Associated Press FINDING ROOM — Harrison Central’s Jacob Quito tries to get outside Union Local’s Dre Saunders on a run.

MORRISTOWN — It was a measure of revenge Friday night at Jets Field, with the Union Local Jets rectifying their loss last season to Harrison Central with a 49-13 victory this time around.

After the Huskies ran through the Jets last season to the tune of a 49-6 beatdown, Union Local turned the tables Friday – putting up the same number of points as their opponents did in 2023.

“Our guys had a great week of practice,” Union Local head coach Bernie Thompson said. “They prepped, they worked extremely hard all week. This is a game that we had circled all year. This is a game where those guys on the other side embarrassed us, they hung 49 on us last year. It was pretty cool to look at the scoreboard and see what we did tonight.”

It all clicked for Union Local on Friday- they finished 6-6 in the passing game with two touchdowns, returned a kickoff and punt return for touchdowns, restrained the Huskies’ run game, and averaged nine yards a carry with their rushing attack led by Brody Perzanowski, who went over 100 yards on the ground.

Perzanowksi ran 15 times for 106 yards and two scores, while Ayden Graham took his sole carry 26 yards to the end zone.

The Jets got great blocking from their offensive line- especially seen on Graham’s touchdown run and on the Jets’ first drive of the game, when they worked down to the one-yard line on an Isaiah Tomolonis 20-yard run and Perzanowski 21-yard run. Perzanowski punched through the final yard for the game’s opening score with 10:37 to go in the first.

On the flip side, Harrison Central had varying degrees of success on their power-running scheme. Senior Mykel Quito rushed for 99 yards and the Huskies rushed for 164 as a team, but averaged under four yards a carry.

Before the game, Thompson spoke on the need to match Harrison Central’s physicality. Did the Jets accomplish that?

“I think we did that and then some,” Thompson said. “To hold their running back to what we did tonight was a heck of an accomplishment from our defensive players and coach [Vaughn] Butler had a great game plan going into it. Just proud of everybody’s effort from the players to the coaching staff. We were locked in this week, this was a game we took very seriously and we wanted it.”

Adding to the Huskies’ woes were two special teams touchdowns for the Jets. After the Huskies’ first touchdown- a 25-yard pass from Blake Atkins to Jacob Quito – which made it 28-7 with 6:10 to play in the third- Dre Saunders returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a score. The senior was shoved hard in the back running down the sideline, but the contact pushed him into his own blocker, allowing him to regain his balance and run the rest of the way unabated.

The 95-yard touchdown was the third-longest in Jets history.

Sean Alkire housed a 60-yard punt in the fourth quarter, a score which upped the deficit to 49-7.

“Not good in any phase of the game for us tonight,” Harrison Central head coach Anthony Hayes said. “Hats off to Union Local, they played a great game, coaching staff did a great job. Their kids were ready to play. Our kids didn’t appear to be ready to play, and at the end of the day that falls on me and I accept full responsibility for that. We have a lot of things to get better at, and that includes me as a coach. We’ll get back to work this week.”

Both of Harrison Central’s scores came from Jacob Quito, who caught two touchdown passes for a combined 60 yards- one from Atkins, and one from Brady Hyre inside the final four minutes of the game.

Harrison Central was 2-4 on the ground, with Atkins and Hyre each going 1-2, while Union Local was 6-6, with each of their quarterbacks- the senior Tomolonis and junior Colby Carpenter- going 3-3, Tomolonis for 51 yards and two touchdowns, Carpenter for 50 yards.

Tomolonis also rushed five times for 47 yards. He threw a 30-yard touchdown to Billy Schumacher on a go-route in the middle of the second quarter, and a nine-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Causby in the flats within the first 30 seconds of the fourth.

It was another successful outing for the Jets’ two-quarterback system.

Union Local led 28-0 at halftime.

Union Local, now 4-0, next travels to Shenandoah (2-2). The Huskies drop to 1-3 and will travel to Fort Frye (3-1) next.

Union Local 49, Harrison Central 13

Harrison Cent 0 0 7 6 – 13

Union Local 7 21 7 14 – 49

UL-Perzanowski 1 run (Bolon kick)

UL-Graham 26 run (Bolon kick)

UL-Schumacher 30 pass from Tomolonis (Bolon kick)

UL-Perzanowski 7 run (Bolon kick)

HC-J. Quito 25 pass from Thaxton (Thaxton kick)

UL-Saunders 95 kick return (Bolon kick)

UL-Causby 9 pass from Tomolonis (Bolon kick)

UL-Alkire 60 punt return (Bolon kick)

HC-J. Quito 35 pass from Hyre (run failed)

RUSHING: Harrison Central 42-164 (M. Quito 18-99, Atkins 8-26, Wade 5-8, Wurschum 4-15, J. Quito 2-(-9), Hyre 3-21, Stoneking 2-4). Union Local 22-198-3tds (Perzanowski 15-106-2tds, Tomolonis 5-47, Graham 1-26-1td, Saunders 1-19.

PASSING: Harrison Central 2-4-60-2 (Hyre 1-2-35-1td, Atkins 1-2-25-1td). Union Local 6-6-101-2tds (Tomolonis 3-3-51-2tds, Carpenter 3-3-50).

RECEIVING: Harrison Central 2-60-2td (All by J. Quito). Union Local 6-101-2tds (Schumacher 2-45-1td, Saunders 1-30, Alkire 1-12, Causby 1-9-1td, Perzanowski 1-5).

FIRST DOWNS: Union Local 17, Harrison Central 12

FUMBLES: Union Local 2-1, Harrison Central 1-0

PENALTIES: Union Local 5-40, Harrison Central 3-20