By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Effort wasn’t Union City’s problem against third-ranked Peabody Friday night.
A dwindling injury-riddled roster and ill-timed mistakes were.
The Golden Tornadoes showed grit in giving themselves a chance against the unbeaten Tide, but couldn’t overcome glaring shortcomings in what was eventually a 28-7 Region 7-2A loss at Walter Kilzer Stadium.
The setback dropped the Twisters to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in league play with top-rated Milan next up on the schedule at home.
Riddled by the loss of several two-way regulars due to various ailments since the beginning of the season, UC lost another key player (Rodney Jenkins) early in the contest vs. Trenton. With limited options for a replacement, the Tornadoes still were both competitive and within striking distance – both at halftime and late in the third quarter.
After an interception on their initial second-half drive which Peabody turned into a quick touchdown, back-to-back high snaps that went for minus-19 yards when Union City was threatening at the Tide 12, down 21-7 though, proved to be a back-breaker for the Purple and Gold.
With the help of the ill-timed mistakes, Trenton took over and salted the game away with a 13-play scoring drive that culminated in a touchdown halfway through the final stanza.
“My heart just breaks for these guys,” UC head coach Nick Markle said afterward. “They want to win so bad for themselves and each other, and we’re trying everything we can. We just can’t catch a break.
“We’re just so limited with what we can do because of all the injuries. And good teams exploit the youth and inexperience we’ve had to go with because of those injuries. When you couple that with some of the mistakes we’re making, it’s a real challenge to overcome.
“My kids are fighters, though. I told them at the half, they were warriors – especially our senior group. We’ve got kids like Cohen Wood, Deyton Buckley, Kirben Thompson, and Adrian Crawford – they’re giving us everything they’ve got.”
UC’s defense stood up to a solid Tide attack, forcing three first-half turnovers, and getting a dozen tackles from Buckley at linebacker. Jenkins and Khazarion Scates had fumble recoveries, and freshman Kinydee Taylor snagged an endzone interception for a Twister unit that also got a half-dozen tackles from Andre Small, who returned from last week’s knee injury.
Crawford and freshman Cameron Beeler each were in on five stops, with Crawford forcing a fumble.
Another Tornado senior – Kirben Thompson – returned after missing the last four games with a foot injury to provide the bulk of Union City’s limited offense.
Thompson stepped in at quarterback and ran for 69 of his team’s 104 rushing yards on 13 carries, including a one-yard, fourth-down TD just before intermission that made it 14-7. Wood, who moved into a backfield role from his usual starting lineman position, had a big 11-yard run on the scoring drive on an inside reverse that moved the chains.
UC was moving again, down 21-7 in the third quarter, thanks to a handful of tough, physical runs by Thompson. The Tornadoes’ legitimate hopes died after they’d gotten inside the red zone, however, after the two high exchanges that resulted in fumbles and big losses.
“Any mistake is magnified when your margin for error is small,” Markle added. “You just can’t have negative plays anytime – but especially when you’re positioned to score.”
“We’re obviously a little handcuffed right now, personnel-wise. Our kids are giving us what they’ve got, though, and there’s no quit in them. And our staff is working tirelessly to come up with things that give us the best chance to have some success.
“None of that will change…no matter who is available. Sitting on the sideline is the easy way out. Our guys want to play, I believe, and are doing everything they can.”
Kickoff for UC-Milan is set for 7 p.m.
Peabody 28, Union City 7
Union City 0 7 0 0 — 7
Peabody 14 0 0 7 — 28
P — Jayden Jennings 16 run (Desmond Griffin kick). 3:24, 1st
P — Edward Agnew 54 pass from Jonah Smith (Griffin kick). 0:19, 1st
UC — Kirben Thompson 1 run (Alex Landeros kick). 1:12, 2nd
P — JaMarcus Haynes 64 run (Griffin kick). 8:38, 3rd
P — Agnew 2 run (Griffin kick). 5:46, 4th
UC P
Total Offense 111 359
Rush Att.-Yards 40-104 35-278
Comp.-Att.-Int. 1-5-2 5-8-1
Passing yards 7 81
First Downs 8 18
Punts-Avg. 5-35.0 1-48
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 3-2
Penalties-Yds. 2-27 6-42
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Union City — Kirben Thompson 13-69, Adrian Crawford 15-22, Cohen Wood 2-16, Logan Puckett 4-10, Rodney Jenkins 4-6, Team 2-(-19). Peabody — Jayden Jennings 20-168, JaMarcus Haynes 3-86, Edward Agnew 8-27, Jonah Smith 1-7, Team 3-(-10).
PASSING: Union City — Kirben Thompson 1-4-1—7, Adrian Crawford 0-1-1—0. Peabody — Jonah Smith 5-8-1—81.
RECEIVING: Union City — Khazarion Scates 1-7. Peabody— La’Tavean Cannon 2-14, Edward Agnew 1-54, Jayden Jennins 1-11, JaMarcus Haynes 1-2.
RECORDS: UC 2-4 (1-1); Peabody 6-0 (3-0).
NEXT GAME: UC hosts top-ranked Milan next Friday night at 7 p.m.