Potter’s field goal pushes South Pointe past Union County

South Pointe got another chance in a wet one and Union County let one slip away.

South Pointe's B.T. Potter kicked the game-winning field goal from 23 yards on an untimed down and the second-ranked Stallions (5-1, 1-0 Region 3-3A) won 17-14 on Thursday in the teams' Region 3-3A opener.

The Yellow Jackets (1-5, 0-1) nearly forced overtime, as Potter missed an attempt wide left from 43 yards as time expired. But Union County was flagged for two penalties, giving Potter another shot.

"The call was running into the center, which we never see called, at the end of the game, and we had another player using profanity," Union County coach Steve Taneyhill said. "But it really came down to one thing: we had the ball at the six (on the previous series) and we don't get it."

Union County got the ball at South Pointe's 30-yard line with under seven minutes remaining but missed a 21-yard field goal, and the Stallions drove 55 yards in 4:25.

The Yellow Jackets led 14-7 after three quarters, but South Pointe scored two plays into the fourth on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Greg Ruff to Quay Brown to tie the game.

Union County's biggest play came early in the third quarter when De'Arrius Smith completed an 83-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Brown to make it 14-0.

But Union County mostly ran the ball, rushing for 158 yards, and completed just six passes.

The Yellow Jackets took a 6-0 first-quarter lead on a 13-play drive that took more than six minutes.

"I thought our defense played really well," Taneyhill said. "We were forced to come out here and play tonight, and the kids responded well. Our record may not show it, but we're still a good football team."

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Potter’s field goal pushes South Pointe past Union County."