Union Knights Football Team

Compiled by: Cheyne Reiter

Week #2 saw the Knights bury the Independence Mustangs 57-0, in large part because the Knights had no turnovers while racking up 549 yards of total offense (a new Union record). The Knights avoided a sluggish start as senior halfback Wes Burnside cut loose for 286 yards and four Knight touchdowns while Hunter Zempel racked up three touchdowns of his own. The victory gave the Knights two non-district wins as they now head into district play.

Union sits at 2-0 (0-0) as they begin district play tomorrow night, while they face Center Point-Urbana 0-2 (0-0), a squad heading in the opposite direction and maybe still searching for their identity. The Stormin' Pointers suffered a 41-7 defeat by a sound 2A team in Dyersville, Beckman last week, and in Week #1 they were trounced by Williamsburg 34-7. Let's have a look at tomorrow nights match-up.

Last year's result: Union 49 Center Point-Urbana 7

CP-U Outlook:

From an offensive standpoint, there isn't much to look at when you check the statistics from the Stormin' Pointers first two games. Last week, they rushed for a mere 45 yards with junior Brandon Roseberry leading the way at 28 yards on 11 carries. If they don't develop the run game, that could lead to big trouble. Senior QB Sebastian Hollandsworth has struggled in his first two games as he is just 7-29 for 96 yards. Not to mention he has a 1 to 5 touchdown to interception ratio. A limited passing game may lead to the Knights stacking the box and ultimately shutting down the CP-U offense. In last years contest vs. Union, CP-U only racked up only 121 yards of total offense.

Union Outlook:

After opening the season with a tough match-up in Decorah, the Knights breezed by the Mustangs in week #2. Union rediscovered last years potent offense while also pitching a shutout versus Independence. The Knights also punted a total of zero times, a formula that may spell doom for the Stormin' Pointers. I don't expect to see Union's offense slow down much, especially after totaling 354 yards last year against CP-U. The Wes 'Express' ignited the Union "O" last year with 167 yards and four touchdowns while QB Trev Hadachek also scored two rushing touchdowns.

Final Prediction:

Union boasts the #6 offense in 3A scoring 38.5 points per game while also sporting the #6 scoring defense at just 8.5 points per game. Meanwhile, CP-U has been outscored 71-14 in their first two games combined. I spoke with a few Union players on their main goal for Friday night and the message was pretty simple, "We want shutouts." I'll take their word for it -- Union wins it 47-0 and will head into a showdown with Central Dewitt next week.