A good mix
Laurel (18) vs. Union (8)
Written: Aug 27, 2016
  The defense delivered Friday night for the Laurel High football team.
And Spencer Jones took care of the rest on the offensive side of the ball for the Spartans.
Laurel limited Union to just 65 total yards and three first downs, while Jones went over 100 yards rushing in an 18-8 season-opening non-league home win.
“I thought defensively we played very well,” Spartans coach Brian Cooper said. “I thought they played very consistently and tackled well — that was good to see.”
Jones amassed 125 rushing yards on 28 carries. He scored two touchdowns on runs of two yards and one yard.
“We knew he could be that workhorse for us and he really did that,” Cooper said. “He responded well and did exactly what we wanted. He fought hard for those extra yards and did a tremendous job.”
Jones had 15 carries for 78 yards and a score in the second half as he helped tire out the Scotties’ defense.
“Somebody was wearing us out in the second half,” veteran Union coach Stacy Robinson said. “I don’t know who it was, but they were wearing us out.”
Field position played a key role in Union’s offensive struggles in the first half. The Scotties had five first-half possessions and their average starting field position was inside the 20. Union’s first three drives started deep in its own end at the 6, 14 and 11.
“We were on our heels for most of the first half,” Robinson said. “We got ourselves in a hole with that first punt that we shouldn’t have fielded. It just took off from there.”
Despite the poor field position and only managing one first down and 12 total yards, the Scotties trailed just 6-0.
Union had a touchdown run called back because of a hold in the opening half.
“We had penalties in the first half that were costly,” Robinson said. “We weren’t functioning properly on all cylinders.
“It’s things that can be corrected, that’s for sure. I wasn’t happy with our offensive production at all.”
Laurel, though, missed out on golden opportunities in the opening half which could have led to a bigger advantage. The Spartans threw two interceptions in the first 12 minutes, while punting twice inside Union territory.
“I thought defensively we played well,” Cooper said of the first half. “I thought we had our chances offensively to make those big plays and we just didn’t convert.
“We took ourselves out of drives. I felt we really could have gained a lot of momentum early in the game.”
Cooper decided at halftime that the ground game was going to be key factor in the final 24 minutes.
“We weren’t panicking at halftime,” Cooper said. “I think the kids knew we could run the football.
“We wanted to come out in the second half and just pound it. That’s exactly what we did. We weren’t thinking about throwing the football, we were just going to run it. I think the kids responded well.”
Jesse Pacifico scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to put Laurel up 18-0 early in the fourth frame. But the Scotties made it a game again when Tre’von Charles returned the kickoff 80 yards for a score. Tyler Benedict converted the two-point attempt on a quarterback keeper to close to 18-8 with 10:47 to go.
“That will give us something to work on and preach about with special teams,” Cooper said. “One breakdown and it can turn the whole game around. We had control of the game and now they’re back in it and they have some momentum.”
Benedict, a 5-foot-11, 153-pound freshman quarterback/defensive back, played the final three quarters after starting quarterback Evan Pinkerton left the game with what Robinson believes to be an upper-body injury.
“That kind of put us behind the eight-ball and we had to adjust,” Robinson said. “I thought Benedict did a great job.
“He’s going to get more reps and he’s going to get better. If you’re not getting better you’re getting worse; he’ll definitely get better. Pinkerton’s loss was a big one. Evan just got tackled and landed wrong.”
Both teams were taking advantage of the opportunity to play a Week Zero game and were happy they did.
“The last couple of years you go right into league play and after week one you’re thinking you wish you would have done a couple of things a little differently,” Cooper said. “We know what we have to work on and get better at. I thought we did a lot of positive things. I thought we ran the ball extremely well.”
Said Robinson, “It’s the first game. It was a game to try and play ourselves into shape and get used to live contact for four quarters. We just didn’t perform well.
“The good news is we have a chance to open up section play next week. We need all the experience we can get. With our limited numbers it’s hard to practice and simulate live action. For the first week zero thing, I’m happy with it. We needed it.”
Laurel opens Midwestern Conference action at Mohawk at 7 p.m. Friday, while Union hosts Sto-Rox in a Big Seven Conference encounter, also at 7 p.m. Friday.
(Email: rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
UNION LAUREL
3 First downs 15
38 Yards Rushing 205
28 Yards Lost 17
10 Net Rushing 188
11 Passes Attempted 11
6 Passes Completed 3
0 Passes Intercepted 2
55 Yards Passing 48
65 Total Yards 236
2-2 Fumbles-Lost 3-0
6-34.8 Punts-Average 5-29.6
5-35 Penalties-Yards 7-75
UNION 0 0 0 8 — 8
LAUREL 6 0 6 6 — 18
Scoring plays
LAUREL — Spencer Jones, 2-yard run (kick failed).
LAUREL — Jones, 1-yard run (pass failed).
LAUREL — Jesse Pacifico, 11-yard run (kick failed).
UNION — Tre’von Charles, 80-yard kickoff return (Tyler Benedict run).
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