Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Union County High School’s football team had no trouble with host Cocoa Beach, scoring touchdowns on its first three plays from scrimmage and building a 40-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 54-0 win to finish the regular season undefeated.
The Tigers (10-0) next host a Region 3-1A quarterfinal playoff game against Trenton (4-5) on Friday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
Before arriving at the school, which is three hours away from Lake Butler, the Union team stopped at the University of Central Florida. Coaches set up an opportunity to tour the school’s football facilities and field as a reward for the season the Tigers have had.
Then it was down to business when the Tigers arrived in Cocoa Beach. Union received the opening kickoff, which the Minutemen (1-9) kicked out of the end zone for a touchback. Rayvon Durant, on his only touch of the game, took a handoff from quarterback A.J. Cortese (who’s missed most of this season due to an injury) on the first play from scrimmage and didn’t stop until he had reached the end zone for an 80-yard score. Johnny Edwards added the PAT for a 7-0 lead just 15 seconds into the game.
Union’s defense didn’t allow any positive yardage on Cocoa Beach’s first possession, with the result being a three-and-out. Gavin Jenkins fielded the punt at his own 40-yard line and returned it to the Cocoa Beach 9-yard line before being run out of bounds.
One play later, the Tigers had increased their lead, with Cortese finding Dee Williams in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown. A mishandled snap on the PAT prevented Edwards from kicking the extra point, but Union now led 13-0.
The Minutemen’s second offensive series was the same as their first, with the Tigers pushing them backward again for lost yardage. Jenkins fielded the eventual punt on his own 35 and scampered down the sideline for a touchdown, but a penalty negated the score.
Union’s offense took over at its own 45. Again, all the Tigers needed was one play to score. Cortese dropped back to pass before taking off for what would be a 55-yard touchdown run. Edwards kicked the extra point as the Tigers led 20-0.
Cortese finished with 64 yards on two carries.
After another three-and-out by the Minutemen, the Tigers started a drive at the Cocoa Beach 48. It wasn’t another one-play scoring drive, but it was close. Cortese, who finished 2-of-2 for 48 yards, found Dayquan Diston for a 39-yard gain to the 9-yard line. The quarterback then scored on a keeper up the middle on which he was virtually untouched. After Edwards’ PAT, the Tigers led 27-0 midway through the first quarter.
Just as the offense was clicking, so, too, was the defense. On Cocoa Beach’s first play from scrimmage on the next series, running back Aaron Garber was driven backward for a 15-yard loss by Daylyn Diston and Trevor Holtzendorf. Hance Jones pressured quarterback Sean Westner on the next play. Westner got the pass off, but Williams stepped in front of it for at around the Cocoa Beach 40-yard line, intercepting it and returning it to the 20.
Martin Odum, who’s been playing quarterback in Cortese’s absence, entered the game and promptly completed a 3-yard pass to Dayquan Diston, who finished with two catches for 42 yards. After an incomplete pass on second down, Caleb Crawford was held to a 3-yard gain, leaving the Tigers facing fourth-and-4. Union went for it, with Daylyn Diston taking the handoff around right end for a touchdown, but a penalty took the score away and backed the Tigers up to the 25-yard line. Union left its offense on the field, with Odum finding Daylyn Diston alone in the back of the end zone for a touchdown that counted. Edwards added the PAT, making the score 34-0.
Odum finished 2-of-3 for 28 yards, while the 25-yard touchdown was Daylyn Diston’s only catch.
A high kick on the ensuing kickoff hit the field and took a bounce before the Tigers’ Brycen Boney recovered the live ball at the Cocoa Beach 35. One play later, Thomas Williams went straight up the middle through a huge hole made by the offensive line for a touchdown on his only carry of the game to make the score 40-0. Another mishandled snap resulted in a failed PAT.
The Minutemen finally got something going on offense when Payton Ellis took the ball up the middle, breaking tackles as he made his way across midfield to the Union 43-yard line. On the next play, however, Westner was chased down and sacked by Dayviontae Thompson. Cocoa Beach eventually went for it on fourth-and-4, getting close to the first-down marker, but falling short, resulting in a turnover on downs at the Union 35.
Union began substituting second-string and junior varsity players into the game in the second quarter. Trenton Klein stepped in at quarterback and helped lead the Tigers down the field before he had a tipped pass intercepted by the Minutemen’s Liam Hastings.
Cocoa Beach’s success was short-lived, with Thomas Williams intercepting a pass on the next play and taking it into the end zone for a touchdown. Edwards kicked the extra point as the Tigers built a 47-0 lead.
Quarters were shortened to eight minutes in length in the second half, which was played with a running clock. Union continued subbing younger players in.
The final score occurred late in the third quarter, with Anthony Holmes taking a handoff and pounding out an 11-yard run into the end zone.
Union rushed for 313 yards, with Jay Williams gaining 73 yards on 11 carries and Klein gaining 47 on five carries.
