POLAND — On a cold night at Dave Pavlansky Stadium, Poland tuned up for the Division IV, Region 13 playoffs by gutting out a 14-12 win over Struthers to conclude a perfect run through the Northeast-8 Conference on Friday night.

With the temperatures hovering in the mid-30s, the Bulldogs used what serves them best, as their gritty, tough-nosed running backs followed their massive offensive linemen and chewed up clock against the hard-hitting Wildcats.

That’s always a recipe for playoff success in Ohio, when temperatures drop.

“Our best defense tonight was going to be our offensive line,” said Poland coach Ryan Williams, whose team moved to 8-2 overall and 6-0 in the league. “Our ability to run the football was the difference, like we knew it would be. It was fitting that the last game of the year came down to them.

“Nate Williams, Ethan Frank, Karter Kellgren, Jerod Tucker and Alex Feliciano were great tonight. They play as one unit and they’re tough.”

According to joeeitel.com, the Bulldogs are in second place in the Region 13 standings. Struthers, which finished 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the league and was fighting for a playoff berth, is in seventh place. If those positions hold, the Wildcats and Bulldogs will repeat Friday night’s game next Saturday.

Struthers pulled within 14-12 with 6:17 remaining when Josh Marshall hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Hall. But the Wildcats scrambled to come up with the possible two-point conversion play in an attempt to tie the score.

Struthers was penalized five yards for delay of game. Hall’s conversion pass was then knocked away by junior defensive back Peyton Mrakovich.

“We were reading the pass at the start and I saw their guy releasing,” Mrakovich said. “I saw the ball and I said I’m going for it. We had nothing to lose. If they complete it, we have the final possession and at worst it’s going to overtime. But I wanted to settle it there and make history.

“That delay (penalty), we needed that, too. It gave us extra motivation and put some doubt in their minds. It made it a lot more difficult on them because they had to pass at that point.”

Struthers never had another offensive snap, as Poland took possession of the ensuing kickoff at its own 14.

That’s when the mighty men up front took over. The Bulldogs ran the ball 11 times, marching 75 yards and gaining six first downs before quarterback Jack Fulton took a knee to drain the clock on the final play.

“We’re playing for a purpose right now and we believe in each other,” said senior Zach Ellis, who rushed four times for 41 yards in the drive to finish with 61 yards on nine carries. “I trust in my teammates. Our offensive line was incredible at that point. They put us on their shoulders and we were all getting at least five yards a pop. They couldn’t stop us.”

Struthers scored first on Adrian Brown’s 5-yard run in the first quarter after a 43-yard punt return by Marshall set up the score. But the extra-point kick failed.

The Wildcats drove 80 yards in 13 plays to pull within 14-12, but it was the first time they were able to sustain a long drive as a pair of fumbles doomed other drives.

The first fumble gave the hosts the ball at the Struthers 28-yard line and quarterback Jack Fulton scored on a 5-yard run with 3:31 left in the first half. The first of Mikey Kushner’s two extra-point kicks made it 7-6.

Poland drove the second-half kickoff before Struthers recovered a fumble at its own 22. A few plays later, the Wildcats fumbled the ball back to Poland at their own 27.

Fulton put Poland ahead 14-6 with a 15-yard keeper around left end.

“We took advantage of their mistakes and we were fortunate that our two turnovers didn’t cost us,” Williams said. “We could’ve put some distance between us, but we threw that interception in the end zone late in the first half.

“I’m so proud of these guys for overcoming all the adversity and the early-season injuries and just showing up and working hard every day. Winning the first NE-8 is a tribute to our seniors. It was one of our goals and we’re excited about that. But now we’ve got to get ready for the playoffs.”