CLEVELAND — The North Hall Trojans defeated White County 30-13 on Friday to clinch the third playoff spot in Region 8-AAA and put any worry over tiebreakers and other scenarios to rest.

North Hall (6-4, 5-2 region) will face Sandy Creek in first round of the state playoffs.

“We played Sandy Creek back in 2007. They have always been talented, and we’ll continue to work hard just like we have all season to prepare for them,” North Hall coach David Bishop said.

The first score did not come until 52 seconds left in the first quarter on a wild goal line play. A pass by North Hall quarterback Jackson Madonna bounced off a Warriors defender in the end zone and ended up in the hands of offensive lineman Christian Barbosa.

“I was just going up (the field) for a block,” Barbosa said. “The quarterback threw the ball, it hit another player. Nobody else saw it. I saw the ball up in the air and just caught it.”

After White County missed a field goal, North Hall took over on the Warriors’ 20 yard line and followed with an 80-yard reception by Sam Jackson to stretch the lead to 14-0.

The Warriors’ offense finally answered late in the second quarter when Kaleb Crane picked up an 11-yard rushing touchdown, shortening the Trojans’ lead to 14-7.

White County kept shooting itself in the foot, committing seven penalties in the first half, five on the offensive line.

Both teams traded touchdowns right out of halftime as the Warriors shortened North Hall’s lead to 4 points.

But White County’s second half effort was not enough, as the Trojans stretched their lead with another touchdown to go up 30-13.

“I’m incredibly proud of how our guys played tonight,” Bishop said. “We want to run the ball, burn the clock, and not hand it to the other team every game, and that’s what we did tonight. Making it to the state playoffs is our goal every year.”