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Playoff rematches not foreign to UC

Playoff rematches not foreign to UC
Historically, the second time around has been pretty good to Union City.
When the Tornadoes host McKenzie Friday in a Round 2 playoff rematch of a regular season game won by the Tornadoes 21-16 back in Week 4, it will mark the ninth time UC has faced the same opponent twice in a year.
Union City is 6-2 all-time in those second meetings.
The Twisters have beaten Humboldt four times and Huntingdon twice after earlier winning over those two foes during the regular season in the current playoff format.
In 1997, UC won over H’boldt 30-6, then 42-0 in the quarterfinals on the way to the Class 2A state championship game. The Tornadoes also defeated Huntingdon 21-15 in the semis after having earlier opened the season with a 12-0 triumph vs. the Mustangs.
The locals’ dream of an unbeaten season ended in the finals, though, with a heartbreaking 13-10 loss to Chattanooga Tyner.
The next season, the Twisters recorded wins of 33-0 and 28-9 against Humboldt — the latter in Round 2 — before losing to Milan in the semifinals.
Union City continued to have the Vikings’ number in both 1999 and 2001, beating them by 19 and 39 points, respectively, in the first of those campaigns and by counts of 22-19 and 13-7 two years later.
In 2000, UC edged Huntingdon 21-20 during the regular season and then hammered the Ponies 34-0 in a driving rain in the semifinals before losing to Alcoa in the 2A title tilt the next week 27-20.
The Tornadoes’ two losses in rematch scenarios came to Huntingdon in 1999 and Westview two years later.
The Purple and Gold edged Huntingdon 22-19 in the regular season in ’99, but dropped the second meeting 17-10 to the Mustangs in the semis. In 2001, Westview hammered Union City 31-7 in the regular season and 41-7 in the playoffs.
ELITE COMPANY — Union City’s current 10-game winning streak is the fifth-longest in school history and has put this particular Tornado club among some of the better entries in the rich history of the school’s gridiron program.
Only a handful of other Twister teams have won as many games in succession in a single season as this year’s Purple and Gold bunch that lost its first game before reeling off 10 consecutive triumphs.
Both the 1997 and 2000 teams won 14 straight before losing in their respective Class 2A state championship games. During that same era that was the most successful in Tornado football history, the 1998 club won 12 straight after losing its opener. That UC team was then beaten in the Class 2A semifinals by Milan, 10-0.
In 1992, Union City won its first 11 games, including a perfect regular season and a 20-6 playoff victory over Milan. The run ended in Round 2, however, in a 21-6 loss at Memphis University School.
The 1933 team was a perfect 10-0 — the first to win that many games in a single season — and matched this year’s squad for most wins in a row.
The longest overall win streak in UCHS history is 16 and came during the 1930 and ’31 campaigns. The ’30 team tied its first two games before winning eight in a row, with the ’31 club then winning its first eight of the following season before recording a tie.
This year’s 10-win team is the 11th such in the school’s annals.
DID YOU KNOW? — McKenzie has advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year and the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The Rebels, who made it to the Class A finals last season before losing 52-20 to South Pittsburg, have qualified for the postseason in 12 straight years now. … Each of the Top 10 teams in the final Associated Press Class A state rankings won their first round playoff games. The quality of the remaining field can be best illustrated in that 12 of the 16 teams left won at least nine games entering this week’s playoff matchups.