Union’s second half surge puts away Tazewell
Tazewell (20) vs. Union (30)
Written: Nov 15, 2014
By GEORGE THWAITES
for the Daily Telegraph
BIG STONE GAP, Va. — Of all people, Travis Turner certainly knows that you never take a 5-5 playoff opponent lightly.
An explosive 34-yard scoring run by Union fullback Jake Barnett early in the fourth quarter got the Bears out of harm’s way for a 30-20 win over Tazewell in Friday’s frigid opening round of the VHSL 2A West playoffs at Bullitt Park.
Barnett, who gained all of his 65 yards in the second half, got the benefit of the Bulldogs’ justifiable focus on Union running back Braxton Bishop.
Bishop led the Bears (9-2) with 101 yards on 28 carries, including a 6-yard scoring run that put Union ahead 13-7 with 16 seconds remaining on the first-quarter clock.
While nicely scripted, Barnett’s big run wasn’t entirely a playbook sucker-punch.
“He did a lot of that on his own. He broke a couple of tackles. He’s a 215-pound kid that runs hard,” said Turner, whose squad found itself in a sub-freezing slugfest with Tazewell in part thanks to having coughed up three of four fumbles.
Earlier this season Union commemorated the 25th anniversary of the 1989 dual state titles won by Appalachia and Powell Valley. That Appy squad, which was coached by Turner’s father, Tom Turner, entered the postseason with a 5-5 record.
Tazewell third-year coach Shane Allen, who got his Bulldogs to their second playoff appearance since breaking an egregious losing streak, was unaware of that fact. But he could certainly appreciate it.
“I thought our kids played hard. We had a chance,” said Allen, whose team went ahead 20-16 on Nick Blankenship’s 14-yard scoring run with 10:08 showing in the third quarter.
The dark side was five interceptions thrown by Bulldogs quarterback Malik Davis, three of which came after Blankenship’s go-ahead TD.
“You’re not going to win games in the playoffs turning the ball over five times,” Allen said. “I think we left some points on the field.”
Union’s Raashaun Noaks, who initiated scoring with a 20-yard TD reception from Tanner Hall early in the first period, put the Bears back on top with his 10-yard scoring sweep with 3:54 remaining in the third quarter.
Placekicker Devon Simon, whose 32-yard field goal gave the Bears a 16-7 advantage with 1:45 remaining in the first half, staked his team to a 23-20 lead with the extra-point kick.
Blankenship was Tazewell’s most productive running back, churning out 96 yards on 15 carries. Davis passed for 129 yards, including a 7-yard scoring strike to Juwan Jordan that tied the game at 7 in the first quarter and a 26-yard TD throw to Jesse Mountain that cut Union’s lead to 16-14 with 7.5 seconds remaining before the half.
Union’s secondary probably deserved as much credit for the picks as Davis’ cold fingers. Bryce Spears led the Bears with two interceptions. Barnett had one that immediately nullified an earlier Union turnover. Austin Jessee and Noaks both came up with picks in the fourth quarter.
“They had a good game plan. We knew it was going to be a battle,” said Allen, who views programs like Union as inspiration for what he hopes to achieve at Tazewell.
“So many schools are disappearing in Southwest Virginia and we’re starting to pick up new rivalries. I look forward to maybe seeing (Union) again in the playoffs next year or on down the road,” he said.
at Bullitt Park
Tazewell..................7 7 6 0 — 20
Union...................13 3 7 7 — 30
First Quarter
U — Raashaun Noaks 20 pass from Tanner Hall (Devon Simon kick)
Taz — Juwan Jordan 7 pass from Malik Davis (Peyton Owens kick)
U — Braxton Bishop 6 run (pass failed)
Second Quarter
U — FG Simon 32
Taz — Jessee Mountain 26 pass from Davis (Owens kick)
Third Quarter
Taz — Nick Blankenship 14 run (kick blocked)
U — Noaks 10 run (Simon kick)
Fourth Quarter
U — Jake Barnett 34 run (Simon kick)
———
Team Statistics
Taz UN
First Downs 12 18
Rushes-Yards 20-115 52-298
Passing Yards 129 151
Total Offense 244 449
Comp-Att-Int 13-27-5 5-7-0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-3
Punts-Avg. 2-27.5 1-41
Penalties-Yards 1-10 2-10
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