LIBERTY — In a key battle between Eagles for first place in the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference, it was United that captured the hard-hitting, physical contest with a dominating 45-14 victory.

With the win, United improved to 8-1 overall on the season and 6-0 in the EOAC. It also means that it can clinch an outright league title next week with a victory. This marks the fifth time in the past seven years that United has either won or shared the league’s championship.

“Our five seniors have done a great job all year for us. I don’t think people expected us to be the league champs this year except the guys in our locker room,” United head coach DJ Ogilvie said.

“Every year, it’s always that you guys graduate a bunch and you’re not going to be as good, and we just have to prove ourselves every year,” senior quarterback Parker Newburn added. “We had to really step up because there are so few of us (seniors), but I think we have done a good job of impacting the team and helping the younger guys when we can.”

The loss for Valley Christian drops it to 6-3 on the year and 4-2 in the league. It will now have to focus on getting back on track for the upcoming playoffs.

The contest featured an old-fashioned slugfest by United, as it turned what was a 14-14 tie early in the second quarter, and scored 31 unanswered points to run away with the victory. United held a 24-14 advantage at halftime and then outscored Valley Christian 21-0 in the second half.

“Our offensive line is big and physical and we have running backs who run hard, so that was the formula,” Ogilvie said. “Keep the ball away from them and use our guys up front and our tough runners.”

United would score on eight of its nine possessions, with Newburn leading the way with 95 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also added one key pass completion on a fourth-down conversion for 19 yards in the second quarter.

“Parker has been unbelievable all year,” Ogilvie said. “Last year he was our leading receiver, and then we asked him to be the quarterback on offense, and he unselfishly put the team first. I can’t say enough about Parker, he has been fabulous all year and just a great kid and a great leader on our football team.”

Newburn’s first touchdown came on United’s opening possession when he scored on a 2-yard run. Thomas Brown added a 26-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second quarter.

However, Valley Christian answered both of those scoring drives with two scores of its own. A 45-yard run by Ahmire Dixon in the first quarter cut United’s lead to 7-6. Dixon would then catch an 8-yard touchdown pass, as well as the ensuing two-point conversion in the second quarter to knot the game at 14-14 apiece.

United would take over the contest from that point as it scored on a 17-yard run by Braden Schwartz at the end of the first half to go up 21-14. Then kicker Zac Figley added a 29-yard field goal with just 18 seconds remaining before halftime to give United a 24-14 advantage.

Newburn would add his second touchdown of the night on United’s first possession of the second half when he reached the endzone on a 4-yard run. Fullback M’Kyan Haynes added a 19-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter to stretch United’s lead out to 38-14. Then Schwartz added his second touchdown with just 5:42 remaining in the game to activate the running clock and reach the final score.

“Next week, East Palestine is going to be loaded up and ready to win the game. They have done a great job all year. Coach Demster has done a great job turning them around. And we want to be outright champs,” Ogilvie said. “We expect East Palestine to give us their best and we will need to be at our best.”

The United Eagles will wrap up the season next Friday when they travel to East Palestine with a chance to clinch the EOAC title. Valley Christian will also return to action next Friday when it travels to Columbiana in a season-ending tilt.