Football season has kicked off for the Union County High School Patriots. There are several returning seniors this year into the program, which is in its third year under Coach Larry Kerr’s leadership. The team has been practicing on the field and in the weight room for several months and they are looking forward to an eventful season on the new turf field.

The team is branded in being a family culture with a strong bond and feeling of being a part of something meaningful and important. They play tough physical football and opponents will feel the full fight for four quarters. These boys have busted the weight room heavily and gained muscle and strength, and they have a line with a lot of experience to back it.

Coaching staff includes Larry Kerr, Josh Kerr, Steve Smith, Derek Marlow, David Pierce, Vincent Alonzo, and Lucas Kidwell. Since Kerr and his crew came to Union County, the team has gained consistency and competitiveness, which are the most important things. The team came out of a long slump and the demeanor changed almost immediately, giving the players confidence and something to believe in. The seniors have been a part of building a legacy and have seen firsthand the transformation of performance, play and support.

Overall, the community support has grown over the few seasons and continues as we head into this season. People are now excited to talk football and about the program. The Patriots have made a name for themselves and gained pride and identity getting the community backing them.

As far as looking into the season ahead, Coach Josh Kerr says, “We will take every game one at a time and improve each week as we go out onto the field putting our best efforts forward. The team has worked for what they have and are very coachable, so good things lie ahead.”

As a whole, the coaches are still working on filling the positions of last year’s graduating seniors and figuring out which players this year have the big play potential. Seniors on the roster this year include Will Brantley, Kristian Britt, Alonzo Creech, Wyatt Hall, Trey Harrison, Alex Padgett, Zach Pierce, Connor Roberts, Anthony Schneider, Michel Scraggs, and Piersen Wallace. Several of them play both sides of the ball on top of having skill and leadership.

As a season opener, the Patriots traveled to the field of the Cherokee Chiefs in Rogersville. The game presented an unusual situation in how it ended at half time after several weather delays for lightning. Cherokee is a 5A team that looks good on paper, but what showed at the game is that the Patriots held their own with a much higher-ranked team. The defense came up with some strong stops in addition to some well-run plays. This game gave many of the boys some good experience in the Friday night lights and got them ready for the rest of the season. Coach says it would have been much better to finish the game, but since that didn’t happen, the team still left with confidence and are moving in the right direction heading into the big rivalry of the Battle of the Bridge game against the Claiborne County Bulldogs.

The Claiborne County game is the first game being played on the new turf to break it in for competitions this fall. With the familiarity between neighboring Claiborne and Union teams, there is always robust competitiveness on the field.

It is amazing to see the changes the team has worked for, on and off the field. Coach Kerr sends out a sincere thanks to Superintendent Dr. Jimmy Carter, Principal Carmen Murphy, the school board, the community, and parents for all of the support. It shows and it makes the difference. Be sure to cheer on the Patriots and wear your red and blue on Fridays this season!