By CHARLIE HUST
Union County rolled into Dixon Friday night and flexed its muscle for the first win of the young season. And the Braves scalped the Trojans in dominating fashion, 47-7, including 41 straight points in the first half.
The Braves (1-1) offense scored the first two times it touched the football, the first coming on a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Davis Joiner to Stew Davis for a quick 7-0 lead. After three quicks plays and a punt from the Trojans, UCHS received a 59-yard TD run from Heath O’Nan. When Tim Pike booted the PAT, the Braves owned a 14-0 lead with 7:30 left in the first quarter.
A stunned Trojan squad never could muster any offense against the blitzing Union defense. WCHS did have some strong runs from running backs Travis Springfield and Zach Bruce. But most of the drives were halted with quarterback sacks and tackles in the backfield.
Webster managed just 55 total yards in the first half, only two yards on 18 carries in the rushing department. Meanwhile, the Braves erupted for 319 total yards, including another 66-yard scoring romp from O’Nan with 2:55 left in the opening quarter. The speedy halfback then slipped past the WCHS defense and was left wide open for a 34-yard TD pass from Joiner to close out the first period with a 34-0 bulge.
Webster’s biggest offensive drive of the first half started with a nifty 33-yard kickoff return from Peyton Bussell to the 41-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Dillon Baty added a 15-yard passing strike to Springfield and then rumbled nine yards to get close to the ‘red zone’. After a 10-yard loss on a running play, UC’s Stew Davis stepped in front of a Baty pass deep in the WCHS backfield and raced untouched 47 yards for the Braves’ fifth touchdown of the half. That stretched the lead to 41-0 at intermission.
Union began to substitute freely at the beginning of the second half as a ‘running clock’ ticked away. Jarrell Foster unleashed a 50-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to complete the UCHS scoring.
Webster (1-2) avoided the shutout late in the game on a 41-yard pass reception from Bussell and a two-yard touchdown run from Baty on a quarterback keeper. Ethan Drury tacked on the extra point to set the final score.
Things don’t get much easier for the Trojans this Friday as they travel to Ballard Memorial to take on an undefeated Bomber squad. BM’s high-octane offense has scored a total of 142 points while holding its three opponents to just 15 points, including consecutive shutouts of Fulton County (42-0) in week two and a ‘bombing’ of Todd County Central (54-0) last week.