RIMERSBURG — The clock finally struck midnight.

Union, which has enjoyed a remarkable year, mustered only 141 total yards in a 30-6 District 9 Class A quarterfinal loss Friday against visiting Elk County Catholic at Vidunas Stadium.

The Golden Knights (9-2) were outgained 215-35 in the first half as the Crusaders built a 17-0 lead.

“We lost the magic where the big plays didn't happen,” said Union coach Dave Louder. “We just were not clicking tonight and we got out of our game plan.

“We ran out of that spark,” Louder added.

Both teams started off cold as the teams went three-and-out on their initial possessions, then a Cody Kline fumble gave ECC the ball at the Union 24.

Two plays later, however, the Knights' Dylan Shirey picked off a Mitchell Vallone pass in the end zone to end the threat.

The Crusaders (8-2) scored on their next possession when Brock McCullough found the end zone on a 2-yard run with 2:21 left in the first quarter to cap a six-play, 72-yard drive.

McCullough also ripped off a 52-yard run to help set up the score.

“We wanted to control the line of scrimmage, offensively and defensively,” Crusaders coach Travis Skrzypek said.

Elk County doubled its lead when McCullough scored on the Crusaders' next possession, this time an 11-yard scamper with 10:11 before halftime.

Ryan Seelye, who kicked both extra points, booted a 27-yard field goal on the final play of the half for the 17-0 advantage.

McCullough had 108 of his game-high 139 yards in the opening half. Vallone passed for 91 yards, while the defense stifled the Knights' progress.

“Our philosophy has been 'bend but don't break,'” Skrzypek said. “We didn't give up the deep ball. We were trying to take the long ball away.”

Late in the third quarter, Union quarterback Brody Shick was intercepted by McCullough, who after a short return gave ECC the ball at the Union 23.

A 7-yard run by Hank Cappiello on the final play of the quarter led to a 16-yard scoring pass to Devon Constable from Vallone on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Union would get a glimpse of its future when sophomore quarterback Lane Cicciarelli spelled Shick and engineered an 11-play, 65-yard drive, culminating in an 11-yard Kline run with 7:07 remaining.

Cicciarelli completed 4 of 7 passes on the drive for 50 yards.

“That was a great drive by a sophomore,” Louder said.

The Crusaders closed out the scoring on a Joey McLaughlin 1-yard run with 4:17 to play.

Union ended the season with nine wins, matched by five other teams in the program's history. No team has ever reached 10 wins, but Louder was certainly pleased with his squad's effort this year, particularly the seniors.

“We had 11 kids in the weight room all summer,” Louder said. “I told the kids if you learned anything, learn from (the seniors') preparation. The leadership was unmatched.

“After the first day of two-a-days, that's when they took the kids under their wings,” Louder added.

McCullough's 139 yards rushing gives him 1,026 for the season.

Elk County Catholic 30, Union 6

Elk Co. Cath. 7 10 0 13 — 30

Union 0 0 0 6 — 6

ECC U

17 First Downs 8

43-226 Rushes-Yards 27-66

107 Passing Yards 75

5-12-1 Comp.-Att.-Int 8-22-1

333 Total Yards 141

1-0 Fumbles-Lost 3-1

1-5 Penalty Yards 325

First Quarter

ECC — Brock McCullough 2 run (Ryan Seelye kick), 2:21

Second Quarter

ECC — McCullough 11 run (Seelye kick), 10:11

ECC — Seelye 27 field goal, :00

Fourth Quarter

ECC — Devon Constable 16 pass from pass from Mitchell Vallone (kick failed), 11:55

U — Cody Kline 1 run (pass failed), 7:07

H — Joey McLaughlin 1 run (Seelye kick), 4:17

Individual Statistics

Rushing: ECC, Brock McCullough 22-139, Hank Cappiello 13-72, Joey McLaughlin 4-29, Team 3-0, Mitchell Vallone 1-(-14). Union, Kaden McGregor 10-36, Cody Kline 5-31, Cody Stockdill 2-6, Keenan Rankin 3-2, Lane Cicciarelli 2-(-4), Brody Shick 5-(-5).

Passing: ECC, Mitchell Vallone 5-12-107-1. Union, Brody Shick 4-15-25-1, Lane Cicciarelli 4-7-50-0.

Receiving: ECC, Ryan Childs 3-49, Clayton Housler 1-42, Devon Constable 1-16. Union, Aaron Graham 3-23, Kaden McGregor 2-21, Shane Murphy 1-15, Cody Kline 1-14, Keenan Rankin 1-2.