By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–In a league that produced the Class 2A state champions, Union City had its share of standout performers.
Tornado quarterback Wes Tilghman was named Best Offensive Player and UC teammate Neil Brown was voted Best Lineman in balloting by Region 7 coaches.
Union City had five other players chosen to the all-league team, including running back Travon Westbrook, offensive lineman Carter Bondurant, linebacker Gage Smith, offensive lineman/linebacker Hayden Kennedy and kicker Miguel Sanchez.
Tilghman accounted for nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards for the Golden Tornadoes this past season, including 1,447 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns while averaging 8.9 yards-per-carry. He led UC with 20 TDs in all, totaling 120 points.
He also shined as a kick returner and in the secondary on defense for a UC squad that went 6-5 and made it to the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs.
Brown was a four-year starter at tackle who anchored both the offensive and defensive lines for the Purple and Gold. He helped pave the way for UC to average 295 yards rushing per-game and more than 320 in all.
Defensively, he drew extra attention from opposing lines at end, but was still a noted pass rusher and run stopper while ranking seventh on the team in total tackles.
Westbrook, another senior, was a load at fullback and rushed for 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns on 209 carries. He also shined defensively as the No. 2 tackler for the Twisters with 49 stops that included five behind the line of scrimmage.
Bondurant at center and Kennedy at guard were also members of Union City’s offensive line that at times dominated in 2020. Six times the Tornadoes gained 300 or more yards against an opponent, topped by a 505-yard effort against McKenzie.
Kennedy was also sixth on the team in tackles at linebacker and also had a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception returned for a TD.
Smith led UC in total stops despite missing a handful of games due to injury. He racked up 54 tackles, including five for lost yardage, and tied for second on the team in sacks.
Sanchez gave the Twisters a legitimate special teams scoring threat. He made 34 PATs for the season, hitting all but one of his attempts. Sanchez also booted a pair of field goals and improved gradually on kickoffs as the year progress.
Bondurant is a junior, while Kennedy, Smith and Sanchez are all sophomores for Union City. Tilghman, Brown and Westbrooks are seniors.
Peabody, which won its third consecutive Class 2A state championship over the weekend, had a league-high seven selections to the All-Region squad.
The Tide also dominated the superlatives list with region Most Valuable Player Khalik Ganaway, Best Defensive Player London Burkett, Kicker of the Year Isaiah Hicks and Coach of the Year Shane Jacobs.
ALL REGION 7-2A SUPERLATIVES
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Khalik Ganaway — Peabody
BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Wes Tilghman — Union City
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: London Burkett — Peabody
BEST LINEMAN: Neil Brown — Union City
KICKER OF THE YEAR: Isaiah Hicks — Peabody
COACH OF THE YEAR: Shane Jacobs — Peabody
ALL REGION 7-2A TEAM
TRENTON — Shelton Hopkins, Malik Ganaway, Blake Minnis, Carson Vandiver, Conner Meadows, Drequan Vaughn, Jason Baskerville
McKENZIE — Logan Lyles, Chris Barnett, Will Latimore, Marquez Taylor, Rashad McCreary, Jackson Cassidy
UNION CITY — Travon Westbook, Carter Bondurant, Miguel Sanchez, Gage Smith, Hayden Kennedy
ADAMSVILLE — Lathan Morris, Tucker Johnson, Chaz Sanders, Jacob Bowles, Colton Howard
GIBSON COUNTY — Ethan Ward, Trey Baker
HALLS — Ciydrell Foster, Logan Rogers