BY ANTONIO HENDERSON
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Eight different players crossed the goal line for the Union County High School football team, which celebrated homecoming with an easy 57-0 win over Hollis Christian Academy on Oct. 6.
The Tigers (3-2), who travel to play Hawthorne on Friday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m., marched to the Hollis 20-yard line on their first drive, but the Eagles picked off a pass in the back of the end zone.
Hollis (1-4) had a 7-yard run on its first offensive play, but Trenton Klein came up with a tackle for a 4-yard loss on the second play. The Tigers’ defense followed with another big play, sending a linebacker blitz that resulted in Johnte Nichols getting a sack for a 10-yard loss.
With the ball back after a punt, the Union offense came out with its run game, with Bobo Woodall breaking loose for 10 yards. Woodall, after an incomplete pass, had his number called again and responded with a 20-yard touchdown. The Eagles caught a break as the score was called back by a holding penalty.
Klein dropped back and complete a pass to Bryan Tyson for a 12-yard gain. A 6-yard Woodall run then made it fourth-and-4. Klein called his own number on a quarterback sneak that went for a 10-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, making the score 7-0 with 5:43 to play in the first quarter.
The Eagles’ offense tried a jet sweep, but Union’s Dayquan Diston read it all the way, getting a tackle for a 5-yard loss. Klein then made a tackle for a 3-yard loss. The Hollis quarterback ran for 7 yards on the next play. Then, on fourth down, his pass attempt was broken up by Brycen Boney.
Toren Tyson got the Union offense moving after the turnover on downs with carries of 4 and 10 yards. Klein then found a wide-open Gavin Jenkins for a 15-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, making the score 14-0 with 2:23 left in the first quarter.
Jenkins finished with two catches for 26 yards.
Hollis was penalized on the first play of its next drive. The Tigers’ defense then came through with a big sack by Erich Seager, which resulted in a safety and a 16-0 Union lead.
After the resulting free kick, Klein, who went 5 of 8 for 85 yards, threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Woodall. The extra point was good to make it a 23-0 game with 1:39 to play in the first quarter.
Woodall finished with two catches for 34 yards, while also rushing for 44 yards on four carries.
The Eagles’ offense got off to a bad start on its next drive, getting penalized for delay of game. However, the Eagles then caught a break with a pass-interference penalty, getting the penalty yardage back and more for a first down.
Hollis got no more breaks that drive. Cole Austin and Gavin Chapman combined for a 5-yard sack. The Eagles then recovered a fumbled snap, putting them in a third-and-15 situation at the start of the second quarter. A big hit by Seager resulted in a 2-yard loss. Hollis unsuccessfully went for it on fourth down.
The Tigers took over at the Hollis 30. After being penalized for delay of game, Woodall took a handoff for a 10-yard gain, making it second-and-5. Nelson Tambling, who entered at quarterback, threw a 13-yard pass to Bryan Tyson (two catches for 29 yards) to set up first-and-goal. Toren Tyson then broke for a 6-yard gain before fumbling. The Tigers recovered the loose ball and went back to Toren Tyson on the next play. He responded with a touchdown. With the extra point, Union led 30-0 at the 9:11 mark of the second quarter.
Hollis continued to struggle against the Union defense. Klein had a tackle for no gain, while a host of Tigers recorded a sack, which forced the Eagles into a fourth-and-23 play. Hollis went for it, with Bryan Tyson breaking up a pass to force the turnover on downs.
With the ball on the Hollis 7-yard line, Bryan Tyson got the chance to make a big play on offense as well. He called his own number on a quarterback keeper, scoring with 7:16 to play in the second quarter. The extra point was good for a 37-0 Union lead.
Union’s defense continued to be a force, with Ashton Newsome coming up with a sack for a 6-yard loss on the Eagles’ next series. Hollis recovered a fumble at its own 3-yard line before fumbling the ball again, with Boney recovering at the 11-yard line.
Tambling, who completed all three of his pass attempts for 39 yards, threw a back-shoulder fade to Jesse Chaikin for an 11-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, with the score standing at 43-0 with 5:24 to play in the second quarter.
Union began its next offensive drive at the Eagles’ 4-yard line. Clifton Ivey scored on a run from there just before halftime. The extra point was good, making the score 50-0.
The Tigers added the final score on their first drive of the second half. Drew Simmons and Toren Tyson had runs of 7 and 3 yards to pick up one first down, while a sneak by Tambling went for 23 yards, setting up first-and-goal. Toren Tyson, who rushed for 23 yards on four carries, had an 8-yard gain before Simmons scored on a 2-yard run. The extra point was good.
Hollis finally got its offense going and ended up scoring off a deflected pass, but a holding penalty wiped out the touchdown, resulting in the Eagles losing their second straight game by a score of 57-0.
Klein recorded a team-high four tackles, while Austin, Newsome, Nichols, Seager, Connor Bresee and Jacob Jenkins each had three.
The Tigers now face a tough road test when they take on fellow Class 1R team Hawthorne, which is the defending state champion. The Hornets (6-0) are second in the Florida High School Athletic Association power rankings (Union is 13th) and coming off a 49-13 win over Class 2M Gibbs.
Hawthorne has scored more than 40 points in each game since opening the season with a 26-7 win over Class 2S Middleburg.
