By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Scheduling tough opponents is nothing new for the Union City High School football program. The next two seasons will be more of the same.
The Golden Tornadoes, who faced four foes this past season who either won or played in their respective state championship games, have locked in another challenging slate for both 2019 and 2020.
Highlighting that schedule is a trip through rugged Region 7-2A, a league that has produced the Class 2A state champion the last two years.
Reigning Double-A Titleist Trenton is among that circuit and will return a great majority of a squad next season that beat UC twice this year on the way to a 14-win campaign.
The resumption of two series -‑ one with perennial 4A power Dyersburg, the other vs. Lake County ‑- also dots the future Purple and Gold slate.
UC and D’burg were once consistent opponents, but last played in 1990. The Trojans, who have faced the Tornadoes occasionally in their annual preseason jamboree since then and have won 30 games combined the past three seasons and made the 4A quarterfinals twice, have a 29-20-3 edge in their series vs. Union City.
Lake County appears to be primed to challenge for its third state title in program history and is coming off back-to-back Class 1A semifinal appearances with more than 15 seniors returning next year. The Falcons have won a combined 23 games the past two seasons.
Union City does hold an all-time 29-13 series lead between the two.
Toss in the continuation of a series with Class 4A Jackson South Side, which went 10-2 last year and advanced to the state quarterfinals the year before, and the Tornadoes’ slate is again very formidable.
“We’ve never shied away from playing good teams and good programs,” said Union City head coach Darren Bowling, who has led the Twisters to four state championships and just completed his 11th season overall at the UCHS helm. “I believe quality competition makes you better, and I think it prepares you for the types of teams you’ll see in the postseason.
“Because of our success, scheduling has been a little difficult. I’m happy to be able to resume our program’s series against Lake County, and I believe Dyersburg – and the quality of program they have and have had – is a good addition to our schedule. Keeping Jackson South Side was good, too, as they’ve proven to be a good 4A program that’s on the rise.”
Martin Luther King and Booker T. Washington – both of Memphis – will round out the Tornadoes’ 10-game regular season slate. The two Shelby county entries will come to War Memorial Stadium in both 2019 and 2020, while the remainder of the schedule will play at UC one year with the Tornadoes traveling in the other.
In a departure from the past four years, the Golden Tornadoes will not be making long distance travel plans for a game that saw the program visit Gettysburg (PA), Charleston (SC), San Antonio (TX) and New Jersey recently.
Also gone from this year’s schedule are traditional Kentucky title contender Mayfield, Oakhaven and Trinity Christian Academy – the latter of which moved from Division I to the Division II school classification for private schools.
Bowling said he’d hoped to keep Mayfield on the schedule, but the Cardinals wanted to open the season against UC ‑ which they’d done the past two years – but the Twisters preferred a game later in the season and nothing could be worked out.
“I really like how this sets up for us,” the Union City coach concluded. “No doubt we’ll be tested regularly, with both our non-region games and Trenton and the rest of our league.
“Both Adamsville and McKenzie were hard-hit by injuries this year, and I expect them to be right back to where they’ve always been next season. Gibson County really emerged this year, and the proof of that is they were the only team to beat Trenton.”
“We’ll certainly be battle-tested if we can make it back to the playoffs.”
The Tornadoes have made it to the postseason in each of Bowling’s 11 years with the program, making it to at least the quarterfinals in seven of those seasons.
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