Union hangs on
RIMERSBURG — A lot of the time, winning the turnover battle equals winning a football game.
Such was the case Friday night as Union caused three turnovers, including a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown, and the Golden Knights held on for a 16-14 win over visiting A-C Valley.
Brody Shick picked off a pass by the Falcons' Kevin Kaufman just before halftime and returned it 35 yards to paydirt in what proved to be the winning score.
“That interception couldn't have come at a better time,” Union coach Dave Louder said. “This is our first season-opening win since 2000 and the kids deserved it.”
A-C Valley outgained the Golden Knights in all offensive categories.
“The loss is frustrating, but I'm proud of these kids,” first-year Falcons coach Brad Dittman said. “They fought their butts off and what it came down to was execution and we didn't execute when we needed to.”
Union opened the game by putting together a 10-play, 61-yard drive that was capped by a Shick 1-yard touchdown plunge.
The Golden Knights did not execute a pass on the entire drive as Cody Kline did the majority of the ground work on the march, carrying the ball five times for 40 yards and Union chewed up 5:59 of game time.
Kline was Union's leading rusher with 66 yards on 16 carries.
Shick completed the two-point conversion pass to Kaden McGregor to give the Golden Knights an 8-0 edge.
A-C Valley answered the Union score on the ensuing drive. After a short squib kick gave the Falcons the ball at their own 42, A-C Valley put together a 12-play, 58-yard drive with Justin Rothen hauling in a 5-yard bootleg touchdown pass from Kaufman.
“We're really excited about our running game,” Dittman said. “Our kids really run hard and we've challenged our line and they've responded.”
Ryan Bartley pulled in the two-point conversion pass from Kaufman, knotting the score at 8-8.
Late in the second quarter, Union looked like it was going to put another score on the board as the Golden Knights drove to the A-C Valley 5-yard line, but the Falcons' defense stiffened with Chase Longo tackling Shick for a 4-yard loss.
Union decided to have Keenan Rankin attempt a 25-yard field goal, which he converted, but the Golden Knights were whistled for illegal procedure and Rankin missed the 30-yard attempt wide left with 1:54 left in the half.
The Falcons' momentum would be short-lived, however, when on the second play from scrimmage after the missed field goal, Kaufman attempted a pass over the middle that Shick stepped in front of and raced for a 35-yard score.
With another Shick-to-McGregor two-point conversion, the Golden Knights held a 16-8 edge.
Rothen set the Falcons up in good field position, returning a McGregor punt 18 yards to the Union 43. A-C Valley took advantage of the field position with Kaufman hitting Anthony Painter for a 28-yard gain and Suto scored a play later when he broke a pair of tackles for a 13-yard touchdown run.
The 2-point try failed.
