The Union County Panthers''s game last Friday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 42-28 win over East Jackson. The score was all tied up 21-21 at the break, but Union County was the (much) better team in the second half.
Leading Union County to victory were Caiden Tanner and Braylen Rader. Tanner threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes, while Rader gained 235 total yards and three touchdowns. Union County also got help from Ethan McBride who showed off his sure hands for 156 receiving yards.
The team's defense also helped out by holding East Jackson to a paltry 238 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Union County's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out three times before it was all said and done. Leading the way was Seth Rutan and his two sacks.
East Jackson's lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Drew Richardson, who threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Talan Jackson, who picked up 64 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Union County is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. As for East Jackson, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 6-3.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Union County will take on Athens Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Georgia (Athens Academy is ranked 127th, while Union County is ranked 140th). As for East Jackson, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Providence Christian Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
