BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Expectations are high regarding Union County High School football, and why wouldn’t they be?
The Tigers went 12-1 last year, falling one game short of the Class 1A state semifinals after a 29-27 loss to Chiefland. They have plenty of returning starters or players with starter-type experience.
“Definitely the most experienced team I’ve ever had,” Head Coach Andrew Thomas said, noting he’s got several players entering their third year as starters. “We can’t blame (whatever happens this year) on youth. We’ve got some talent in a lot of areas.”
Still, the coach knows nothing can be taken for granted. The Tigers play seven playoff teams from last year — Columbia, Hawthorne, Newberry, P.K. Yonge, University Christian, Walton and Wildwood.
Plus, a loaded UCHS team won’t be flying under the radar this year.
“We might not have been a target last year, but we’re a target this year,” Thomas said. “How are we going to handle that when people week in and week out are preparing for us and we’ve got a target on our back?”
Thomas, however, believes his players have the necessary mindset to be successful.
“At the end of the day, are going to be complacent, or are we going to be hungry? We got humbled a little bit in the playoffs last year,” Thomas said. “I felt like we shouldn’t have gone out when we did. Our kids don’t feel like we should have, either. That’s probably good for us — a little chip on our shoulder going into the offseason.”
Thomas is in his third year. The Tigers went 20-5 his first two seasons, including a playoff record of 3-2.
Union enters this season having won 16 of its last 18 games.
The Tigers travel to play Baker County in a preseason kickoff classic on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7:30 p.m. They then open the regular season with a road game against Jacksonville’s University Christian on Friday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
Union’s first home game will be Friday, Sept. 2, against Columbia at 7:30 p.m. It’ll be only the second time the schools have played each other in football.
The Tigers’ homecoming game is Friday, Oct. 7, against Dixie County at 7:30 p.m.
Union plays in the newly created Class 1 R (rural) and are in Region 3 with Bell, Branford, Fort White, Hamilton County, Hilliard, Lafayette and Madison County. Like Class 1A, which they used to be in, there are no districts.
3 playmakers in a loaded offense
A.J. Cortese, Daylyn Diston and Rayvon Durant will be key cogs in an offense that has experience and playmakers everywhere you look. The trio combined for more than 2,700 yards rushing, receiving and passing last season.
Cortese, a senior quarterback, suffered an injury in the second game of last season, which kept him out of the following six games. He completed 27 of 46 passes for 428 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 517 yards and eight touchdowns on 38 carries.
“He can do so much with his legs and his arm,” Thomas said.
Though Cortese, who’s in his third year as the full-time starter, returned to finish out last season, Thomas said his quarterback wasn’t at his pre-injury level.
“He never was able to get to the top of the hill of what he can do,” Thomas said, adding, “It slowed him down. He wasn’t as effective as he needed to be in the playoffs. He was rusty. He missed some throws he knows he should’ve made.”
One of the players Cortese will be looking to get the ball to is Diston, a senior, who was the leading receiver last year with 16 catches for 382 yards and six touchdowns.
Diston won’t just be catching the ball, though. He rushed for 378 yards and five touchdowns on 36 carries in 2021
“We’ve got to get the ball into his hands,” Thomas said.”
Diston will most likely line up at the slot position. Others who will be in the mix at wide receiver will be senior Dee Williams, junior Dayquan Diston and sophomore Gavin Jenkins. Dayquan Diston and Williams were the second- and third-leading receivers last year. Diston caught 10 passes for 179 yards and touchdown, while Williams caught six passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Those are just a few names. Thomas said the Tigers have been going through practices with three groups of receivers.
“Obviously, there’s one group that’s better than the others, but our third group’s not bad,” Thomas said.
Leading the rushing attack will be the team’s leader from last year — Durant, a senior, who gained 1,457 yards on 127 carries. He scored a team-high 15 touchdowns.
Thomas described Durant as one who possesses power and speed.
“Rayvon does so much for us,” Thomas said. “He’s able to play fullback in some of our sets. He’s halfback in some of our sets. We do a lot with him. He’s going to be our primary focus on the offensive side.”
A number of players who had significant carries last season return, though some may see more playing time on defense, such as junior Thomas Williams, who rushed for 639 yards and 11 touchdowns on 79 carries, and senior Dayviontae Thompson, who rushed for 222 yards and five touchdowns on 43 carries.
