BY CECE THOMAS
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
The last time the Union County Tigers and the Chiefland Indians played against each other was four years ago in the playoffs, the Indians came out on top in a close game.
Union was attempting to end the regular season undefeated, but Chiefland came out on top in another close game, with both sides making good plays in what was a 30-29 Indians win on Nov. 1 in Chiefland.
The Tigers (8-1) and the Indians (9-1), who are first and fifth, respectively, in the Florida High School Athletic Association/MaxPreps Rural Class power rankings, now wait for the start of the playoffs on Friday, Nov. 15. Matchups and seeding are still to be determined.
Union’s Jesse Chaikin received the opening kickoff, returning the ball to his own 39-yard line. Trenton Klein completed a pass to Alec McClellan that picked up 5 yards. Klein’s next pass attempt was complete to Gavin Jenkins for big yardage and a first down at the Chiefland 30. A flag on the Indians for offsides set up a first-and-5 play on which Klein gained 4 yards on a keeper. Klein kept the ball again for a first down at the 19-yard line.
The next play saw Klein throw a pass to Ibn Williams in the end zone for a touchdown and a 6-0 Tigers lead with 9:26 left in the first quarter. The extra point was no good.
A fair catch by the Indians on Jenkins’ kickoff had them taking over at their own 30-yard line. Klein ran down the quarterback in the backfield for a loss of 2 yards. The quarterback was then sacked again, making it third-and-16. A run play didn’t pick up any yardage, so Chiefland punted, with the Tigers taking over at their own 42.
Klein’s pass was tipped and intercepted by the Indians. The Chiefland offense took over at the Union 47-yard line.
Chiefland had an incomplete pass, a short run play and another incompletion, resulting in a punt that rolled into the end zone. The Tigers took over at their own 20-yard line.
Klein, on a keeper, picked up a couple of yards, but his pass intended for Drew Simmons on second down was intercepted and returned for an Indians touchdown with 5:31 left in the first quarter. The extra point was good, with the Indians taking a 7-6 lead.
McClellan returned the kickoff to the Union 43-yard line. After a pass was just out of Jenkins’ reach, a handoff to C.J. Ivey gained 2 yards, setting up third-and-8. Klein’s pass was tipped and incomplete, but a flag against the Indians resulted in a first down for the Tigers at the Chiefland 44.
Simmons took a handoff for a huge carry around right end. A flag for holding went against the Tigers, but the foul occurred beyond the line of scrimmage, so the play still resulted in a first down at the 29-yard line. Union was penalized again for a false start. A Klein pass to Jenkins was uncatchable due to pass interference by the Indians, which gave the Tigers an automatic first down at the 19.
A handoff to Simmons picked up a couple of yards. The ball was pitched to Simmons again on second-and-8, but he was stopped for no gain as he tried to take it around right end. A Klein pass to Jenkins was then caught for a touchdown with 1:54 left in the first quarter. The Tigers went successfully for two, with the score standing at 14-7 in their favor.
As the second quarter got underway, a Chiefland pass was completed for a first down at the Union 40-yard line. The ball was then handed off for a pickup of about 4 yards. Another handoff picked up another first down at the 29-yard line. A quarterback keeper picked up 5 yards, but a runner was met at the line of scrimmage on second down, resulting in third-and-5. A quarterback keeper picked up 3 yards. Chiefland went for it on fourth-and-2, with the quarterback keeping it again and picking up just enough yardage for a first down inside the 20.
Another quarterback run picked up about 5 yards. A handoff on second down gained 4 yards, setting up third-and-1. The quarterback kept the ball for first-and-goal at the 5. The Tigers stopped the quarterback on a run attempt on first down. After an incomplete pass on second down, the quarterback was almost sacked on third down before getting rid of the ball and getting penalized for intentional grounding. The Indians now had a fourth-down play at the 25-yard line. Chiefland completed a pass, but the receiver was stopped well short of the goal line.
The second half began with the Indians going three-and-out.
After the punt, a Klein pass went for 6 yards. Simmons then had a carry for a first down. Klein passed again, with a completion going to Williams for a touchdown with 7:04 left in the third quarter. Carter Whitehead’s extra point was good, making the score 21-7.
Chiefland’s offense faced third-and-6 on its next drive. The quarterback kept the ball and was taken out of bounds right at the first-down marker. After gaining a new set of downs, the quarterback picked up a bunch of yardage on a run play, dragging defenders with him for a first down at the Union 35-yard line.
The Indians then picked up 5 yards on two straight run plays. On third down, the ball was handed off again, with the runner picking up enough for a first down at the 23-yard line. A Chiefland runner then went around right end and took it in for a touchdown with 51 seconds left in the third quarter. The extra point was good, with the Tigers now leading 21-14.
With play underway in the fourth quarter, a Chiefland running back somehow broke free of Tiger defenders for a huge gain to the Union 34-yard line. A huge run on another handoff almost picked up a first down. On second-and-1, it looked as if the back would be tackled, but he broke loose and took the ball all the way to the 11-yard line. The Indians would then take it in for a touchdown with 9:45 to go in the game. Chiefland successfully went for two for their first lead of the game at 22-21.
Simmons returned the following kickoff to his own 43-yard line. After Simmons carried the ball for a 3-yard gain, a pass intended for Bryan Tyson was broken up. On third down, a pass to Jenkins was complete for a first down at the Chiefland 42. A keeper by Klein gained 7 yards, while a carry by Simmons picked up enough yardage for a first down at the 28-yard line.
A pass to Jenkins was completed for a short gain, bringing up second-and-8. Klein kept the ball and picked up enough yardage for another first down at the 18-yard line. A 5-yard run by Klein was followed by a pass to Jenkins in the end zone that bounced off his hands for an incompletion. On third-and-5, a handoff to Simmons went for no gain. A double pass on fourth down had Jenkins catching a pass from Klein and then throwing a touchdown to Tyson with 4:11 remaining. A successful two-point conversion had the Tigers leading 29-22.
The Indians took over at their own 45 after the Tigers’ kickoff. After an incomplete pass, the quarterback was sacked on second down, bringing up third-and-12. The quarterback kept the ball and almost picked up the first down. On fourth-and-1, the Indians picked up the first down and then some, taking the ball all the way to the Union 25-yard line.
Chiefland later faced fourth-and-6 with 30 seconds left on the clock. A huge run by the quarterback took the ball inside the 5-yard line for first-and-goal with 14 seconds remaining. A touchdown pass with 10 seconds left made it 29-28. The Indians went for two and got it for the one-point win.
