BY JADEE O’STEEN
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Union County High School’s football team held Northview to its lowest point total of the season, but the Tigers were held to three points in the first three quarters before eventually falling 21-11 to the host Chiefs in a Class 1R state-semifinal game on Dec. 2.
Northview, which had scored at least 34 points in every game, now advances to the Friday, Dec. 10, championship game against Hawthorne (11-0).
The Tigers (8-3) traveled 338 miles to the panhandle to face the undefeated Chiefs. Despite the distance, Tiger Nation showed up in force, with hundreds once again cheering their team on in its first Final-Four appearance in 12 years.
Union came up short of advancing to its first state-championship game since 2003, but
The Tigers came up short, but finished off a great season in which their only losses (prior to Northview) were to Class 1M state semifinalist University Christian and fellow 1R team Hawthorne.
Union’s defense showed it came to play early. After a couple of runs, Northview (13-0) had the ball at Union’s 1-yard line. The Tigers made a stand, keeping the Chiefs out of the end zone as part of a scoreless first quarter. Both teams were making plays and hitting mighty hard.
The Chiefs scored early in the second quarter of the game, thanks to a 32-yard run by Jamarkus Jefferson.
Union had an opportunity to put points on the board, but a fumble put the ball back in the Chiefs’ hands. but the ball ended up back in the Chiefs hands. Shortly afterward, Jefferson, who is the fourth-leading rusher in the state, scored on a 33-yard run to make it a 14-0 game.
The Tigers’ offense was struggling to make any yardage, with the Northview defense making it hard for Union to make any big gains.
Defensively, the Tigers got a big play when junior Dayquan Diston intercepted Chiefs quarterback Kaden Odom at his own 9-yard line.
After a couple of plays and some yardage, Union got down to the Northview 21-yard line before Jonathan Edwards was called to the field. He connected on a 38-yard field goal, making the score 14-3 with two minutes remaining in the first half.
Edwards had an awesome junior season. He was 46 of 47 on extra-point kicks, with the one miss the result of a block, and went 4 of 4 on field-goal attempts, including the kick against Northview.
With less than one minute in the half, Thomas Williams gave the Tigers another interception, taking the ball back to the Chiefs’ 40-yard line.
Williams, a junior, had quite an impressive season, entering the game with 47 tackles (second best on the team), one interception, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked punt.
Thanks to Edwards’ field goal and Williams’ interception, the Tigers went into halftime with some hope in their hearts and ready to turn the game around.
“We knew that we were playing a tough opponent, so getting into a position where we were only down by 11 gave us a lot of confidence,” Edwards said.
Neither team was able to score in the third quarter, but the Union defense did come up with its third turnover when it recovered a fumble.
Senior running back Rayvon Durant gave the Tigers their only touchdown, scoring on a 3-yard run with 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Tigers’ leading rusher entered the game having gained 1,483 yards on 180 carries for a 148 yards-per-game average.
Senior quarterback A.J. Cortese carried the ball into the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt, leaving a persistent Tigers team trailing by just three points — 14-11.
Northview responded with a 15-play, 59-yard scoring drive that consumed almost eight minutes and featured three successful fourth-down conversions. Jefferson, who touched the ball every play, scored on a 12-yard reception on fourth-and-7.
The Tigers had an incredible season, which started with a loss to University Christian and ended in the Final Four. The team will still have a lot of talent in 2023.
“Union County is always rooting for them,” senior defensive lineman Markus Strong said about the juniors who are set to lead the team next year.
After missing the 2021 season due to an ACL injury, Strong (prior to the Northview game) led the team in tackles with 48 and sacks with 10.5. He recovered two fumbles and caused three.
“We’ve had a season we will always remember,” said Strong, who has multiple Division-I offers. “It has meant a lot to me to play with that group of guys.”
Junior running back Jamez Jamison said he appreciates all of the experiences he shared with the seniors this season. Jamison will most likely fill the shoes of Durant in 2023.
“I look forward to seeing what lies ahead for the seniors,” Jamison said. “They inspire me to work harder.”
