By By Austin Bishop/EMG regional sports director
November 16, 2002
UNION A lot of things contributed to homestanding Union High School's 41-20 thumping of Enterprise-Lincoln in the first-round of the MHSAA Class 1A State football playoffs on Friday night.
Anthony Johnson rushing for 110 first-half yards and scoring three first-quarter touchdowns certainly didn't hurt.
Neither did the fact that Enterprise-Lincoln turned the ball over six times.
But UHS head football coach Brad Breland says it was a play on which Union was penalized that may have sent the biggest message to the visiting Yellow Jackets.
After Union scored its first touchdown midway through the first quarter, the homestanding Yellow Jackets kicked the ball off on a short pop up about 25 yards down the field. Just before the Enterprise-Lincoln player fielded the ball, he was knocked hard to the ground by a pair of Union players.
Union was called for interference on the play, but it was something that the Enterprise-Lincoln players couldn't get out of their minds.
The visitors would fumble away two of those pooch kicks later in the game, and wouldn't get a positive return on a kickoff until the game was out of reach in the third quarter.
The homestanding Yellowjackets scored on their second possession of the game, marching 62 yards on just five plays, as Johnson covered the last 18 with 8:13 left in the first quarter. Quincy Patrick's kick made it 7-0.
Johnson would break loose for three first-quarter touchdowns, each of them using his speed to escape from would be tacklers.
Union took over at its 50 following a short Enterprise punt and took just seven play to get into the endzone on a 33-yard run by Johnson. Patrick's boot made it 14-0 with 3:37 left in the first quarter.
After Enterprise fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, Union went up 21-0 on an 8-yard run by Johnson with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter. The drive covered 36 yards on seven plays.
Union's Derrick Harris picked off a pass in the second quarter and returned it 16 yards to the Enterprise 14 midway in the second quarter.
The home team went up 28-0 four plays later when quarterback Quincy Patrick lofted a fourth-down pass into the endzone that Harris gathered in for a 7-yard score.
The next drive was a good one for Enterprise, as they got a good kickoff return then moved 48 yards on eight plays with Gerard Vaughn scoring on a 5-yard run with 3:21 left in the half. Scott Sasser's kick made it 28-7, which is where the game stood at the half.
Enterprise fumbled away the second-half kick and three plays later Patrick raced in from 34 yards out to make it 34-7 with 10:52 left in the third quarter. The kick was short.
The last Union score came on its next possession, after recovering yet another Enterprise fumble.
The Yellowjackets marched 64 yards on eight plays with Ray Harper scoring on a 1-yard run with 6:29 left in the third quarter. Patrick's kick made it 41-7.
Enterprise scored 13 fourth-quarter points, with Chaise Raiford running in from six yards out with 11:54 left in the game and Vaughn scoring on a two-yard run.
The win was the eighth-straight for Union, moving its records to 9-3 on the season. UHS pays a visit to Lake next week. The Hornets beat Dexter 14-0.