BY LISA HOLTZENDORF
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Union County High School got four interceptions from its defense, which held host Port St. Joe scoreless in the first half of an Aug. 15 preseason kickoff classic that ended in a 7-7 tie.
The four-hour drive led to a new start for the Tigers, who have a mostly new coaching staff, including Lamar Waters. Waters was named interim head coach after Andrew Thomas was relieved of his head-coaching duties on May 29.
Seniors Jeffrey Brugh, C.J. Ivey and Wyatt Elixson were the captains for the game, which showcased the talents of the teams’ varsity and junior varsity players.
Port St. Joe won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff from Brugh. The Sharks, starting the game’s first series at their own 25, got a quick introduction to the Union defense. Edward Durant made a tackle for a loss as the Tigers forced Port St. Joe to punt.
Union County’s offense took the field with excellent field position on the Sharks’ 36-yard line. Ivey had a good run of 8 yards on first down, but Port St. Joe recovered a fumble on second down.
Port St. Joe fumbled the ball on a second-down snap, but recovered the loose ball. Still, the Sharks eventually punted after being penalized twice.
The teams were pretty evenly matched through the next several series, with both coming up short of first downs and having to punt.
Union’s defense began stepping up in the second quarter, with Alec McClellon getting an interception. That set up the Tigers’ scoring drive, which saw Brugh connect on a pass to Drew Simmons for a touchdown. Brugh kicked the extra point as the Tigers led 7-0 with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter.
Port St. Joe’s quarterback was hounded all night by the Tigers’ secondary. A pass deflected by J.J. Buie led to an interception by Jeremy Webb, giving Union the ball at its own 29-yard line. It was the first of two interceptions made by Webb.
The Tigers gave Cadenz Merriex a chance to lead the offense. A handoff to Simmons resulted in a 17-yard gain, but a bad snap and an incomplete pass eventually led to the Tigers punting.
Port St. Joe had a good drive going on the following series, picking up a first down on a run, but the Tigers got stops from Lane Jackson and Ramsey Schenck that forced the Sharks to punt.
Simmons picked up a first down for the Tigers, but the drive stalled, with Port St. Joe taking over on downs.
The Tigers’ defense made sure the Sharks didn’t capitalize before the end of the half, with Brugh coming up with Union’s third interception.
Union received the second-half kickoff, but the offense stalled after two incomplete passes and a holding penalty.
Port St. Joe began its first series of the half at the 50-yard line. A quarterback keeper on a third-and-1 play later gave the Sharks a first down at the Union 23. A pass resulted in another first downa t the 9. Port St. Joe would go on to punch the ball into the end zone on a run from the 5-yard line with 7:05 remaining in the third quarter. The successful PAT tied the score at 7-7.
As the fourth quarter rolled around, varsity backups and JV players got much needed playing time. Cash Cox took his turn at quarterback, while Kendall Carter made some impressive tackles for the defense to help keep the game tied.
The Tigers finished with 168 total yards, including 117 rushing yards on 26 carries. Simmons, who rushed for 1,400-plus yards in 2024, averaged 9 yards per carry.
Union’s defense held Port St. Joe to 68 rushing yards and 54 passing yards.
Waters had a lot of good things to say when addressing his team for the first time after a game.
“We had a job to do, and we got the job done,” he told the players. “Proud of the fight and how hard you all played. We have come a long way in a short time.”
Waters added that considering the team must replace 10 defensive players and six offensive players, the Tigers show promise and have already shown growth.
The Tigers open the regular season with a home game against Yulee on Friday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 p.m. The Class 3A Hornets defeated Englewood 54-0 in a preseason game.
It was a rough season for Yulee in 2024. The Hornets went 2-8, but their game against Union was a nail biter that went down to the wire, with the Tigers winning 14-13.
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