By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Rather than revenge, Union City was forced to endure a repeat.
Hoping to get payback for an earlier loss to unbeaten Dresden, the Golden Tornadoes instead saw their 2023 season end when the Lions also took the rematch 34-14 in the Class 1A quarterfinals Friday night.
The setback ended UC’s year with a 9-4 record and in the third round of the postseason for the second time in as many seasons.
Unlike in the first meeting, though, when the Lions kicked a walk-off field goal to win 31-28, there was no last-play drama the second time around.
Mr. Football finalist Cameron Schlicht and sidekick Tristan Jett again proved to be a lethal 1-2 punch to UC’s chances, leading Dresden to the game’s final 27 points after the Twisters had taken a 14-7 lead on Keaten Brown’s fourth-down sneak with three minutes to play in the first half.
Schlicht scored on a six-yard run 43 seconds before intermission to even the count and provided a dagger to the Tornadoes’ comeback hopes when he danced out of trouble and threw a nine-yard TD pass to Creed Melton on fourth down to give the Lions a 28-14 lead on the final play of the third period.
Jett, who repeatedly gashed the Union City defense on counter plays, had a touchdown run of 31 yards to give Dresden the lead for good halfway through the third stanza, then provided the final margin with a one-yard run into the endzone with 48 seconds to play to cap his 114-yard night.
UC head coach Nick Markle tipped his hat to Dresden’s two stars afterward.
“You don’t get to be a Mr. Football finalist by accident,” Markle said in reference to Schlicht. “His off script play there at the end of the third quarter just killed us. And that number-10 (Jett) is just a football player – on offense and defense.
“They had our number two times this year.”
The Tornadoes put up a strong fight, however, playing the state’s No. 2-ranked teams on even terms in the first half.
Tayehari Jones, who ran for a team-high 101 yards on 13 carries, darted over left tackle on a counter play for a 26-yard TD to draw the Purple and Gold even at 7-all. UC then recovered an ensuing onside kick and drove 44 yards in nine plays to take the lead when Brown went airborne to paydirt on a fourth-down sneak.
Jones had a strong 20-yard gainer after taking a lateral from Brown, breaking two tackles along the way to position the Twisters for the score.
The Tornado defense held up in the first half, too, limiting the Lions to just 100 total yards and setting up Union City’s first touchdown when Jacob Arnold picked off a Schlicht pass near midfield.
Brown racked up a unit-best 11 tackles. Deyton Buckley and Aiden Reid had eight stops each, while Kirben Thompson registered a half-dozen.
Things went downhill for the Purple and Gold starting early in the second half when Jones’ 68-yard TD sprint on an option pitch was called back due to a holding penalty. The Twisters then gave Dresden a short field via a poor punt, with Jett capitalizing after Schlicht tossed a 26-yard completion to Will Kibbler to put the Lions up 21-14.
Following a second three-and-out by UC, Dresden again took advantage of good field position and a pass interference call on 4th-and-12 to double their lead when Schlicht threw all the way across the field to Melton after extending the play to the right sideline.
“Having Tayehari’s touchdown called back was a momentum killer,” Markle continued. “That’s been an Achilles heel of ours. It’s something that’s happened to us several times this year and even last year in the playoffs. It’s just so deflating.
“When you get to this level of the postseason, you can’t make those types of mistakes. Give Dresden credit, they capitalized. It always comes down to who makes the most plays when teams are evenly matched, and they made more than we did tonight.”
The contest was the last in a UC uniform for seven seniors, including Brown, Arnold, Jayce Rogers, Corban Avery, Cohen Robinson, Luke Joslin, and Nijiel McIntyre.
“This is my first group, and I’m going to miss these seniors,” insisted Markle, who completed his fourth season at the Tornado helm. “I love them to death and am proud of them and who they are. They’ve helped set the standard and continue the tradition of Union City football.
“It really is hard in the present and promising in the future. We have a good core coming back next year. We’ll continue to cultivate and work hard in the weight room. We’ll get after it again next year.”
Dresden 34, Union City 14
Union City 0 14 0 0 — 14
Dresden 7 7 14 6 — 34
D — Will Kibbler 16 pass from Cameron Schlicht (Paul Betzou kick) 4:01, 1st
UC — Tayehari Jones 26 run (Marcos Landeros kick) 8:12, 2nd
UC — Keaten Brown 1 run (Landeros kick) 3:01, 2nd
D —Schlicht 6 run (Betzou kick) 0:43, 2nd
D —Tristan Jett 31 run (Betzou kick) 6:51, 3rd
D —Creed Melton 9 pass from Schlicht (Betzou kick) 0:00, 3rd
D —Jett 1 run (Betzou kick) 0:48, 4th
UC D
Total Offense 198 257
Rush Att.-Yards 35-198 33-203
Comp.-Att.-Int 0-6-0 7-10-1
Passing Yards 0 54
First Downs 10 15
Punts-Avg. 3-28.0 1-33
Fumbles-Lost 4-2 0-0
Penalties-Yds. 6-53 6-45
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Union City — Tayehari Jones 13-101, Keaten Brown 14-48, Jacob Arnold 7-28, Adrian Crawford 1-21. Dresden — Tristan Jett 12-114, Cameron Schlicht 21-89.
PASSING: Union City — Keaten Brown 0-6-0 – 0. Dresden — Cameron Schlicht 7-10-1 – 54.
RECEIVING: Union City — None. Dresden — Will Kibbler 2-42, Creed Melton 2-12, Nick Turnbow 2-(-1), Reese Bell 1-1.
RECORDS: Union City 9-4, Dresden 13-0.
NEXT GAME: Dresden plays at McKenzie Friday night, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Class 1A state semifinals.