By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–The official colors of the District 14A girls’ tennis tournament are still Purple and Gold.
For the fourth straight year, Union City claimed both the singles and doubles championships Tuesday and will send its Top 5 players on to Monday’s Region 7A Individual Tournament at Bethel University.
The Lady Tornadoes’ seasoned doubles team of Shelby Bondurant and Molly Kizer repeated their 2023 run to the district title by winning over teammates Dani and Davey Frankum 6-1, 7-5.
Freshman Emma Mobbs made it a UC sweep with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Greenfield’s Ginny Archie in the singles finals.
Mobbs, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, completed her magical run to the championship by knocking off the No. 2 ranked player after beating the top seed on Monday.
Showing great patience and persistence, she traded ground strokes with Archie throughout the match and was unflappable when things got tense. Mobbs ran off four consecutive games in the second set to help secure the triumph.
The duo of Bondurant and Kizer – state runners-up last season and now 34-12 the past two years in doubles play – won the first four games and the last three games of their match against the Frankum twins.
Dani and Davey put up a good fight in the second set, leading 5-4 with their trademark grittiness before the superior shot-making of Bondurant and Kizer eventually won out.
Monday’s regional matches that will determine state qualifiers are set to begin at 1 p.m. at Bethel.
Before that, the Union City girls will continue in postseason team play, hosting Scotts Hill for the Region 7A championship in a match that has been moved to Thursday at noon.
HIGH SCHOOL TRACK
UC piling up state berths
Day 1 of the West Sectionals was a good one for Union City’s two track teams as four Tornadoes qualified for the Spring Fling in the field events at Lakeland Preparatory School.
Several more UC athletes are in the running for state wildcard berths heading into Thursday’s running finals.
Debrionna Jones won the shot put and the discus – establishing new personal bests in the process – to earn a return trip to Murfreesboro. Ca’Lae Ervin, who’ll compete in the state pentathlon next week, secured an invite to the state high jump competition with a second-place finish in Tuesday’s sectionals.
For the UC boys, Keaten Brown punched his state ticket in both the shot and discus after making it in both events last year. Brown won the discus Tuesday and was second in the shot put.
Adrian Crawford took first place in both the high jump and triple jump to lock up state berths in both events. Crawford, who’ll first showcase his many talents in next week’s decathlon, established a new program record in winning the triple jump Tuesday with a leap of 43 feet, 5 inches.
Union City’s two 4X800 relay teams were third – the girls’ group of Bailey Wagoner, Blair McKinnis, Ada Rogers, and Jayla Turner – setting a school mark at 11:05 to retain wildcard hopes.
“It was a really good start for us,” UC head coach Wade Maddox said. “We have a handful of folks who finished third and can get in (the state) once the wildcards are determined.
“And we are seeded in the top two heading into Thursday, and I feel good about several of those events.”
Thursday’s running finals are set to begin at 1 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
Huntingdon 4, UC 3 (2 OT)
The Tornadoes saw their 2024 season end in heartbreaking fashion following a double-overtime loss in the District 12A semifinals at War Memorial Stadium.
UC concludes its campaign with a 7-4-3 record.
The Twisters held one-goal leads twice in the first OT before visiting Huntingdon erased those advantages, and then netted the game-winner at the 9:45 mark of the second extra session.
Joseph Lattus had a goal and assisted on Union City’s other two scores. KhaZarion Scates and Silverio Acevedo each found the net in overtime for the Tornadoes.
Goalie Ka’Jaylon Bell recorded 18 saves for UC.
Head coach Travis VanHooser heaped praise on his team’s strong effort after the disappointing defeat.
“I can’t say enough about our guys’ effort and toughness – not only tonight, but all season,” the Union City coach said. “Joseph Lattus came up huge tonight. Kha’Zarion Scates and Silverio Acevedo had big games as well, and their speed and determination really gave Huntingdon fits.
“Tonight’s loss was not due to a lack of effort. We had a couple of breaks not go our way and that was unlucky for us.”
The contest was the last in a UCHS uniform for seven seniors.
“This group of seniors will be extremely tough to replace,” VanHooser claimed. “It’s truly been an honor and a privilege to coach these young men. One of my greatest joys these past three years has been having a front-row seat and watching them grow as men.
“They are the definition of selflessness and always put the team first.”
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
South Fulton 7, UC 0
Union City was bumped to the loser’s bracket in the 14A district tournament and will play Lake County in an elimination game Thursday night at 6:30.
The Lady Tornadoes (10-14) had beaten SF twice during the regular season but could muster but three hits while being blanked by the Red Devils in a matchup pitting the No. 2 seed against the No. 3 seed.
Marlee Theobald and Kennedi Robinson had doubles for UC, which had only four baserunners in the contest.
Addison Carr was charged with the pitching loss after giving up six runs (five earned) in four innings. Mattie Smith did not allow a hit in three frames of relief.
The UC-LC winner Thursday will play a second elimination game immediately afterward against the SF-Dresden loser, with a berth in Friday’s championship round at stake.