BY JADEE O’STEEN
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
A.J. Cortese threw for three scores and rushed for another, capping an exciting homecoming week for the Union County Tigers as they defeated fellow Class 1R Dixie County 42-6 in a varsity football matchup on Oct. 7.
The Tigers (4-1) showed up and performed well on both sides of the ball, which worked out in their favor. Union, the fourth-ranked team in Class 1R, has come a long way since its season-opening loss against University Christian and has grown greatly as a team.
Union will attempt to win its fifth straight game when it hosts third-ranked, Class 1R Hawthorne on Friday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Cortese completed 19 of his 26 passes against the Bears (2-4) for 271 yards. He had six carries for 59 yards.
Running back Rayvon Durant had another great night to add to his career, rushing for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. He has a total of 790 yards for the season.
Union built a 35-0 first-half lead. Cortese and Durant had 14- and 13-yard touchdown runs, respectively, to start the scoring. Cortese then tossed touchdown passes of 4 yards to Dee Williams and 12 yards to Daylyn Diston before Durant scored on a 4-yard run.
Gavin Jenkins performed exceptionally well on offense. He caught nine passes for 128 yards, with his 20-yard touchdown reception being the last score of the night.
“Our offensive line did their job,” Jenkins said.
The offensive line opened up holes for the receivers to make serious gains and score some touchdowns. Cortese added, “They did their assignment, which allowed me to remain strong in the pocket.”
Jonathan Edwards connected on all six of his extra-point attempts and is now 25 of 26 on the season.
Diston had an exciting night on both sides of the ball. He caught six passes for 91 yards, while also recording one sack and three total tackles.
Williams ended his night with four catches for 52 yards.
Trenton Klein was able to come in at quarterback in the second half. He had five carries for 26 yards.
Defensive lineman Markus Strong, who had six tackles (five solo) and caused a fumble, bragged about the coaches’ playcalling against Dixie, saying, “The coaches really put us in the position to make plays and succeed.”
Dayviontae Thompson had the most tackles with eight (four solo). Dalton Lane had seven (four solo), while Jimmy Cox had six (three solo).
Dayquan Diston had an interception.
The Tigers now prepare for an anticipated matchup with the Hawthorne Hornets, who are currently 5-0.
Hawthorne, which is coming off a 21-12 win over Class 2M Gibbs, is scoring an average of 28 points per game, while opponents are averaging 11 points per game.
The Hornets went 10-1 last year and finished as the Class 1A runners-up after a 13-12 loss to Madison County in the state championship game.
Cortese has faith in his team and said, “We have the talent to beat anyone.” He added, “We have to come together as a team and be ready to go at 7:30.”
Strong proclaimed that the Tigers are ready to face the undefeated Hornets. He said his team’s motto this week is: “To be the man, you have to beat the man.”
