Union Academy couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They took a 21-17 hit to the loss column at the hands of the South Rowan Raiders. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Cardinals of the 36-22 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in August of 2023.
Union Academy lost on Friday despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Parker Frashier, who threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 35 yards. Kayden Crooke was Frashier's top target, picking up 89 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Union Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Miles McGinnis, Breshen Bennett, and Jordan Smith picked up one apiece.
South Rowan found their leader in underclassman Jayden Arthur, who rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Marshal Faw, who picked up 97 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Union Academy will take on Christ the King at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for South Rowan, they will be defending their home-field for the first time for the first time when they go up against South Stanly at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully South Rowan focused on turnovers this week as team gave up four on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
