junior Eli Rogers (20-277-1) and Perzanowski (10-160-4) are the Jets top receiving threats.
Defensively, Barnesville is led by senior Christien Hannahs with 79 total tackles and seven tackles for lost yardage. Graham has 439 total stops and a team-best two interceptions. Junior Talon Anderson has two fumble recoveries and a team-leading 8.5 TFLs. Sophomore Ethan Meyer leads Union Local with 47 total tackles. Senior Brody Kerns has made 45.5, is tied for the team lead in sacks with Snyder at six and leads the Jets with 17 TFLs.
The Shamrocks’ Linas Graef, a foreign exchange student from Germany, is 30 of 43 on PATs. Senior Jeff Bolon has booted 40 placements and one field goal.
This will be the 68th all-time meeting between the two rivals, with Barnesville holding a 42-22 advantage, with three ties. The Shamrocks have won the last eight meetings, 10 of the last 11 and 14 of the last 17.