By CHARLIE HUST
A powerful Union County running attack was more than the Trojans could handle Friday night as the Braves rolled to an impressive 50-20 victory in Morganfield.
UCHS (1-1) rushed for 277 yards in the first half alone for a commanding 43-12 lead at intermission. The Braves offense went into cruise control for the rest of the game, while the UC defense held Webster to just 21 yards on 23 carries in the opening two quarters.
The contest looked to be a tight one in the opening period as the Braves drew first blood, scoring on their first possession. Dontae Smith completed the 62-yard scoring drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to give Union a 6-0 lead with 8:52 on the clock. Smith had two touchdowns in the first half and finished with 60 yards. Braves quarterback Davis Joiner led the offense with three TD’s on 107 yards rushing.
Webster looked strong on its first offensive possession, racing 54 yards in seven plays to the end zone. After a nice 27-yard kickoff return by Chance Cook to the 46, Webster got a six-yard gainer from junior quarterback Dillon Baty, followed by a 14-yard sprint from Cook to the UCHS 34.
The Braves’ defense stiffened a bit and forced a fourth-and-six for the Trojans. Head coach Mike Whitaker rolled the dice electing not to punt and go for the first down. The strategy worked as Baty drilled Cook with a pass all the way to the 13. Two plays later, Baty hit Jamon Warren with a 14-yard TD strike to tie the game at 6-6 with 5:41 to go in the opening stanza.
Union County’s high-octane offense then reeled off 23 straight points to earn a 29-6 lead.
Webster scored its second touchdown of the game at the 5:19 mark of the second quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 60-yard pass play from Baty to Warren. A Union County defender actually tipped the under-thrown pass, but the talented Warren grabbed the ball off the defender’s shoulder pad and raced to the Union 24-yard line. Chance Cook took over from there, powering his way to the five with an impressive second-effort surge through three UCHS defenders. He capped off the drive on the next play with the touchdown.
But the Braves kept the running game going and enjoyed the 31 point bulge at halftime.
Webster picked up its final touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard pass from Baty to Warren. Baty tacked on the two-point conversion run to set the final score.
Cook led the Trojans attack with 88 yards rushing on 13 carries. James Logsdon added 21 yards, all in the second half.
Webster (1-2) will looking for its second win of the season Friday night, hosting Ballard Memorial in the annual WCHS Hall of Fame Bowl.
The Bombers are off to a very impressive 3-0 start, “bombing” their first three opponents (McLean County, Fulton City, Todd County Central) by a combined score of 92-18. Ballard didn’t allow more than one touchdown in any of the three victories.