BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Union County High School’s football team is set to play for a region championship for the fourth straight year, with hopes of finally coming out on the winning end.
The Tigers (7-2) will host the Lafayette Hornets (10-2) for the Region 3-1R title on Friday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. Union is the region’s top seed, while Lafayette is the third seed.
Lafayette advanced by beating second seed Hilliard 31-13. It was the second time the Hornets had beaten Hilliard this season, winning 21-14 in a Sept. 16 regular-season matchup.
The Hornets are in the playoffs for the sixth straight year and are making their 25th appearance overall. After last week’s win over Hilliard, their postseason record is now 20-23.
Lafayette won the Class 1A state championship the first time they ever made the playoffs, which was in 1981. The Hornets reached a state title game one other time, finishing as the Class 2A runner-up in 1997.
This marks the first year Lafayette has won at least two postseason games since 2007.
Union and Lafayette have met each other in the playoffs two previous times. The Hornets won a 2018 matchup 34-30, while the Tigers came out on top 32-19 in a 2019 game.
During the regular season, Lafayette played only three teams that finished with winning records. Besides Hilliard, the Hornets played Fort White, losing 23-21, and Branford, winning 47-0. Like Hilliard, Fort White and Branford were playoff qualifiers. In fact, Lafayette played Branford in the first round of the playoffs, winning 35-7.
Lafayette and Union played one common opponent this season — Dixie County. The Hornets beat the Bears 22-0, while Union defeated them 42-6.
Lafayette’s offense averages 154 rushing yards per game and 108 passing yards per game. The Hornets are scoring an average of 31 points per game, while opponents are scoring an average of 12 points per game.
The Union-Lafayette winner will play a state semifinal game on Friday, Dec. 2. The Tigers would either travel to Bratt (northwest portion of the panhandle) to play Northview or host Chipley or Sneads. Lafayette would travel to play either Hawthorne or Pahokee.
