“With this season and the success we’ve been able to maintain after losing such a good class, I’m proud of our guys and our coaches,” said Northeastern coach Jake Buchholtz. “It’s a really good step for our program to be able to say that these are our expectations, not just based on the success we have with a certain class or a group of kids.”
The seventh-seeded Jets will face a familiar foe in the second round. Northeastern will travel to second-seeded Waynesville for a regional quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Field.
Northeastern beat Wayneville 45-22 in a first-round game last season in Springfield for the program’s first-ever playoff victory.
“They were really talented last year,” Buchholtz said. “They graduated a few kids, but they’ve reloaded. They’re very athletic and have some pretty good team speed.”
Northeastern will travel to Waynesville to face a squad that’s won nine of its last 10 games. Waynesville’s only losses are to Clinton-Massie in Week 1 and Eaton in Week 9. The Spartans beat Valley View 49-40 in Week 10 to earn a share of the Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division championship.
“We know that they’re going to be extra motivated to avenge their loss from last year,” Buchholtz said. “We’re super excited to still be playing and have the opportunity to go win another playoff game. That’s definitely on our list to hopefully accomplish this week.”
Waynesville is led by junior quarterback Alex Amburgy, who led the SWBL this season with 2,191 passing yards. Ambrugy’s two top targets — senior Connor Berrey (870 yards) and junior Trenton Davis (628 yards) — rank second and third in the SWBL in receiving yards. The Spartans also feature junior running back Garrett Lundy, who has rushed for 1,032 yards.
The two programs played one common opponent this season — Greeneview. Waynesville beat the Rams 24-20 in Week 2.
The key for Northeastern will be controlling the time of possession and winning the turnover battle, Buchholtz said.
“If we don’t do those things and beat ourselves, we’re going to have a good shot on Friday,” Buchholtz said.
The Jets are playing their best football at the most important time of the year, Buchholtz said. He was happy Northeastern’s senior class was able to walk off the field at Conover Stadium with a victory, finishing 6-0 at home this season.
“To be able to go out with a win at home was cool for them because it doesn’t happen very often,” Buchholtz said. “It was something that this class was able to do that last year’s class wasn’t able to say that they did. Obviously, the year before we got beat by Anna at home. We did a really good job of protecting our home turf. It was a big win for them on Senior Night (against West Jefferson in Week 10) and to turn around and get that Week 11 win was really special for them. I’m really proud of that group.”
The Jets have already accomplished two of their main goals — host a playoff game and advance to Week 12.
“We want to continue to take steps forward year after year, so hopefully we’re able to come out and get a win on Friday and have some more success,” Buchholtz said.
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