Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Rayvon Durant rushed for three touchdowns and more than 200 yards as the Union County High School football team began the postseason with a convincing win, defeating visiting Trenton 48-13 in a Region 3-1A quarterfinal on Nov. 12.
Durant gained 207 yards on nine carries as the Tigers (11-0) rushed for 408 yards overall.
Union built a 21-0 lead and held Trenton (4-6) to six points until the fourth quarter, when the visitors scored a touchdown against the Tigers’ subs.
Head Coach Andrew Thomas congratulated his team on the win, telling players he was proud that the defense had a job to do and did it well. He also complimented the offense on not committing any turnovers.
The Tigers, who are seeded third in Region 3, now travel to play second-seed Hilliard on Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. (See related story.)
“We are on the road next week and have a lot of practice ahead of us,” Thomas told his players. Then, referring to his team being the third seed, Thomas said, “The polls have disrespected us. Now it is time to earn some respect.”
Durant made his presence felt the first time he touched the ball, gaining 15 yards. He helped the Tigers drive from the Trenton 48 to the 7-yard line. On third-and-6 from there, Dayviontae “Bubba” Thompson got the call, lumbering into the end zone for a touchdown at the 8:53 mark of the first quarter. Johnny Edwards added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
Excellent defensive plays made by Hance Jones, Jacob Jenkins and Curran Webb helped the Tigers hold Trenton to 2 yards on its first series, forcing a punt after three plays. Tyler Perry’s punt went out of bounds at the Trenton 48.
Martin Odum started the game at quarterback for Union, but the Tigers’ second series saw A.J. Cortese come in. He completed a 7-yard pass to Daylyn Diston, but intentional grounding on one play and a fumble on another forced the Tigers to punt on fourth-and-long. Caleb Crawford got off a booming kick from his own 37. The punt bounced and rolled to the Trenton 6-yard line.
Trenton’s Jaron Riley gained 6 yards on first down, but a fumble on second down was recovered by Union’s Trevor Holtzendorf.
On the next play, Crawford, thanks to excellent blocking by his line, went virtually untouched up the middle for a 29-yard touchdown with 4:28 to play in the first quarter. Edwards kicked the extra point, making the score 14-0.
With the quarterbacks swapping series, the Tigers’ fourth possession saw Cortese take control of the offense. He handed the ball off to Durant for an 8-yard gain before keeping the ball himself on the next play and sprinting down the sideline for a 57-yard gain. That set up Durant’s 15-yard touchdown run. After Edwards’ PAT, the Tigers led 21-0 with 1:48 still remaining in the first quarter.
Trenton’s Riley returned the ensuing kickoff 21 yards to the Trenton 36 before being run out of bounds. Riley received a pitch on first down and was dropped for a loss. Trenton quarterback Perry kept the ball on the next play and gained 10 yards. On another keeper, Perry gained 7 yards to give his team a first down. Thompson dropped Perry for a 2-yard loss on the following play, but Perry burst through the defense for a 50-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, making the score 21-6. Curran Webb blocked the extra point.
Gavin Jenkins gave the Tigers good field position on a 28-yard kickoff return to the 38. Durant took a pitch from Odum and, taking advantage of a wall of blockers consisting of Tucker Baynard, Dayquan Diston, Evan Hall, Dayven Kelley and Carson Rogers, made his way all the way to the Trenton 14-yard line. Crawford, who gained 8 yards on first down before being tripped up, carried the ball into the end zone from 6 yards out at the 10:34 mark of the second quarter. Edwards added the PAT for a 28-6 lead.
Crawford finished with 44 yards on four carries.
Trenton gained two first downs on the following series, but Perry was dropped for a 5-yard loss by Holtzendorf on a second-down play. Trenton got 4 yards back on third down, setting up fourth-and-8. The visitors decided to roll the dice and go for it. Perry, under heavy pressure from Webb, threw an incompletion, giving the Union offense the ball at its own 31.
One play later, the Tigers’ lead had increased as Durant took a handoff from Odum, exploded through the line and past Trenton’s secondary. He looked over his shoulder and saw that no one was close to him as he raced for a 69-yard touchdown with 6:20 until halftime. Edwards kicked the extra point for a 35-6 lead.
After its defense forced a three-and-out, the Union offense was back on the field at its own 30. Dee Williams got the handoff from Cortese and went around right end for a first down. Cortese then gained 8 yards on a run play before completing a pass over the middle to Hall for a 16-yard gain. The quarterback went to the air again, hitting Aidan Newsom for a 5-yard gain. On second down, Durant once again dodged and weaved his way into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown and a 41-6 lead with 2:57 left in the second quarter.
Trenton had the ball first in the second half. Yardage was still hard to come by. A swarm of Tigers held Trenton to a 1-yard gain on a pass play before Jacob Jenkins made a tackle for a loss of 2 yards. Perry broke free from the pocket on third down and was run out of bounds by Webb for only a 4-yard gain. Perry dropped back to punt, but ran with the ball instead, gaining 10 yards and a first down on a fake.
The momentum was short-lived. Trenton was held to minimal gains before turning the ball over on downs.
Union’s first offensive play of the half resulted in a 58-yard touchdown run by Cortese, who finished with 126 yards on four carries. Edwards added the PAT for a 48-6 lead.
Back-ups and junior varsity players took to the field for the Tigers as a running clock was put into effect due to Union’s 42-point lead.
The game’s final score occurred in the fourth quarter when Trenton’s Perry threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Riley.
Union attempted only six passes, with Cortese going 4-of-5 for 45 yards. Trenton Klein completed his only attempt for 6 yards.
Daylyn Diston caught two passes for 24 yards, while Hall had one catch for 16 yards.
Holtzendorf recorded a team-high 10 tackles. Jones had six tackles, while Brycen Boney, Malcolm Odum and Thomas Williams each had five.
Union fans are being asked to decorate their storefronts to show their Tiger pride on Friday. Bring on those signs and purple and gold balloons, and get ready to send the team to Hilliard pumped up and ready to bring home a victory. Union schools are out for the day, so everyone can line the streets to cheer for their Tigers and let them know how much they’re loved.
The team will depart from the field house at 4:15 p.m. Buses will turn left onto S.R. 121 and pass Sprinkle Field before turning right on C.R. 231, passing Spires and Skips. Another right turn will put the team on Main Street and heading toward Hilliard.
