Union County has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Fort White Indians at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Union County had no problem doing just that on Friday. They blew past Hilliard 58-8 at home. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Union County had established a 43 point advantage.
Union County's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Drew Simmons, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and Trenton Klein, who threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Simmons was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 57 yards. Gavin Jenkins got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Fort White waltzed into two weeks ago's game with four straight wins but they left with five. They blew past Santa Fe, posting a 77-13 victory at home. Given Fort White's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 156th, while Santa Fe is ranked 475th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Fort White's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Dakota Fisher, who rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Jackson, who threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Their wins bumped Union County to 7-3 and Fort White to 9-1.
Everything came up roses for Union County against Fort White in their previous meeting back in November of 2020 as the team secured a 47-0 win. Does Union County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Fort White turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
