By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Thursday was a great day for Union City’s fall sports teams and athletes.
Wins in middle school football and softball, triumphs in high school golf and volleyball, and strong performances by cross country entries on both levels made for good news for all things Purple and Gold.
The following is a recap:
MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
UC 40, Hayti, Mo. 12
The Tornadoes remained unbeaten at 4-0 with their third consecutive home victory.
Union City scored in every quarter and was ahead 16-0 at halftime.
B.J. Boyd rushed for 225 yards and four touchdowns on just seven carries to pace the victors offensively. Caden LeCornu was a standout on both sides of the ball with a TD, a pair of two-point conversions on offense, and a team-best eight tackles (two for lost yards) on defense.
Ayden Puckett ran for 58 yards on four attempts, and Brayden Marshall completed a pair of passes for 36 yards and hooked up with Kinydee Taylor for a two-point conversion.
Puckett also had a strong night defensively, with four tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including a sack. Additionally, he pounced on a pair of onside kicks.
Boyd recorded six tackles and an interception, and Austin Powell and Jorge Escobar each registered three stops, including one for lost yards.
Union City will visit Lake County next Thursday for the first of two consecutive road games.
MIDDLE SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY
UC boys place 3rd at Ridgemont
Led by Top 10 finishes by Brody Fields (5th) and Madix Turner (6th), Union City’s boys posted a third-place finish among 15 teams in a two-mile race at Ridgemont School.
Fields came in at 13:07, while Turner was clocked at 13:20 to pace the Tornado contingent. Cooper Waggoner (14:35) was 18th, Jake Lattus (14:51) placed 23rd, and Nash Norsworthy finished 24th(14:52) among 63 participants.
Camden Watts (6th) and Stephen Herrell (9th) medaled for UC in the jayvee race. Walton Harder was 13th, and Will D. McKinnis was 15th in a field of 50 runners.
Hadlee Duncan (15:35) posted a Top 10 finish for the Tornado girls, while teammate Chloe Baumgardner was 25th at 18:21. The field was made up of 53 runners.
Union City will participate at Huntingdon on Monday.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SOFTBALL
UC 14, Dresden 6
The Lady Tornadoes erupted for nine runs in the fourth inning to erase a slim deficit and improve to 5-7 on the season.
Sophie Palmer and Amanda McPhearson carried the big sticks for UC, each going 3-for-4 to pace a 14-hit attack. Palmer doubled twice, drove in three runs, and scored two times, while McPhearson tallied three runs.
Averi Riley had two hits and a pair of RBIs, and Sadie Gregg and Annie Beth Cruce each went 2-for-3. Maddie Steward drove in two runs.
Austyn Dilday picked up the pitching win with three strikeouts in five innings.
Union City will play at Henry County on Monday, then is set to celebrate 8th Grade Night on Tuesday vs. Ridgemont.
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF
UC 168, Peabody 198
Brody Riley claimed medalist honors with a 36 and teammate Gavin McGuire carded a 38 as the Tornado boys breezed by host Trenton by 30 strokes.
Copeland Chism shot 45, while Finn Frankum and Logan Vincent finished at 46 for the Twisters.
Alli Kate Frilling registered a 49, while Carley Frilling and Chloe Norton came in with 57s.
UC will play Obion Central at Wynridge Greens in Troy on Tuesday.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
UC 3, Lake Co. 3
Union City got back in the win column, completing a season sweep of the Lady Falcons at Tiptonville.
The Lady Twisters triumphed 25-10, 25-15, and 25-3 to improve to 5-2 on the year.
Clare Atwill had seven service aces and seven digs for UC, while Brianna McBride also had seven aces and five kills. Addison Carr was credited with 10 assists, and Madi Theobald had six aces and three assists.
Ca’Lae Ervin had five aces, contributing to the Tornadoes’ team total of 29.
Head coach Jessica Graham gave jayvee players Kumya Liphford, Blythe Ogden, and Crickett Washburn extensive playing time in the varsity match and lauded the trio for a solid contribution in the win.
Union City hosts Trenton on Monday.
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY
UC trio medals at Lexington
Ainsley Sadler (17th) and Ainsley Beard (20th) finished in the Top 20 to medal for Union City at the Lexington Tiger Run.
Sadler posted a time of 24:30, while Beard finished at 24:53 in the 5K race. There were 120 girls representing 27 schools in the field.
Rushdon Howell (19:12) earned a medal for the UC boys with a 20th-place effort.
Woodrow McKinnis placed 27th, Andrew Beard was 44th, and Wrigley Harder was 106th in a huge group of 196 participants.
Union City runners will be back in action again on Tuesday at Huntingdon.