Union Pines came back down to earth on Friday after soaring to a 22-point game in their last game. They fell just short of the Southern Lee Cavaliers by a score of 26-23. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Vikings of the 40-21 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in October of 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Union Pines lost, don't look at Hayne Tobias. Despite the final result, he rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 59 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave Tobias a new career-high in rushing yards.
Johnnie Jones went supernova for Southern Lee, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Jones got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 83 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Robert Sims, who rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Union Pines' loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Southern Lee, with the victory, they broke their four-game losing streak and moved their record to 3-5.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Union Pines and Pinecrest are set to duel on Friday. Pinecrest will roll in looking for their fifth straight win, something Union Pines surely won't give up without a fight. As for Southern Lee, they will square off against Lee County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Southern Lee is facing Lee County at the right time seeing as Lee County is stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
