Union finishes in fine fashion to beat Tumwater

As Rory Rosenbach and his staff stated to the Union Titans in their postgame celebration huddle, they had a championship drive, and a championship defensive stand Friday night.

All in the final series. All when it mattered most.

“We all rallied back as a team,” quarterback Lincoln Victor said. “The amount of focus in that last drive both offense and defense, is what we had, and we all came together and that’s what I love about this game. That’s what it’s all about.”

Friday’s 33-29 victory over the Tumwater Thunderbirds at McKenzie Stadium sure felt more than just another nonleague victory, but it was a type of win the Titans (3-1 overall) felt like they needed going into 4A Greater St. Helens League play next week.

Especially what they accomplished the final 2 minutes, 4 seconds.

That’s because Union stared at a three-point deficit with 2:04 to play when the Class 2A T-Birds, a program that doesn’t back down from scheduling tough opponents for their nonleague slate, grabbed a 29-26 lead on Dylan Paine’s 4-yard touchdown run for Tumwater’s fourth lead of the game.

That’s when Union’s 2-minute offense kicked it into high gear: 44 seconds, to be exact.

Four plays, and 69 yards later, Victor found Alishawan Taylor over the middle for a 24-yard touchdown catch and run for a 33-29 lead after the successful point-after try. The play wasn’t designed for him, Victor said, but it worked just fine anyway.

Then, the defense did its job.

Tumwater marched 45 yards in eight plays to get down to the 3-yard line with 1.9 seconds left, and it was Chase’s interception in the end zone that sealed it — his second of the game. Union’s coaches stressed to the defense to watch the run. Tumwater’s wing-T ground attack was carried by Paine, who had a game-high 141 yards on 27 carries and two scores.

But the T-Birds went to the right-corner of the end zone, picked off by Chase, who also had four catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns of 20 and 15 yards.

What did the Titans learn most from a game — and an ending like Friday?

Finishing, Chase said.

“If we can finish like that every game,” said Chase, “I think we’ll be just fine.”

—

UNION 33, TUMWATER 29

Tumwater 6 9 0 14–29

Union 0 13 14 7–33

First quarter

T — Dylan Paine 1 run (conversion failed)

Second quarter

U — Jojo Siofele 1 run (kick failed)

T — Thomas Drayton 19 pass from Elias Polito (kick failed)

U — Darien Chase 20 pass from Lincoln Victor (kick good)

T — Nathan Seaman 42 FG

Third quarter

U — Victor 20 run (run failed)

U — Chase 15 pass from Victor (kick good)

Fourth quarter

T — Connor Clark 21 pass from Polito (conversion failed)

T — Paine 4 run (Paine run)

U — Alishawuan Taylor 24 pass from Victor (kick good)

Individual stats

RUSHING — Union: Lincoln Victor 6-79; Elijah Jones 2-12; Jojo Siofele 11-64; Tumwater: Dylan Paine 28-143; Dylan Mooers 3-18; Connor Clark 6-9; Zane Murphy 8-47; Raushaun Tate 1-4.

PASSING — Union: Lincoln Victor 11-25-1-160; Elias Polito 7-14-1-77.

RECEIVING — Union: Darien Chase 4-73; Alishawuan Taylor 2-38; Dustin Nettles 1-28; Aiden Nellor 1-6; Jojo Siofele 2-21; Braedon Ensley 2-12; Tumwater: Thomas Drayton 1-25; Connor Clark 2-26; Zane Murphy 1-5.