BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Union County football coach Andrew Thomas said he could tell his team was nervous as they entered their Spring scrimmage game in Folkston, Georgia.
The Tigers faced Charlton County in a controlled scrimmage in front of around 50 Union County faithful and approximately 150 spectators in the home stands on Thursday, May 15.
“We have had a lot of guys that are starting in some roles that they haven’t in the past,” Thomas said after the scrimmage, “so there were some nerves I could see kind of going into it. But at the end of the day, I felt like we executed pretty well on both sides.”
Thomas said this year’s Spring squad had fewer players than usual, and he knew going into the matchup that many of his players had little experience in the positions they had practiced at during April and May.
“We are young,” he said. “Our numbers ain’t all that high, but we had to get some guys in the fire and get them experienced and see how they react.”
“And I was a little nervous the way we came in,” he continued, “just looking at the kids’ eyes. But I thought we responded well once we settled in.”
Under the scrimmage’s first half rules, each team ran two offensive series of 10 plays, with a turnover or touchdown resulting in a reset for the offense until the team with the ball exhausted its 10 snaps. There were no kicks, punts, or field goals in the matchup.
The scrimmage also prioritized quarterback safety, with officials blowing the ball dead whenever defenders got close to a signal caller.
However, that restriction was lifted in the second half, and Union County quarterback Bryan Tyson took advantage of the rule change, breaking free for a 14-yard rush during the Tigers’ final possession.
Toward the end of the first half, both teams put in their youngest players.
In the second half, each team was allowed two offensive possessions, which ended after a score or turnover.
Highlights: interception and touchdown pass
An interception by Wyatt Elixson and a 35-yard touchdown catch by Alec McClelon just before halftime marked the high points of the trip for the Tigers.
McClelon’s score was initially erased because an official called offensive pass interference on the junior wide receiver.
However, the public address announcer at Champ Bailey Stadium announced that the flag had been waved off, and the touchdown was good.
Then, the referee walked over to Thomas and told him the penalty was not waved off, and that the coach’s offense would reset its drive on its own 35.
Summer in the weight room
Thomas said the team’s summer workout sessions will focus on weight training and will take place four mornings a week, lasting approximately three to four hours.
“The weight room is the core of our program,” he said. “Our weight room and what we do in the weight room kind of transfers to our physicality on the field and how we want to play.”
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