By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City stuffed a would-be tying two-point conversion in the final minute to hold off Paris Inman 14-12 in a thrilling season-opening football triumph for the middle school Tornadoes Tuesday night.
The result made a winner out of Josh Keown in his first game as head coach of the UCMS program.
BJ Boyd ran for 158 yards and a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to pace the Tornadoes offensively. Caden LeCornu, who tacked on 21 yards rushing and a critical two-point play, was a stalwart on defense with a team-high eight tackles – four of those for lost yards. The biggest of LeCornu’s hits came on the game-deciding two-point conversion.
Camron Beeler made three stops behind the line of scrimmage, as did Ayden Puckett, who also came up with a fumble recovery. Boyd was credited with four tackles, and both Lucas Riley and Brayden Marshall had takedowns for losses for a Union City defensive unit that made a dozen stops in all totaled for lost yards.
UCMS will compete with the high school Tornadoes against Covington Friday night in the third annual Purple and Gold Jamboree at Covington.
The middle school squad will play its first home game next Thursday (Aug. 22), hosting Dyersburg in what was originally scheduled as an away game.
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY
Four UC runners medal in jamboree
Woodrow McKinnis placed fourth overall among a field of 94 boys at Dresden Tuesday as Union City continued to show signs of promise in its final exhibition before the season begins next week.
McKinnis ran the 2.5-mile course in 14:10. Teammate Rushdon Howell was 12th and also medaled after being clocked at 15:10.
Freshmen Ainsley Sadler and Ainsley Beard had Top 12 finishes among 58 girls to earn medals.
Sadler was eighth overall with a time of 18:56, while Beard came in 12th at 19:13.
There were 17 teams to compete.
Union City will officially open its season with a meet in Milan next Tuesday.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SOFTBALL
Dresden 8, UC 6
The host Lady Lions broke a 6-all deadlock with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to spoil Union City’s first outing of the season.
There were plenty of bright spots, though, for the Twister girls, who outhit Dresden 10-6.
Sixth-grader Austyn Dilday doubled, singled, and drove in three runs for the Purple and Gold.
Sophie Palmer and Sadie Gregg each went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Annie Beth Cruce had a pair of hits and scored a run.
Dilday went the distance in the pitching circle, striking out three.
Union City will play at Lake Road on Thursday at 5 p.m. and will then participate in the Hickman County Invitational on Saturday.