Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
A rumble in the Jungle ended the Union County High School football game early, but the end result was another victory for the Tigers, who got three touchdowns from Dayviontae “Bubba” Thompson in defeating visiting Newberry 45-13 on Oct. 29.
Union (9-0) added another double-digit win to its schedule as it prepares to close the regular season on the road against Cocoa Beach on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. The Tigers have won all but one of their games by at least 15 points.
The latest came despite the fact only three quarters were played. Someone on the Newberry sideline was involved in an altercation with the officials, which led to his ejection. The person refused to leave, which resulted in Union County Sheriff’s deputies being called to escort him off the premises.
As UCSO posse members were called to help with crowd control, deputies and officials made the decision to end the game with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
The game didn’t start well for Newberry either as the Panthers (5-4) muffed the opening kickoff, with Union’s Thomas Williams recovering the loose ball on the Newberry 38-yard line. Four plays later, Thompson hurdled defenders on his way to a 24-yard touchdown run. Johnny Edwards’ extra point was good for an early 7-0 lead.
Union’s defense has been stingy in regard to rushing yards, and this game was no exception. The Tigers got off to a good start when Hance Jones recorded a sack. Newberry went three-and-out.
Newberry’s punt backed the Tigers up to their 26-yard line, but it didn’t matter. The offense got runs from Caleb Crawford and Rayvon Durant that resulted in first downs. Quarterback Martin Odum, who was 2-of-2 for 53 yards, then completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Daylyn Diston with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers’ lead, after Edwards’ PAT, increased to 14-0.
The Panthers fielded the ensuing kickoff at their own 41 to give them good field position, but Diston’s play on the defensive side of the ball made sure it didn’t amount to anything positive for Newberry as he intercepted a pass.
Union’s ground game pounded away at the Newberry defense, with Crawford, Durant and Williams having good gains. Thompson, on a third-down play, carried defenders for a 15-yard gain and later scored on a 2-yard run. Edwards kicked the extra point as the Tigers built their lead to 21-0 with 3:18 left until the second quarter.
Newberry’s offense, starting at its own 35, finally got some momentum going. The result was a 42-yard touchdown reception by Perrion Sylvester with 39 seconds still remaining in the first quarter. The Panthers added the PAT to make the score 21-7.
The Panthers’ defense stiffened as the Tigers were unable to find the end zone again in the first half. Newberry was looking to close the gap going into halftime, but the Union defense wasn’t about to let that happen. On Newberry’s last possession of the half, the Tigers got tackles for loss by Crawford and Trevor Holtzendorf, while Jacob Jenkins made a great tackle on a quarterback keeper.
Union’s offense took over at its own 24 following a Newberry punt. Quarterback A.J. Cortese made his first appearance since suffering an injury in the second game of the season. He put together a great drive with several pass completions as the Tigers drove to the Newberry 11-yard line. Edwards made a 28-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half to send Union into the locker room leading 24-7.
On the first series of the second half, the Tigers got good runs from Crawford, Diston and Thompson, while also benefitting from an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. Diston, who rushed for 65 yards on five carries, had a carry to the Newberry 7-yard line. After a 2-yard run by Durant, Thompson, who rushed for 61 yards on six carries, scored his third touchdown on a 5-yard run at the 7:53 mark of the third quarter. Edwards added the PAT to make the score 31-7.
A penalty on Union gave the Panthers much-needed positive yardage as they began a drive at the 50-yard line. Newberry earned a first down on another penalty before Chaden Scott broke through the middle on a 29-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-4 play to make the score 31-13 with 5:53 to play in the third quarter. The Panthers’ two-point conversion was no good.
The Tigers’ first play from scrimmage following the score saw the offensive line creating a wall that allowed Durant to sprint for a 75-yard touchdown. After Edwards’ PAT, the score stood at 38-13.
Union added the final score on its next series, with Durant taking it in again on a 38-yard run.
Durant finished with 180 yards on 12 carries.
As Head Coach Andrew Thomas said earlier this season, “You have to learn how to finish a team off.” The Tigers did just that against Newberry.
In his return to action, Cortese completed 3-of-5 passes for 33 yards.
Diston finished with the most receiving yards on his lone catch — the 45-yard touchdown — while Dee Williams caught three passes for 36 yards.
Curran Webb led the defense with seven tackles, while Holtzendorf had six. Jones and Malcolm Odum each had five tackles.
Jenkins, Jones and Webb each had a sack, with Webb also teaming up with Thompson on another.
The Tigers now close out the regular season against a Cocoa Beach team that’s struggling. The Minutemen (1-8) are coming off their fifth straight loss, 40-37 against Windmere Prep. It was Cocoa Beach’s closest margin of defeat as they lost their other seven games by a combined score of 283-35.
Special festivities take place at the half
The 1996 football team was recognized at halftime in honor of the 25th anniversary of its 67-36 state-championship win over Frostproof. It was the Tigers’ third straight state championship.
Halftime also consisted of UCHS and the Union County Quarterback Club inducting two members into the Hall of Fame: Gerard Warren, a defensive lineman who graduated in 1997, and Robby Pruitt, who was the head coach from 1993 through 1999.
Warren was born in Lake City, but was raised in Raiford. During his four years as a varsity player, the Tigers had a 49-4 record and won three state championships (1994-96). He received All-State recognition all four years and All-District honors three years.
In 1996, he was voted All-First Coast and All-Area Player of the year. He played in the Florida-Georgia All-Star game and was selected to be on the USA All-American Team that same year.
Warren played three seasons for the University of Florida and Head Coach Steve Spurrier, earning All-SEC and All-American honors. He was selected as the third overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
That was the start of an 11-year career that saw Warren also play for the Broncos, the Raiders and the Patriots.
Warren, who was named as one of the 100 greatest players of all time by the Florida High School Athletic Association, was inducted into the UCHS Hall of Fame with family and friends at his side.
Pruitt was born in Gainesville and graduated from Southside Christian. After attending Liberty University, he began coaching at Jacksonville’s University Christian, where he won four state championships over nine seasons.
Success followed Pruitt to UCHS, where he had a 79-10 record over seven seasons. The Tigers won what was then a state-record 52 games in a row.
Pruitt was the youngest high school coach in Florida history to reach 100 career wins. He was the Gainesville Sun All-Area Coach of the Year in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996, an FACA Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1997, the NFICA National Coach of the Year in 1996 and the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year in 1998. His 1997 UCHS squad was named the Small School Program of the Year.
In 2000, Pruitt was inducted into the FHSAA Hall of Fame.
Pruitt, because of his coaching duties at Coffee High School in Georgia, was unable to attend the UCHS Hall of Fame ceremony. Two coaches on his staff — Lanier Clyatt and Steve Hoard — were present on his behalf.
