Onaway football nabs second straight win, rolls past Bellaire at home

ONAWAY — It could probably be heard from a mile away.

>Following a resounding 52-12 victory over Bellaire on Friday, Sept. 25, one of Onaway's football players let out a loud and emphatic message that many in attendance could hear.

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>"That's Onaway football, baby!" the player said.

>Those words ignited an excited group of Cardinals, who won their second consecutive game and seem to be rounding into form at the midway point of their 8-player football campaign.

>Here's some takeaways from Onaway's impressive win.

A slow start, followed by an Onaway avalanche  Fresh off a victory at Forest Area last week, the Cardinals (2-3, 2-1 Bridge Alliance Valley Division) felt good about their chances against the struggling Eagles (1-4, 1-3).

>However, it wasn't an ideal start for the Cardinals, who fell behind after surrendering a Bellaire drive that was capped off by a 39-yard touchdown run from Brady Aldrich, making it 6-0 Eagles midway through the first quarter.

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>But just when it looked like Onaway might be in for a real battle, it responded quickly when sophomore quarterback Chris Pauly broke loose and dashed 40 yards for a game-tying score, followed by a successful two-point conversion run from Pauly that made it 8-6 Onaway. After a brilliant onside kick by senior Phineas Benson, the Cardinals recovered the ball and marched it down the field, culminating with a 20-yard TD run from senior Kayson Jarvis, while another successful two-point try was good for a 16-6 Onaway lead. Later in the quarter, Onaway finished off a stretch of 24 unanswered points when junior Jackson Green powered his way into the end zone for a 5-yard score, which helped build a commanding 24-6 lead after one.

>The disappointing start was quickly put to rest, with the response being praised by the Onaway coach.

>"I think we got a little bit upset (early) because our entire season has been broken plays that end up getting those touchdowns for (opponents)," Onaway coach Micah Bailey said. "We were good after those two touchdowns that (Bellaire) got, and we locked down on defense and didn't let anymore of those broken plays."

An elite rushing game — and a smothering defense  Bailey was right in that the Cardinals did allow another touchdown, which came from Bellaire's Corperryale Somers, who scored on a 58-yard run that helped trim the Onaway lead to 24-12 early in the second quarter.

>But if there's one major problem the Eagles had all night, it was stopping Onaway's powerful running game, which saw Pauly break loose for a 40-yard score and later a 14-yard TD run for Jarvis that pushed Onaway's advantage to 40-12.

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>Combined with a punishing defense that played relentlessly all evening, along with an efficient running game that couldn't be stopped, it was an excellent night for home team.

>"We're definitely getting better every week," Bailey said. "We blocked a lot better today than we have over the past few weeks. I was excited to see our offense move the ball at will. Overall, really happy with how we played, and we definitely have some stuff that we can clean up, for sure, and we're looking to take this momentum into Cedarville."

>Onaway's other touchdowns came on a 15-yard pass from Green to sophomore Jack Hartvigson in the third, while senior fullback Zach Schmoldt scored a 6-yard TD run late in the fourth.

Building momentum  Following losses to three quality opponents to open their campaign, the Cardinals are starting to build confidence as they enter a homecoming showdown with Cedarville in Week 6.

>With performances like Friday, they'll have a chance to hang with a lot of teams on their schedule.

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>"It's awesome to see (them build confidence)," Bailey said. "Obviously our first three games were tough opponents, but it's good for them to see that this is what we can do against teams. It's definitely a confidence builder, for sure."

>Onaway's homecoming kickoff against Cedarville is 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2.

class="exclude-from-newsgate">Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

>This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Onaway football nabs second straight win, rolls past Bellaire at home