By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Seven Union City High School players have been named to the All-Region 7A football team.
Running back/defensive back Jacob Arnold and quarterback/linebacker Keaten Brown were joined by linemen Corban Avery and Jayce Rogers to give the Tornadoes four seniors on the glitter unit.
Juniors Kelan Roberson (linemen) and Tayehari Jones (running back/defensive back) and sophomore linebacker Aiden Reid also earned spots for UC, which finished second in the region behind Dresden and was awarded seven berths on the team.
Arnold – a two-time 1,000-yard rusher for the Purple and Gold – ran for 1,535 yards and 19 TDs in his senior season. He averaged 9.3 yards per carry at fullback. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game four times and twice went over 200, highlighted by a 204-yard effort against South Fulton in which he scored on four of his five carries. He also caught three passes for 40 yards.
Defensively, he ranked No. 2 on the tackle list with 53 total stops and a team-high three interceptions.
Brown, who also posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, scored a team-high 138 points on 23 touchdowns while running for 1,199 yards as the trigger man in UC’s triple-option attack. A durable and punishing runner with big-play capabilities, he posted a half-dozen 100-yard rushing games – including games against Dresden, Dyer County, and MASE – all of whom made it to at least the second round of the state playoffs.
He also completed 13 passes for 302 yards and a pair of scores.
Brown doubled as a dependable linebacker as a two-way starter for the Twisters. He finished third on the team in tackles with 50, including six for lost yardage.
Avery, Roberson, and Rogers made up three-fifths of a starting offensive line that produced 4,319 total yards and 499 points in Union City’s nine-win season that ended in the state quarterfinals.
They were especially efficient in producing more than 4,000 rushing yards and paving the way for the Tornadoes to average 8.4 yards per carry.
UC mercy ruled seven opponents and scored 48 or more points seven times.
Avery was a ferocious pass rusher defensively, too, recording a team-best eight sacks from his end spot. Roberson anchored the middle of the D-line and had six tackles behind the line among his 41 total stops, while Rogers was in on 10 tackles.
Jones was a big-play threat in all facets, with TDs rushing, on kickoff returns, punt returns, and on defense to account for 102 points overall. He averaged 10 yards per rush while running for 699 yards and 12 scores, and he also had four catches for 81 yards.
Jones had 25 tackles from his secondary post on defense.
Reid was the break-out star defensively for UC, far-and-away the team leader with 97 tackles at linebacker. He had 52 solo stops, five tackles for loss, three sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries, and an interception.
The complete team and list of superlatives are as follows:
ALL REGION 7-1A SUPERLATIVES
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Cameron Schlicht – Dresden
BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Calvin Mullins – Lake County
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Tristan Jett – Dresden
BEST LINEMAN: Luke Morris – South Fulton
KICKER OF THE YEAR: Paul Betzou – Dresden
COACH OF THE YEAR: Keith Hodge – Dresden
ALL REGION 7-2A TEAM
DRESDEN – Reese Bell, Jaqwan Ellison, Milo Pflueger, Nick Turnbow, Austin Barnes, Will Kibbler, Micah Wingate, Chris Mann
UNION CITY – Jacob Arnold, Keaten Brown, Corban Avery, Jayce Rogers, Aiden Reid, Kelan Roberson, Tayehari Jones
LAKE COUNTY – Karter Hays, Brady Smith, Neil Leinweber, Camden Chamberlain, Jeremy Ceasar, Chances Estes
SOUTH FULTON – Joseph Mathias, Tim Davis, Brady McFarland, Dallas Whitehead, Dane Cirkles
GLEASON – Kyzer Crochet, Drake Lovell, Aiden Legens, Gage Byington
GREENFIELD – Drake Ricketts, Cevon McMullin, Kinzer Pratt
HALLS – Ladarius Roberts, Kelvonta Taylor
HUMBOLDT – Stephon Shivers