Last year, Union hammered Lake 28-7, battering the Hornets in one of their worst losses of the season.
The Hornets returned the favor this year.
Lake quarterback Brady McGee scored two touchdowns and had 220 yards of total offense as he led the Hornets to a 28-22 win over the rival Yellowjackets.
With the win, Lake improves to 8-1 on the season while Union falls to 6-3 overall. Union will host Philadelphia on Friday night for senior night while Lake will travel to Scott Central with a chance to host a home playoff game.
Lake coach Tate Hanna was all smiles after his team got the win over the Yellowjackets, who beat the Hornets 28-7 last year.
“I told the kids that if Lake is in the game in the fourth quarter, we have a chance to win,” Lake coach Tate Hanna said. “Our kids are tough and resilient and work their butts off every day at practice. I think it was who was going to outlast the other team. Both teams were taking big shots at the other team. I thought we left two touchdowns on the field in the first half and if we don’t do that, we’re not that worried about it in at the end.”
Union caught the first break in the game as they intercepted a McGee pass with 9:13 left in the first, putting the ball at the Lake 30. The Yellowjackets scored three plays later as Kenyon Clay scored on a 19-yard run with 7:59 left in the first quarter. Clay ran in the two-point conversion and Union led 8-0 early.
Lake drove deep in Union territory on its next drive but held the Hornets on downs.
The score stayed at 8-0 until midway through the second when Lake’s Zywon Ledbetter got loose on a 45-yard punt return to the Union 4. Two plays later, McGee scored on a 3-yard run with 6:18 left in the half. The PAT attempt was blocked and Union held an 8-6 lead.
After a punt by Union, the Hornets went 84 yards in eight plays. The big play on the drive was a 42-yard pass from McGee to Danarrious Hughes. McGee capped off the drive with an 11-yard run with 1:01 left in the half. The try for two failed and Lake led 12-8 at the half.
“We were just inconsistent all night,” Union coach Brad Breland said. “We were inconsistent with our execution, our effort, with everything. We are just having a hard time getting everybody on the same page. We have a very talented football team and it’s pretty disheartening when you don’t take what you do on the practice field to the game.”
The game got interesting late in the third quarter when the Yellowjackets finally got something going on offense. The Yellowjackets, behind the strong running of Jaylon Buckley, went 75 yards in nine plays. Quarterback Colby Ferguson finished off the drive with a 27-yard run with 1:16 left in the third. The try for two failed and Union led 14-12.
But Lake answered right back behind the strong running of McGee. The Hornets went 63 yards in 11 plays as Johnny Johnson scored on a 4-yard run on fourth down with 8:41 left in the game. McGee ran in the two-point conversion and Lake led 20-14.
“To be honest, I thought they wanted it a little bit more than we did,” Breland said. “They made the plays when they had to and we didn’t. It’s that simple, you have to make plays and they made more plays than we did.”
After swapping possessions, Union threatened Lake late in the fourth. Union got as deep as the Lake 6 and actually scored on a 9-yard reverse but the touchdown was overturned as the Yellowjackets were flagged for 12 players on the field. Ferguson then threw an interception that Hughes returned 89 yards for a touchdown with 2:36 left in the game. Johnson ran in the two-point conversion and Lake led 28-14.
Union added a late score as Ferguson scored on a 2-yard run with 1:24 left in the game. Ferguson added the two-point conversion and Lake led 28-22. McGee then recovered the onside kick attempt as Lake held on for the win.
McGee had 140 yards passing on 8-fo-16 attempts while he rushed for 80 yards on 21 carries. Johnny Johnson had 77 yards rushing on 23 carries.
Union outgained Lake 308-305 in the contest. Union had 268 yards rushing and 40 passing. Buckley led the Yellowjackets with 131 yards on 20 carries while Ferguson had 81 yards on 10 carries. Clay had 68 yards on nine carries.
