Quincy High School

In a Big 8 Conference and county rivalry matchup between two undefeated teams, the Quincy Orioles battled until the final play Friday night before falling to Union City, 22-18. Union City struck first early in the first before a second quarter pass by Union City was intercepted and returned for 47 yards by JJ Wright for a touchdown, tying the game at 6-6. Union City answered and built a second-half advantage, but Quincy continued to battle throughout the night. With 2:10 remaining in the half, Noah Kelley broke free for an 85-yard touchdown run, pulling the Orioles back within striking distance at 14-12. Union City went up 22-14 with 7:50 to go in the 3rd. Both defenses traded stops before Quincy converted on a key third-and-18 play when Joe Gray connected with Noah Rufenacht for a touchdown, keeping the Orioles within one score at 22-18 with just under 8 minutes to go in the game. The Quincy defense then came up with another stop, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the Orioles one final possession. Quincy marched deep into Union City territory behind a 40-yard completion from Gray to Wright and a 15-yard toss play to Rufenacht, who was tackled at the Chargers' 3-yard line with eight seconds remaining. The Orioles had two opportunities from inside the 3-yard line, but Union City was able to hold on as time expired. Kelley led Quincy's rushing attack with 153 yards on 20 carries, including the 85-yard touchdown run. Gray completed 11 of 20 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Wright finished with four receptions for 49 yards and added the interception return for a touchdown, while Rufenacht recorded four catches for 41 yards, a touchdown reception and 10 rushing yards. Defensively, Gibson James led Quincy with 13 tackles, while Isaiah Staggs, Xander Wood and Tayte Waddell each added 10. Carson Haylett recorded nine tackles. Kaden Cutler, Waddell and Ethan Drumm each finished with tackles for loss, while Cutler also averaged 45.6 yards on five punts, helping Quincy consistently flip field position throughout the night. Quincy moves to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in Big 8 Conference play. They next head to Homer for another Big 8 conference clash Friday.