Experienced O-line
No matter how much of your rushing production returns from the previous season, Thomas knows it means little without the guys up front.
“If you’re weak there, it doesn’t matter who you’ve got around them,” Thomas said.
Fortunately, the Tigers, who rushed for 4,508 yards last season, averaging 9 yards per carry, have an experienced group in seniors Dayven Kelly, Carson Rogers and Mikah Wilson, and juniors Tucker Baynard and Dylan Lane.
Wilson is 6-5, 310 and getting a lot of interest from colleges.
“He’s a kid who, if we have to, we can just lean on,” Thomas said. “If we’ve got to just run it behind him…it doesn’t matter who you put there (opposite him). He can move people.”
Rogers is only 5-9, 190, but that doesn’t limit his effectiveness in the trenches.
“He’s not the biggest guy,” Thomas said, “but he’s a leader down there. A tough kid. With the stuff we do, we pull him a lot. He’s a physical kid for his size.”
Thomas said junior Adonis Duenas looks to be a contributor as well after undergoing a lot of development over the past year.
“We’ve got kids who’ve taken a lot of snaps on Friday nights playing up there,” Thomas said. “It makes you feel good as a coach going into it knowing that’s not a weakness.”
Secondary is a defensive strength
Thomas likes what he sees in his secondary, which includes Daylyn Diston, who led the team in interceptions last year with six.
“Defensively, he has a knack for the football,” Thomas said. “You’ve got to have some players like that if you want to have a special season. He definitely helped us last year kind of get to where we wanted to go. We look for him to have that kind of year again.”
Diston will be one of two seniors at the safety positions along with Hawthorne transfer Auntrell Ross.
Players such as Jenkins, Dayquan Diston and Dee Williams have experience in the secondary. Jenkins and Williams each had three interceptions last year. Thomas said freshman Ezekiel Taylor could be a contributor as well.
Thomas Williams will play a defensive back/linebacker hybrid position that was occupied by Malcolm Odum last year. (Odum has since graduated.)
“He’s a leader out there. A physical kid,” Thomas said of Williams. “If he plays real well, our defense is going to be really good.”
In looking at his secondary as a unit, Thomas said, “I’m excited about them. They fly around. We’ve got athleticism in the back end. I think we’re a faster team in the back end than we were last year.”
Top tacklers to man linebacker positions
Senior Hance Jones is a returning starter at linebacker. He made 70 tackles last season, which was third on the team.
“Hance is pretty much our quarterback out there, making calls, getting us lined up and making sure everything’s set up,” Thomas said.
Jones will be joined by Thompson, who played mainly at defensive end last year. Thomas was fifth on the team in tackles with 58 tackles. He also led the team with 10 sacks.
Thomas said he’s looking for Thompson to help fill the hole left by graduate Trevor Holtzendorf, who led the team last year with 104 tackles.
“We’ll have stuff where he’ll get down and play on the line of scrimmage as well, but he’s solid back there (at linebacker),” Thomas said.
D-line needs some players to step up
Thomas said the defensive line is where the Tigers will have the most new faces, but he added, “We’ve got some kids who’ve played some snaps.”
Sophomore Connor Bresee is a returning starter who played in every game last year, while juniors Erich Seager and Jacob Jenkins played in 12 and 11 games, respectively. Jimmy Cox, a junior, saw action in six games.
Thomas said sophomore Timmy Taylor will be one of the team’s tackles.
“We’re young (on the line), but we’ve got some talent,” Thomas said.
The Tigers are hoping to see the return of senior Markus Strong, who missed last season with an injury.
“Getting him back is going to be huge for us, not only for depth — you’ve got to account for him,” Thomas said. “If people try to one-on-one him, he’s going to be tough to block. We’re just hoping to get him back soon.”
Reliable kicker
Junior Jonathan Edwards returns to handle placekicking duties. He was almost automatic last year, making 58 of his 62 extra-point attempts.
In a total of 18 games (dating back to his freshman season), Edwards has connected on 81 of 86 extra-point attempts.
Edwards was also good on all five of his field-goal attempts in 2021, making him the Tigers’ fourth-leading scorer with 73 points.
