Unaka was unable to hold off a determined Twin Springs squad on Friday night.
The Rangers came up short to the Titans in a 28-24 decision on Homecoming night on Stoney Creek. Unaka moves to 1-2 on the season.
Unaka seemed to take control in the first half.
After the teams traded possessions much of the first quarter, the Rangers got a spark when Brayden Powell jumped on a Titan fumble to set up UHS at midfield.
Unaka took advantage of the momentum as Landon Ramsey hit Devin Ramsey for a nine-yard touchdown, and L. Ramsey hit Jamol Blamo for the two-point conversion to give Unaka an 8-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Another Twin Springs fumble set up a short touchdown drive for the Rangers as L. Ramsey found Takoda Freeman for a nine-yard score. Blamo and L. Ramsey connected for the two-point conversion.
The Titans offense marched inside the Unaka five on the next drive, but the Ranger defense rose to the occasion and stopped Twin Springs on fourth down.
A couple of players later, D. Ramsey caught a short pass and raced 80 yards for the touchdown to give UHS a 24-0 lead with just under three minutes left in the half.
Twin Springs was able to get on the board in the final minute to trim the UHS lead to 24-6 at the break.
The Titans came out of the gate quickly in the second half with an interception that set up a lengthy drive with an Eli McCoy touchdown.
Unaka continued to battle as UHS marched deep into Twin Springs territory, but was stopped on a fourth down.
McCoy wasted no time as he raced 85 yards for a touchdown to close the Unaka lead to two points early in the fourth.
The Rangers were unable to get anything going on their next offensive series and were forced to punt. Twin Springs continued to have the momentum as McCoy threw a six-yard touchdown pass to give TS the lead.
Unaka continued to battle and marched to the Titan 38 on the final offensive drive of the game. However, the Rangers were stopped on fourth down to stop the comeback bid.
Unaka returns to Region 1-A action next Friday night with a trip to Jellico.
