Union football coach Brad Breland was plain and simple with his football team after a disappointing loss to Leake Central in the team’s pre-season jamboree.
Breland told his team they play like they practice.
It seems the Yellowjackets got the message.
The Yellowjackets reeled off 35 straight points and took a 42-21 win over Choctaw Central on Friday to open the season.
After a poor performance the week before, Breland said he saw a much better week of practice.
“I thought we came long way,” Breland said. “We had a much better week of practice and played like it. I thought we had three really good day, probably three of the best days we have had this fall and it showed on Friday night. Hopefully, they will understand that you have to practice hard if you plan on playing well on Friday night.”
Union got on the board to start the game as Colby Ferguson called his own number and scored on a 9-yard run with 8:35 left in the game. Henry Thornton booted the PAT and Union led 7-0.
Choctaw answered the score as Gerald Isom his Kashden Bell on a 40-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left to take the win. Graviel Velasco’s PAT was good to tie the score at 7-7.
That’s when Union got rolling on offense with three scores in the second quarter.
The first was a 30-yard run by Ferguson with 9:37 left in the second. The try for two failed and Union led 13-7.
The second was a 27-yard run by Kenyon Clay with 4:02 left in the half. Ferguson ran in the two-point conversion and Union led 21-7.
The third score of the second quarter came a few minutes later when Ferguson hit Jamarian Harmon on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 2:18 left in the half. Thornton booted the PAT and Unit led 28-7 at the half.
“We ran the ball a lot better,” Breland said. “The offensive line played really well, and I was proud of their effort. We blocked the inside zone better and moved the line of scrimmage. I thought we played pretty well up front. We have to get tougher and more physical and I thought we made some strides there. As a team, especially on defense, we have to play more physical. We made some strides there and that’s something we can feel better about.”
Union added two more straight scores to pen up the third as Ferguson hit Trevor Patchin on a 34-yard touchdown pass with 11:02 left in the third. Thornton’s PAT was good, and Union led 35-7.
Union’s last score came late in the third as Jaylon Buckley scored on an 8-yard run with 4:11 left in the third. Thornton booted the PAT and Union led 42-7.
Choctaw scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Isom scored on an 18-yard run with 10:03 left in the fourth to make the score 42-14. Isom then his Bell on a 22-yard touchdown pass with 4:38 for the final score. Velasco had both PATs for the Warriors.
The Yellowjackets had 474 yards of total offense with 308 yards rushing and 166 passing. Ferguson was 10-of-11 passing for 166 yards and two TDs and the senior running back rushed for 124 yards on 11 carries. Buckley had 121 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Peyton Posey led the Union defense with 8.5 tackles and had three tackles for loss. Kenyon Clay had five stops while Trevor Patchin and Jaheim Gill each had interceptions.
Choctaw had 299 yards of total offense with 246 yards passing and 53 yards rushing. Isom was 14-of-24 passing with two TDs and two interceptions. Isom also rushed 13 times for 50 yards.
