Unionville stymies Jacobs, moves to 2-0 with win over Rustin

EAST MARLBOROUGH — After witnessing Dayshawn Jacobs’ breakout performance firsthand in last year’s season opener, Unionville knew exactly where No. 1 was at all times, Friday.

Rustin’s star running back still showed glimpses of what makes him so special, but the Longhorns’ defense denied Jacobs any chance to break free.

After picking up 43 yards on his first two carries, Jacobs was held to 37 yards on his final 15, and that, mixed with a strong offensive effort by Matt McCloskey, gave Unionville its second straight win over Ches-Mont American Division rival, 21-7, at home.

“I’ve coached against Rustin since the school started and Dayshawn Jacobs is as elusive as any running back they’ve ever had,” Unionville coach Pat Clark said. “I thought we tackled better in the second half, and that was the difference. I’m super proud of the kids’ effort. When you play Rustin, you know you’re getting a good, physical ball game, and we held up a little longer and a little better against a good opponent and were fortunate to win this one.”

The first half was bogged down by penalties and mental mistakes by both teams. Rustin, who opted for a second scrimmage in lieu of a game in the opening week, dealt with pre-snap penalties and needed two first-quarter timeouts.

Unionville (2-0 division, 2-0 overall) had its share of blunders, as well, most notably in the second quarter, when an interception was negated by a penalty, leading to Rustin’s only score — a 10-yard pass from Kolbe Freney to Chris Yanko.

Rustin (0-1, 0-1) had a touchdown called back, a 62-yard run by Jacob’s negated, and in the final minute of the first half, a roughing the snapper call turned a field goal by Unionville into a 10-yard touchdown pass from McCloskey to Luke Schriver, to make it 14-7.

“You have to play the good teams at some point,” Clark said of the early-season battle. “We were fortunate to have a game under our belt. Rustin is only going to get better, and who knows, maybe we’ll see them down the road again.”

The Golden Knights were held to 38 yards rushing in the first half, but put together a long drive to start the third quarter. After seven minutes, five seconds of clock ran off, Unionville finally turned Rustin over on downs at the Longhorn 33. 

Neither team could finish a drive until Unionville sealed the deal with just under two minutes to go on McCloskey’s second rushing TD of the night.

“Rustin is a really good opponent and we had this one marked on the calendar,”  Unionville linebacker Brendan D’Amico said. “We knew they were gonna come with a fire, and they did, but we executed really well and that’s what it came down to.”

D’Amico and fellow linebacker, Tucker Opdahl, were everywhere for the Longhorns, who stopped Rustin in the backfield eight times. Jacobs was held to 15 yards on eight carries in the second half and Freney was harassed often. The Knights’ 84 rushing yards were its fewest since Coatesville them to 69 in 2019.

“(Unionville) did a good job taking away what we do best,” Rustin coach Mike St. Clair said. “I think we did a good job defensively. We gave them a couple short fields, but it was our first game and we got the kinks out and we’ll be ready to go next week.”

McCloskey was the leading rusher for Unionville, with 52 yards, while Ethan Bennink and Joe King combined for 84 yards from the running back position. Ryan Knightly had two catches for 91 yards, but it was the defense that stole the show for Unionville.

“I think we have a really solid front four, and that frees up our second-level guys to run to the football,” Clark said. “Tucker Opdahl was outstanding for us in the alleys and Brendan keeps our D together and gets everyone in the right place. And it helps to have (defensive end) Nate Holt, who’s a big, physical guy who can set the edge.”

Unionville goes on the road for the first time next week against winless West Chester East, while Rustin hosts crosstown rival, West Chester Henderson (1-1)

Unionville 21, WC Rustin 7

Unionville    7 7 0 7-21

WC Rustin    0 7 0 0-7

Scoring

First Quarter

UV- McCloskey 7 run (Dym kick)

Second Quarter

WCR- Yanko 10 pass from Freney (Strunk kick)

UV- Schriver 10 pass rom McCloskey (Dym kick)

Fourth Quarter

UV- McCloskey 5 run (Dym kick)

                                      Team Totals

                         UV              WCR

First downs      11            10

Yards rushing  34-147    35-84

Yards passing  105            46

Total yards      252          130

Passing      4-7-1        4-9-0

Fumbles-lost    0-0           2-1

Punts-avg.      3-26.3     3-36.3

Penalties-yds  8-56        7-49

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Unionville — McCloskey 12-52, 2 TDs; King 9-49; Bennink 9-35; B. D’Amico 3-12; team 1-(-1). Rustin — Day. Jacobs 17-80; Yanko 3-19; Santangelo 4-19; Mattei 4-18; Hatton 1-(-1); team 1-(-21); Freney 5-(-30).

Passing: Unionville — McCloskey 4-7-105, TD, INT. Rustin — Freney 4-9-46, TD.

Receiving: Unionville- Knightly 2-91; Schriver 2-14, TD. Rustin — Day. Jacobs 2-32; Yanko 1-10, TD; Lighthill 1-4.

Interceptions: Rustin – Lighthill