By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City checked all the important boxes in its regular season finale.
The Golden Tornadoes clinched second place in Region 7-2A, a first-round home playoff game and will enter the postseason riding a three-game winning streak after blanking Halls 30-0 Friday night on the Tigers’ turf.
Now 6-4, assured of its eighth straight winning season and headed to the state playoffs for a 12th consecutive year, UC will host a familiar foe – Frederick Douglass of Memphis – for the third straight season in Round 1 next week.
The Red Devils, who lost their two previous postseason meetings to the Purple and Gold, will bring a 6-4 record into this year’s contest after finishing third in Region 8-2A.
Union City was both businesslike and methodical in ending Halls’ season Friday night.
Wes Tilghman ran for a pair of touchdowns and a two-point conversion behind another steady offensive line performance that produced its ninth 300-yard rushing game in 10 outings this season.
The Tornadoes controlled both the ball and time of possession, putting together trademark drives covering 10 plays to get on the scoreboard in the second quarter, then piecing together a 12-snap, seven-minute march to begin the third quarter and essentially put the game away while building their lead to 24-0.
Quarterback Sam Theobald went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark with 104 yards, a TD and a two-point play. Theobald’s numbers would’ve been even more impressive had he not had two more scores wiped away due to penalty.
Travon Westbrook accounted for UC’s other touchdown – the Tornadoes’ first of the game on a 10-yard run — and also caught a pair of Theobald passes for 48 yards.
Perhaps most telling, the Twisters had their third straight game with one or fewer turnovers.
And the UC defense did its part, recording its first shutout of the season while holding Halls to but 147 total yards and turning away a Tiger scoring threat inside the red zone just before the half.
Theobald had the best numbers of the unit with seven tackles, while Carson Corley was in on six stops and DJ Gray five. Tilghman came up with an interception.
Collectively, it was a performance that was pleasing to all – especially head coach Darren Bowling.
“We knew we had to take care of business coming into this game and we did,” Bowling said afterward. “Hats off to Halls, they showed up and played hard, rather than just mail it in when they knew they didn’t have a lot to play for other than pride. We always get people’s best and tonight was no different.
“I was concerned a little coming off the open date, if we’d lose any momentum after back-to-back good games against Dyersburg and McKenzie. Those bye weeks remind me a lot of homecoming, because you’re usually just ready to get them over with. And I don’t really like them, especially this late in the season, unless my team is dealing with injuries.
“But we were efficient offensively, except for the two touchdowns we had called back and the fumble on our first series when we were threatening. I’m really proud of the defense getting the shutout and I thought they played hard and got a key stop right there before halftime. We’ve gotten better the last couple of weeks and I hope the confidence we’ve gained from that and from getting the shutout tonight will carry over into next week and the playoffs.”
Fullback Justin Wiggins had to work hard for his 92 rushing yards, needing 24 carries to net that total. Wiggins will go into the postseason 1,603 yards for the year.
The Tornadoes were without the services of freshman kicker Miguel Sanchez, who suffered a season-ending knee injury while punting against McKenzie in Week 9. Sanchez had made 40 straight PATs, and his absence forced Union City to go for two-point conversions following each of its first three TDs and also hindered the team’s kickoff strategy.
UC now must prepare for an athletic foe in Douglass, which lost year’s meeting 49-13, but gave the Twisters fits in a 44-30 setback in a first round meeting in 2017 when Union City won the last of its four state championships.
“They’ve played us tough … two years ago, they really got after us,” Bowling added. “We know they’ll be athletic on offense, but they’ve really been physical defensively, too. Having seen them before helps us prepare some better for them, but they also know what we’re going to do, too.
“We’re about as healthy as we can be after 10 games. It’s tackle football and everybody is a little beat up and banged up this time of the year. A lot of times, it comes down to mental toughness, and I’ll never question our guys in that area. They know how to play the game the way it’s meant to be played and this is the time of the year when that shows.”
Kickoff for the Round 1 matchup is set for 7 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium.
Union City 30, Halls 0
Union City 0 16 8 6 — 30
Halls 0 0 0 0 — 0
UC — Travon Westbrook 10 run (Sam Theobald run). 8:00, 2nd
UC — Wes Tilghman 17 run (Westbrook run). 3:05, 2nd
UC — Theobald 4 run (Tilghman run). 4:58, 3rd
UC — Tilghman 11 run (kick failed). 10:29, 4th
UC H
Total Offense 380 147
Rush Att.-Yards 56-332 25-83
Comp.-Att.-Int 2-2-0 7-15-1
Passing Yards 48 64
First Downs 19 6
Punts-Avg. — 2-17.0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-0
Penalties-Yds. 6-40 1-10
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Union City — Sam Theobald 14-104, Justin Wiggins 24-92, Wes Tilghman 7-81, Travon Westbrook 6-49, Kyrell Littleton 4-8, Team 1-(-2). Halls — Dalton England 9-45, Joseph Meeks 14-38, Marc Parr 1-2, Team 1-(-2).
PASSING: Union City – Sam Theobald 2-2-0 – 48. Halls – Dalton England 7-15-1 – 64.
RECEIVING: Union City — Travon Westbrook 2-48. Halls — Marc Parr 3-25, Clydrell Foster 3-21, Hunter Benson 1-18.
RECORDS: Union City 6-4 (2-2); Halls 4-6 (0-5).
NEXT GAME: UC will host Frederick Douglass of Memphis (6-4) in Round 1 of the Class 2A playoffs, Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.
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