BY CECE THOMAS
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Donuts for breakfast.
That’s what the Union County High School defensive players were promised they could enjoy on Monday morning by Head Coach Andrew Thomas after the second straight game in which an opponent was held to donuts on the scoreboard.
The Tigers defeated visiting Class 2A Santa Fe 45-0 on Sept. 13, one week after defeating 2A Keystone Heights 35-0.
It was Union’s fourth straight win over rival Santa Fe.
“We came out flying around on both sides of the ball,” Thomas said. “Offensively, we did things we thought were there on film and executed well. Need to protect the ball more consistently, but overall did well and controlled the line on the defensive side of the ball.”
The Tigers (3-0) travel to play Class 2A Baldwin (2-1) on Friday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m. If you count the preseason game, this will be the fifth straight week the Tigers will play a larger school.
Santa Fe (0-3) won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, so the Tigers got the ball first. The Raiders’ kickoff did not go 10 yards so, so the Tigers got the ball at the Santa Fe 48-yard line. Drew Simmons took the ball all the way to the 26-yard line for a first down. However, Trenton Klein, on a quarterback keeper, fumbled the ball, which the Raiders recovered just outside of the red zone.
Santa Fe’s quarterback kept the ball on a counter all the way to Union’s 33-yard line. The defense then made a good play that caused the Raiders to lose 2 yards. On a bad snap, the ball is continually knocked backward until the Raiders recovered back at their own 49-yard line. The quarterback is able to contain another high snap, but just gets back to the line of scrimmage, bringing up fourth-and-26. A high Santa Fe punt is downed at the Tigers’ 42-yard line.
Klein, on a draw, hangs onto the ball this time for a first down at the Raiders’ 44-yard line. Simmons carried for a 9-yard gain and then got the call again, picking up a first down at the 29-yard line. Alec McClellan picked up another first down at the 12-yard line. Klein then kept the ball for a touchdown. The Tigers went for two, with Klein keeping the ball again for a successful conversion, making the 8-0 with 6:18 left in the first quarter.
Santa Fe got the ball back and worked hard for a first down. The Raiders had the ball at the Tigers’ 30-yard line. The defense made two good stops in a row to make that made it third-and-long. Bryan Tyson then sacked the quarterback, making it so the Raiders needed more than 20 yards to pick up a first down. Santa Fe punted.
The Tigers’ Simmons took it all the way on the next offensive play for another touchdown. The Tigers led 16-0 with 2:12 to go in the first quarter.
The second quarter started with an amazing play by Klein, where he broke loose and went all the way for a 60-yard touchdown. The Tigers successfully went for two, putting them up 24-0.
Klein finished with 97 yards rushing.
Santa Fe got the ball back on the 36-yard line. The Raiders carried the ball for a first down before the Tigers’ Ibn Williams made the tackle. Starting the next play on their own 42-yard line, the Raiders lost yardage on a tackle made by Gavin Jenkins and Ashton Newsom, resulting in b third-and-14. The Tigers then recovered a fumbled snap at their own 47-yard line.
Klein had a huge pass completion to Jenkins for a first down at the Raiders’ 15-yard line. Newsom had a fumble on a carry, but the Tigers recovered for a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. Simmons carried it in for a touchdown, with the extra point by Carter Whitehead being good. The Tigers led 31-0 with 6:13 left in the second quarter.
With the second quarter coming to an end, Klein completed a pass to Bo Thomas for a first down at the Tigers’ 48-yard line. Later, on a third-and-14 play, Klein who was 6 of 6 for 186 yards, completed a pass to McClellan, setting up fourth-and-6 at the Raiders’ 48-yard line. Williams then made a big catch-and-run, going all the way for a touchdown. Whitehead again kicked the extra point for a 38-0 lead.
The Raiders received the second-half kickoff, but a tackle for loss by the Tigers forced Santa Fe into a second-and-14 play from their own 1-yard line. Santa Fe eventually punted from the end zone, with McClellan returning the ball to the Raiders’ 29-yard line.
A blindside hit on the Tigers resulted in a penalty and a first-and-21 play. C.J. Ivey got 9 of those yards back on a run. Thomas then got the handoff, but fumbled, with the Raiders recovering at their own 48-yard line.
Santa Fe completed a pass for a first down, but a holding penalty then backed the Raiders up into a second-and-20 play. Santa Fe eventually punted.
Colt Thomas entered the game at quarterback to start the fourth quarter. The Tigers’ offense lined up as if to go for it on a fourth-and-4 play, but the Raiders ended up getting a penalty for encroachment, resulting in a first down. A fumble by Bo Thomas was recovered by the Tigers. After a Colt Thomas handoff to Eli Llanes, the Tigers had third-and-8. Llanes, who had five carries for 68 yards, broke free for a run to the Raiders’ 5-yard line.
Two plays resulted in lost yardage, with the Tigers eventually facing fourth-and-goal from from the 17-yard line. The Tigers went for it, with Colt Thomas completing a pass to Llanes for a touchdown with three minutes left in the game.
Newsom led the Tigers’ defense in tackles with eight. Tyson and Garett Jackson each had five.
The Tigers now prepare for a Baldwin team that’s coming off a 42-0 win over winless KIPP Bold City. The Indians opened the season with a 45-14 win over Class 4A Englewood, but then lost 33-26 to Class 2A Palatka.
