BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Union County Superintendent of Schools Mike Ripplinger announced that Andrew Thomas would no longer be head football coach at Union County High School, ending a five-year stint that saw the Tigers win 77 percent of their games.
Ripplinger, in a statement emailed to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor on May 29, said, “In the best interest of the Union County High School football program — both in the immediate and long-term future — the decision was made to part ways with Head Coach Andrew Thomas. Union County is appreciative of the success Coach Thomas had during his tenure, and may he continue to have a successful career.
“An interim head coach will be named to lead the program through the next season as a search is conducted to find and hire the next head coach for the following spring.”
The Telegraph-Times-Monitor hasn’t reached Thomas for comment, though Gainesville’s Main Street Daily News, in a story written by Mike Ridaught, reported Thomas as saying he would speak on the matter “when the timing is right.”
Thomas had a 46-14 record at UCHS. Under his leadership, the Tigers went 10-5 in postseason games, advancing to at least the regional finals every year. Union was a state semifinalist in 2022 and 2024.
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