After Friday night’s game against Lone Oak, some would have shook their head in disappointment at the score while others would just shrug and say, “next time,” but for the Braves, their 14-48 loss wasn’t that bad compared to last year’s loss against the same team.
Lone Oak managed to defeat Union 51-0 Last year, but after losing several seniors to graduation, Lone Oak looked to be a on the same playing field as Union. Lone Oak, however, proved to still be a powerhouse.
Since their first two scrimmages, the Braves offense has improved, according to offensive line coach, Derek Johns. What hurt the Braves was the fact that they couldn’t keep Lone Oak from getting the passes.
“Our problem was that we couldn’t stop the passes,” Coach Johns said. “After getting offense straightened out, defense started showing signs of having problems and because of it, Lone Oak won.”
Rushing, Union County had 44 carries for 241 yards while Lone Oak had 17 for 222. Scoring first, Lone Oak put pressure on the Braves who were struggling to get their defense in order. Not long after, Jordan Robison threw a pass to sophomore Devin Foster for a touch down. Going for a two-point conversion, the Braves were unable to succeed, leaving Lone Oak with an ever-widening lead.
It was in the fourth quarter that the Braves were able to score one more touchdown. Justin Price, a junior, received a pass from Robison and was able to make it to the end zone. The Braves sat up for another two-point conversion, which worked the second time around as Tyler Cullen scored. It wasn’t enough though to put the Braves ahead of Lone Oak as the clock ran the seconds off, ending the game.
Passing, Robinson who is a junior, completed five out 15 passes for 85 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. Lone Oak was able to complete 13 out of 27 passes for 241 yards.
Cullen, a wide receiver for the Braves, had six carries for 84 yards while Foster, a junior running back, had 11 carries for 89 yards. While Lone Oak had 17 first downs, Union had 16 with four penalties for 40 yards. Lone Oak had two penalties for 15 yards.
The Braves will travel to Ohio County next Friday where Coach Johns hopes to see a better turnout. Last year, Ohio County was able to defeat the Braves by one point (21-20) and this year, Johns thinks that the Braves will be able to beat them.
“I think that we’re a better team than Ohio County,” he said. “With them only beating us by one point last year, the coaching staff expects it to go differently this year. Our offense has improved and now defense is struggling but if we can get our team to play one whole solid game, it would set the rest of the season.”
The game will start at 7:30 Friday night and everyone is encouraged to attend and help support the Braves.
