Woodstock North tops Harvard to end 11-game losing streak

WOODSTOCK – With a little over two minutes left and his team having just converted a crucial fourth down, Woodstock North’s Jay Zinnen threw his arms up in the air in a “V” and practically danced his way back to the huddle.

He’s been waiting for almost two full seasons to make that signal and perform what followed: victory formation.

Zinnen and his Thunder teammates snapped an 11-game losing streak by beating Harvard, 21-14, on Friday night.

As the final whistle sounded, Thunder players lept into one another and urged their crowd on after a win they hope jump starts the program.

“It felt amazing, I can’t even explain it,” Zinnen said of getting an opportunity to run victory formation. “We’ve been waiting a long, long time for this. It was very nice.

“Our guys battled the whole way. It was kind of a struggle in the first half, but we came out and we dominated that whole second half.”

Woodstock North’s senior quarterback – and in particular his arm – was a big catalyst to the victory. He threw for 84 yards and two touchdowns against a Harvard squad that crashed the line often to try and top the option attack. He also ran for 38 yards, including a clutch 13-yard run on third and long that set up his first touchdown pass.

It was a game that, strangely enough, featured two quarterbacks showing their arm talent in offenses not exactly geared toward the pass.

Harvard’s Landon Barnett himself had a good night, completing 7 of 10 passes for 104 yards and a pair of scores, both coming on fourth-down plays.

His second was the most impressive. On the first drive after halftime in a 7-all game and facing fourth-and-18, he launched a deep route to Aidan Fiegel, who caught and carried his defender into the end zone to give the Hornets (0-2) a 14-7 lead.

“He’s a first-year quarterback, and Landon has really embraced the change,” Harvard coach Sean Saylor said. “He’s been willing to grow and learn, and really has grown a lot as a young man.”

But the rest of the game belonged to Woodstock North. Zinnen’s 10-yard touchdown pass to J.D. Czischki ended a 14-play, 65-yard drive that tied the game at 14-all. Then, after a big tackle for loss and three-and-out gave Woodstock North great field position, Kaden Combs (24 carries, 72 yards) scored the go-ahead touchdown on a three-yard run with 9:19 to play.

Unfortunately for Harvard, Barnett suffered an injury midway through the fourth quarter, greatly hampering the chances of a Harvard rally.

The night was a little extra special for coach Thunder coach Matthew Polnow, who garnered his first coaching win.

“It’s nice to get the monkey off our backs,” Polnow said. “Nothing comes easy for us, and credit to Harvard. I know they’re going through some of the same things we are. They played us tough, but the biggest thing I can say is the monkey is off our back. It’s nice to be in the win column.”