There were a few bright spots in Union County’s Friday night loss to Woodruff as well as comfort in knowing the Yellow Jackets have faced some of their toughest adversaries.

The bright spots came in the form of wide receivers Victor Ruth and Avion Carter. Ruth and Carter tallied 95 yards and 68 yards respectively. Trayvond Davis contributed 37 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards including a 38-yard touchdown catch.

While the Jackets struggled defensively, Devontae Glenn and Demarcus Stewart pulled down back to back interceptions returned for 50- and 35-yard touchdowns, respectively.

Quarterback Keiston Smith threw for 232 yards on the night with two touchdown passes.

“We did connect on some passes,” said coach David Lipsey. “We didn’t run the ball real well so we were forced to throw and saw some good things with Victor and Avion.”

Lipsey said he will carry a fairly healthy squad into conference play. After a minor injury in Friday’s game, Lipsey said that Chris Booker was expected to dress out for practice this week and that overall the team looked to be in good shape physically.

“There are still some things we need to work on and we are trying some different looks,” said Lipsey. “We need to stay healthy and most importantly, focused.”

The Jackets head into Friday night’s first region contest against Greer knowing that they have already faced some of the best teams in the State in their respective divisions. Powerhouse Gaffney remains undefeated in AAAA. Spartanburg moved to fifth in the AAA rankings after defeating South Pointe Friday night, and AA Woodruff is a favorite to win their division.

“We are ready to get into region play. Games start to count now,” said Lipsey. “We certainly think that playing such a tough non-region schedule benefits us. It has only made us better.”