BY JADEE O’STEEN
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Quarterback A.J. Cortese threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another score as the Union County High School football team concluded the regular season by defeated Class 2S playoff qualifier Walton 31-15 on Nov. 4 in Lake Butler.
It was an especially big game as the players in the Class of 2023 enjoyed a win on Senior Night. Besides Cortese, the team’s seniors include Auntrell Ross, Markus Strong, Rayvon Durant, Dayviontae Thompson, Dee Williams, Hance Jones, Daylyn Diston, Dalton Lane, Luke Jackson, Carson Rogers, Spencer Nugent, Dayven Kelly, Mikah Wilson and Cameron Williams.
“It’s an opportunity that we will never get again,” Diston said. “I knew I had to give it my all.”
Union (6-2) now prepares for the Class 1R playoffs. The Tigers have a first-round bye and will host either Fort White or Madison County on Friday, Nov. 18 (see related post).
Cortese had a touchdown run and a touchdown pass to Diston to put the Tigers up 14-0 in the first quarter. Dee Williams caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from Cortese to make it 21-3 in the second quarter.
Jonathan Edwards, who was 4 of 4 on extra-point attempts, kicked a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter to put Union ahead 24-15.
Durant ended the scoring with a touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers had 220 rushing yards and 321 receiving yards for a combined 541 yards.
Cortese, who had his highest passing yardage total this season, had a passing rate of 68 percent as he completed 13 of 19 attempts. He also carried the ball seven times for 59 yards.
Diston had quite the night, with eight receptions for 195 yards. The Tigers’ leader in receiving yards per game had many unbelievable catches during this matchup against the 7-3 Braves and finished with 207 total yards receiving and rushing.
Williams finished with the one catch that was good for a second-quarter touchdown, while Gavin Jenkins caught three passes for 44 yards.
Durant, who leads the team in rushing yards per game, played a little less during this game due to his shoulder restraints. Despite that, he still performed as his usual self each time he was handed the ball. Durant had one touchdown for the Tigers and ran for 102 yards on 14 carries, averaging in about 7 yards each play.
The senior running back said the offensive line opened a lot of gaps for him to make long runs.
Cortese touched on that also by saying, “If I had to give an MVP award to anyone on this team, it would be the offensive line.”
Union’s focus now turns to the playoffs. The Tigers have gone 2-1 in the postseason in each of the past three seasons, coming up short in the Region 3 championship game each time.
“It’s go hard or go home, and we don’t plan on going home,” Cortese said.
