David Grooms
Troy Pride escapes a Union County player to score on a 3-yard touchdown pass play from Mario Cusano.
David Grooms
A Union County receiver gets behind Greer's defense.
David Grooms
Dorian Lindsay (12) tries to escape the grasp of a Union County defender.
David Grooms
Mario Cusano threw for three touchdowns and was intercepted twice.
Long-time rival Union County used a second edition of the Jacket Bowl this season to bounce Greer from the Class 3A playoffs, 39-22, Friday night at Dooley Field.
Quarterback De’Airrius Smith completed 10 of 15 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a team-high 90 yards and another score as Union County scored 21 unanswered points in the second half.
“I’m just proud of my guys,” said Union County Head Coach Steve Tanneyhill, whose team avenged a, 35-28, regular-season loss to Greer. “When you come here, it doesn’t matter if you win 5-4 or 37-21 like we did last week. We just want to win the game somehow.”
Union County (6-6) advances to take on Chapin, a 42-30 winner over Wren, in next week’s Upper State semifinals.
Greer ends its season at 11-1 for the second-straight year, despite high hopes for a deep run through the playoffs and to the program’s first state title since 2003.
“It’s the second year in a row that we’ve wound up with the same record at the same place with the same scenario,” Greer Head Coach Will Young said. “(The players) are going to be disappointed by that. When they look back on it, they’ll be proud of what they did accomplish, but there’s not a lot you can tell them tonight to make them feel better.”
Union County rolled up 521 yards of total offense – a season high against Greer – and had eight plays of 25 yards or more, including Smith touchdown passes of 41, 76 and 54 yards.
Receivers Shi Smith, who finished with two touchdown catches, and Douglas Brannon had 138 and 109 receiving yards, respectively for Union County.
Greer took the early advantage as the two teams exchanged scores in the first half.
Senior quarterback Mario Cusano, who completed 17 of 27 passes for 188 yards, threw three first-half touchdown passes – 27 yards to Dorian Lindsey, three yards to Troy Pride and 30 yards to Alex Syphertt as Greer took a 22-15 lead into halftime.
Syphertt’s score capped a 7-play, 62-yard drive and gave Greer its final lead of the game with 2:16 left in the first half.
Greer running back Adrian McGee finished with a game-high 103 yards on 19 carries for Greer, while Lindsey had nine catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.
Union County also intercepted Cusano twice in the second half – the second coming on a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage at the Union 12 yard line with 4:34 to play, thwarting any chance of a late rally.
| SCORE BY QUARTERS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | TOTAL |
| (V) Union County | 12 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 39 |
| (H) Greer | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Scoring Summary: | Plays | Yards | TOP | Score | |||
| 1 | 10:30 | UCHS | Shi Smith Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:30 7 yds PAT Kick by Blake Johnson NO Good | 3 | 49 | 01:30 | 6 - 0 |
| 1 | 08:13 | GHS | Mario CUSANO Passes to Dorian LINDSEY COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:13 27 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas ROBERSON GOOD. | 7 | 75 | 02:17 | 6 - 7 |
| 1 | 05:49 | UCHS | De'airrius Smith Passes to Douglas Brannon COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 05:49 42 yds PAT Pass from De'airrius Smith to Unknown NO Good. | 6 | 80 | 02:24 | 12 - 7 |
| 1 | 01:16 | GHS | Mario CUSANO Passes to Troy PRIDE COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:16 3 yds PAT Run by Mario CUSANO GOOD. | 11 | 64 | 04:33 | 12 - 15 |
| 2 | 09:42 | UCHS | Blake Johnson 34 yard Field Goal attempt GOOD, clock 09:42 | 8 | 46 | 03:34 | 15 - 15 |
| 2 | 02:16 | GHS | Mario CUSANO Passes to Alex SYPHERTT COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 02:16 30 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas ROBERSON GOOD. | 7 | 62 | 03:12 | 15 - 22 |
| 2 | 00:00 | UCHS | Blake Johnson 26 yard Field Goal attempt GOOD, clock 00:01 | 8 | 56 | 02:16 | 18 - 22 |
| 3 | 08:59 | UCHS | De'airrius Smith Passes to Shi Smith COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:59 76 yds PAT Kick by Blake Johnson GOOD. | 3 | 80 | 00:28 | 25 - 22 |
| 3 | 03:09 | UCHS | De'airrius Smith Carries(QB Keeper) TOUCHDOWN, clock 03:09 6 yds PAT Kick by Blake Johnson GOOD. | 7 | 87 | 03:39 | 32 - 22 |
| 4 | 06:58 | UCHS | De'airrius Smith Passes to Shi Smith COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:58 54 yds PAT Kick by Blake Johnson GOOD. | 2 | 55 | 00:54 | 39 - 22 |
| TEAM | UCHS | GHS |
| (VISITOR) | (HOME) | |
| Score | 39 | 22 |
| First Downs | 17 | 20 |
| Rushes / Yards (Net) | 32 / 168 | 32 / 157 |
| Passing Yards (Net) | 353 | 188 |
| Passes -- Att / Comp / Int | 17/11/0 | 27/17/2 |
| Total Offensive Plays / Yards | 49 / 521 | 59 / 345 |
| Fumble Returns / Yards | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Punt Returns / Yards | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Kickoff Returns / Yards | 3 / 84 | 6 / 66 |
| Interception Returns / Yards | 2 / 93 | 0 / 0 |
| Punts (Number/Average) | 1 / 47.0 | 2 / 41.0 |
| Fumbles / Lost | 1 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Penalties / Yards | 12 / 117 | 4 / 35 |
| Possession Time | 23:06 | 24:54 |
| UCHS | INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | GHS |
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• Statistics provided by Red Watson of the Yellow Jackets Sports Network