BY CECE THOMAS
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
It was a game against a team that had won only three games, but host Hudson went 9-2 last season, so the Union County Tigers knew they needed to take the game seriously to bring home a win and remain undefeated.
They did just that, getting three touchdown passes from Trenton Klein and another three scores rushing in a 38-7 win over the Class 3A Cobras on Oct. 25.
Though the 8-0 Tigers, who are number one in the Florida High School Athletic Association/MaxPreps Rural Class power rankings, knew they’d have to still play a good game, what they weren’t expecting was a game full of penalties on both teams. The first half alone had 27 flags, which slowed the game down.
Union will have a few things to clean up this week as the Tigers head into a game against a tough opponent in Chiefland, who is 7-1 and fifth in the Rural power rankings. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, in Chiefland.
The Tigers’ Drew Simmons received the opening kickoff against Hudson and was tackled at his own 17-yard line. A holding penalty backed the Tigers up to their 10, but Simmons took the ball on a huge run all the way to the Hudson 42-yard line. Alec McClellon got a couple of carries before another holding penalty backed the Tigers up to the Hudson 45. On third-and-13, Simmons had another outstanding carry, making it to the 25-yard line. Bryan Tyson then had a carry on which he picked up 8 yards before Simmons ran the ball for a first down at the 12-yard line.
Gavin Jenkins had a carry for 7 yards before an offsides penalty against Hudson gave the Tigers a first down at the 2-yard line. Jenkins was given the ball again, picking up a yard. C.J. Ivey then got the carry, scoring a touchdown with 7:39 left in the first quarter to put the Tigers up 6-0. The two-point conversion was no good.
Hudson (3-5) bobbled the kickoff by Jenkins before the returner was tackled at his own 27-yard line. Union’s Garrett Jackson sacked the quarterback for a loss, making it second-and-more-than-20. An offsides penalty gave the Cobras 5 of those yards back, but Klein was there when a receiver caught a pass, making a tackle for no gain. After an incomplete pass, Hudson punted.
The Tigers, after a penalty for block in the back, started their next drive at their own 30-yard line. Ivey took a handoff and gained about 5 yards. Simmons then took a pitch around right end and picked up a lot of yardage, but a flag in the backfield for illegal motion brought the play back. Simmons got the handoff once again, picking up 11 yards for a first down at the 41-yard line.
Tyson gained 9 yards, while an offsides penalty on Hudson gave the Tigers a first down at the Cobras’ 45. A Klein pass was just out of Jenkins’ reach, setting up second-and-10. Simmons then carried the ball all the way to the 2-yard line. Klein scored on a keeper, but an illegal shift backed the Tigers up to the 8. Klein kept the ball again for a touchdown with 1:29 left in the first quarter. Ivey was successful on the two-point conversion, but another flag was thrown on the Tigers for a false start. Union went for the two-point play again, which was no good, which left the score at 12-0.
Hudson muffed a punt in the second quarter, with Tyson recovering for the Tigers at the Hudson 21-yard line. Ivey had a carry for about 3 yards, while Simmons picked up a few more yards on second down. Klein kept the ball and gained enough to set up first-and-goal from the 9. The quarterback then completed a pass to Tyson in the end zone for a touchdown with 7:14 left in the second quarter. Simmons’ run on the two-point conversion made the score 20-0.
The Cobras had a good return on Jenkins’ kickoff until the Tigers’ Jesse Chaikin made a tackle at the Hudson 48. After an incomplete pass, a running back was stopped just short of the line of scrimmage by Jackson. The quarterback, who threw an incompletion on third down, took a big hit from Klein, which had him getting up slowly and hurting.
Jenkins caught the Cobras’ punt, broke a tackle and was finally run out of bounds at his own 37-yard line. A Klein pass to Jenkins was enough to pick up a first down. An offsides penalty then had Union facing first-and-15. Tyson caught a pass, but had nowhere to go. Simmons then picked up a couple of yards to set up third-and-11. Jenkins picked up a lot of yardage on a pass from Klein, but the Tigers had to face fourth-and-2. They went for it, with Ivey taking a handoff and gaining enough for a first down at the Hudson 40.
The Tigers faced another first-and-15 play after a penalty for illegal motion. Klein passed to Simmons, who picked up quite a bit of yardage for a first down at the 24. Tyson picked up 5 yards on a pass play before Simmons was held to no gain on a run play. Klein then threw a touchdown pass to Ibn Williams to make the score 26-0 with 41 seconds left in the first half. The two-point play was no good.
Hudson, after the Tigers’ Jameson Lang made a tackle on the kickoff return, began a drive at their own 33. A pass completion resulted in a first down. The Cobras were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and also suffered a huge loss on a sack. Klein intercepted a pass for the Tigers, returning the ball to the Hudson 30-yard line with 6 seconds left on the clock.
Union was unable to add another score before halftime, with Klein overthrowing intended receiver Simmons.
Hudson returned the second-half kickoff to its own 40-yard line. A flag for holding was thrown on the first play from scrimmage, backing the Cobras up to their 25. Union’s defensive players were fast in getting into the backfield, hitting the quarterback and causing a fumble, which was recovered by Lang at the 21-yard line.
Klein, who was 10 of 12 for 113 yards, completed a touchdown pass to Simmons with 11:30 left in the third quarter. The Tigers got a successful two-point play out of McClellon, but a penalty made the Tigers attempt the conversion again. The attempt was no good, leaving the score at 32-0.
Another flag was thrown after the play for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Cobras. The penalty yardage was assessed on the kickoff, which went to the goal line. Hudson returned the kick only to the 9-yard line. Hudson gained a couple of yards on a pass play and another yard on a run play. On third-and-7, Jenkins brought down a tipped pass for an interception. However, a flag was thrown — holding against the Tigers. Hudson had a first down.
The Cobras then picked up a penalty, which had them facing first-and-20. They picked up quite a bit of yardage on a pass play, setting up second-and-9. Two straight incompletions brought up fourth down and a punt.
Simmons returned the punt all the way to the Hudson 40-yard line. A penalty on Hudson, though, had the Tigers starting their drive at the 25. Simmons, who finished with 218 yards on 17 carries, took a handoff for a gain of 4 yards. He got the ball again and carried it into the end zone for a touchdown with 6:41 left in the third quarter. The extra-point kick was no good, making it 38-0 and enforcing a running clock.
A Hudson punt in the fourth quarter rolled out of bounds at the Union 11-yard line. The Tigers’ former junior varsity players entered the game, with a fumble being recovered by the Cobras at the 8-yard line. Hudson eventually scored on a run from the 1-yard line. The Cobras added the extra point to make the score 38-7 with 5:41 remaining in the game.
Lang led the Tigers in tackles with six, while three players had four tackles each: Wyatt Elixson, Jaden McCray and Ashton Newsom.
