Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
RUSHVILLE — Coming into its first round playoff game, Waverly had lost three straight contests.
The Tigers, once 5-2 this year, had suffered losses to Wheelersburg, Northwest and Mt. Healthy to end their regular season slate and, by all accounts, were trending downward.
But that narrative changed from the get-go on Friday.
Waverly (6-5) looked sharp offensively and earned timely stops on the defensive side of the football, traveling to Fairfield Union and handing the Falcons a 28-21 loss in a Division IV, Region 15 contest.
The three-game skid now seems like a distant memory.
“Last week was pretty tough. [Mt. Healthy] is a big Division II team and they had lots of speed,” Waverly coach Chris Crabtree said. “The last couple of weeks, we’ve talked about what legacy these guys want to leave with this program. There’s only been a handful of teams that had a playoff win. They’re now a part of that group. And we get the opportunity to maybe go get another one.”
Mason Kelly and Mason Pollard had a lot to do with the victory, especially in the first half.
On four different occasions, the two connected to the tune of 133 yards and, on two different scoring drives, their connection either ended in the end zone or set up the offense inside the red zone.
Kelly put it on the money and Pollard out-wrestled defenders to make several acrobatic catches.
“There was one ball where I didn’t think there was any way [Pollard] caught it,” Crabtree said. “He’s had a great year and that’s a good connection they have. When [Pollard] is on and he’s making plays, it opens up things for other guys. They’ve been playing together since they were little kids. So it’s nice to see them go out tonight, get a playoff win and live to fight another week.”
It took just over a minute for the Tigers to get on the board.
With 10:57 left in the first quarter, Sebastian Billisano made a house call from 37 yards out, giving Waverly an early 7-0 lead.
Fairfield Union (6-5) looked as if it would tie the score, but fumbled at Waverly’s 10-yard line and Kody Swords pounced on it to keep the lead intact.
The game’s next score came at the 6:01 mark in the second, courtesy of Kelly and Pollard.
The two connected on a 67-yard touchdown strike to make it a two-score game at 14-0.
PHOTOS: Images from Waverly’s DIV, R15 win over Fairfield Union
Less than two minutes later, the Falcons threw a counter-punch with a touchdown of their own, thanks to a 34-yard run from Owen Ruff, cutting the deficit in half.
But Waverly immediately answered with a 4-play, 64-yard drive — one that was highlighted by 29-yard and 26-yard gains via Kelly and Pollard. It ended with a nine-yard touchdown run from Billisano, his second of the night, making it 21-7 with 2:48 left in the half.
The game’s next score didn’t come until the 4:51 mark in the third when Fairfield Union embarked on a 5-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 33-yard touchdown run from Ruff.
As they had done all night long, though, the Tigers found an answer.
Kelly hit Mason Sparks on a swing pass and Sparks found the end zone from 19 yards out, pushing the lead back into double digits at 28-14 with 7:48 to go.
The Falcons scored again to make it 28-21 with 4:52 remaining — courtesy of a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Clark to Chase Harmon — and then forced a punt to get the ball back.
But at crunch time, when Waverly needed it the most, the defense came up with a stop.
Hez Nelson intercepted a pass to send his Tigers into Week 12 and end FU’s playoff run.
“I’m very happy for those guys. It’s been an up and down season for us defensively,” Crabtree said. “But ultimately, we bent at different points but we stepped up when we needed to. We got some key stops early, which allowed us to get on top. The more possessions we can get offensively, the better because we’re probably going to score some points.”
Statistically, Kelly finished the evening 12-of-23 through the air for 245 yards and a score. Pollard was his main beneficiary, catching four passes for 133 yards, while Sparks had four receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Billisano paced the ground game with 24 carries for 135 yards and a pair of scores.
For Fairfield Union, Clark was 5-of-12 passing for 50 yards and a touchdown and added 23 rushes for 135 yards to the stat sheet. He was flanked by Ruff, who had 11 carries for 113 yards and two scores. Isaiah Saleh also helped out, totaling 75 yards rushing and a touchdown alongside a 31-yard catch.
“I’ll give Fairfield Union credit. We should’ve scored more at points but they stood tall and held tough on defense as well,” Crabtree said. “It was two teams battling it out. Their backs ran hard and their quarterback ran hard. We had some opportunities to get them for losses and they weren’t going to be denied. It’s something we have to do a better job of going forward.”
While the Falcons end their first playoff-bound season since 2020, Waverly advances to Week 12.
The Tigers will travel to Gnadenhutten Indian Valley, a 40-15 winner over Heath. The Braves will enter the matchup at 11-0 and as the No. 2 seed in the region.
Needless to say, the Tigers will have their work cut out for them.
But Goliath has fallen before.
“We’ll look at the film and from my understanding, in the history of their program, they always have a good running back. They’re going to be able to run the football and do some good things,” Crabtree said. “We’re going to have to have a great week and execute the game plan. I like our chances against anybody with our offense. If we can get key stops, at this point, anyone can go pull one off. We just have to believe and keep fighting.”
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