In a game that was most likely for the Division 5-3A championship, the Enterprise Bulldogs made one more play than the Union Yellowjackets.
Enterprise got a 75-yard punt return with just over two minutes left to play to come from behind and take a 25-21 win over Union on Friday night.
Union falls to 2-5 on the season and 1-1 in 5-3A play. Enterprise improves to 7-0 on the season. Union will return to action this week as they travel to Forest.
For Union coach Jordan Wren, it was a tough loss after seeing his team play one of its better games of the season.
“I thought we played really well, well enough to win,” Wren said. “It just boils to if you get two more first downs the game is over with. If we make a tackle on the punt or catch a long pass, the game is over with. There were opportunities for plays to be made that would have made a difference in the game. You have to make those plays against great teams and we just fell short of that.”
Union got the ball to start the game and punted to the Bulldogs, who got the ball at the Union 28 after a 9-yard punt.
The Bulldogs then went seven plays and got a 32-yard field goal from Trace Roy with 5:47 left in the first quarter for an early 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs got the ball right back as they recovered an onside kick at the Union 47. The Bulldogs then went 11 plays and appeared headed in for a score when they fumbled Union 3 with 1:14 left in the first.
Union then went 97 yards in 11 plays, thanks to some big runs by Carlos Hickmon. Ky’Yon Harris capped off the drive with a two-yard run and Eli Jenkins kicked the PAT as Union took a 7-3 lead.
But Enterprise answered right back as they returned the ensuing kick 27 yards. Three plays laster, the Bulldogs scored on a 41-yard run with 6:10 left in the first half to retake the lead at 10-7.
Union responded with a six-play, 65-yard drive. Hickmon ripped off a 28-yard gainer and Clay hit Kaleb Casey for gainers of 14 and 21 yards. Harris capped off the drive with a 1-yard run with 2:50 left in the half. Jenkins kicked the PAT and Union led 14-10.
Enterprise drove deep right before the half with a 10-play drive but missed a 32-yard field goal before the half as the Yellowjackets led 14-10 at the half.
The scored stayed at 14-10 in the third quarter and Union went deep in the playbook as Harris threw back to Kenyon Clay for a 15-yard touchdown with 11:46 left in the game. The PAT by Jenkins was good and Union led 21-10.
But Enterprise answered with a six-play drive that was aided by a 47-yard pass play and completed with a 17-yard run with 8:44 left in the game to cut Union’s lead to 21-17.
The two teams traded punt and Union faced a third and 6 with 2:43 left in the game and Clay was sacked to force a punt. Clay then hit a booming punt and Enterprise’s Derryon Gray returned it 75 yards for a touchdown with 2:14 left in the game. The Bulldogs converted the two-point conversion to give Enterprise a 25-21 lead.
Union got the ball back but eventually turned the ball over on downs as Enterprise held on for the win.
Union had 233 yards of offense with 108 yards passing and 125 rushing. Clay was 5-of-15 passing for 83 yards while Ky’Yon Harris completed a 15-yard TD pass.
Carlos Hickmon led the Yellowjackets with 77 yards on 13 carries while Clay had 34 yards on 12 carries. Harris had 14 yards on four carries and two TDs. Kaleb Casey had 93 yards on five carries while Clay had one catch for 15 yards.
“They came out and stacked the box and said Kenyon wasn’t going to beat them,” Wren said. “They had a good game plan for him. So we took advantage of the passing game and got that extra backer out of the box. They adjusted so we adjusted and I thought we ran the ball really well from there. It was a back-and-forth game and could have gone either way.”
Tristan Wallace had another solid game with 7.5 tackles with two and a half tackles for loss. Eli Rigdon, Harris and A.J. Wilson each had five tackles while Cameron Pascal had 3.5 tackles. Carlos Hickmon and William Hughlett each had three tackles while Cameron Jackson and Nate Killen each had two tackles apiece.
“I thought Tristan played one of his best games of the season,” Wren said. “And I thought Carlos Hickmon had another good game and played well. Kenyon didn’t have his best game after he hurt his ankle again in the first quarter. But it was a game that we had several opportunities to win if we just make a play.”
