🏈 THE FRIDAY NIGHT HOLLER REPORT 🏈

Thursday Night Edition

With Special Guest Reporter Ric “The Nature Boy” Flair

BIG STONE GAP, VA — WOOOOOOOO!

There’s a new head coach walking the Union sideline. There’s a new offense in the playbook. There’s a new quarterback taking the snaps.

But Thursday night at Bullitt Park, one thing looked mighty familiar.

Union won.

And brother, these Bears didn’t exactly ease into the Jamie Harless era. They kicked the front door off the hinges.

Union rolled up 392 yards of offense, held Lee High to six rushing yards and captured another Brawl for the Bucket with a 42-0 whipping of the Generals.

Nature Boy, you have the floor.

“NEW COACH! NEW OFFENSE! SAME BULLITT PARK! WOOOO! Whether you like it or you don’t like it, learn to love it, because Union football is still the best thing going on Thursday night!”

🐻 FRANKENSTEIN COMES TO BULLITT PARK

Coach Jamie Harless calls his offense “Frankenstein.”

After Thursday night, Lee High might have another name for it.

A nightmare.

Harless has pieced together an offense featuring power running, quarterback runs, multiple backs, passing threats and enough formations to make a defensive coordinator reach for another cup of coffee.

“We give defenses a mess of stuff to deal with because our offense has a little bit of everything,” Harless said. “I do think Lee High got a little overwhelmed.”

That's putting it politely.

Union led 35-0 with nine minutes still remaining in the first half. The entire second half was played with a running clock.

“Frankenstein? WOOOO! That's a monster, baby! And Thursday night that monster came walking right down Wood Avenue wearing a Union jersey!”

The Bears rushed for 246 yards, threw for another 146, and eight different Union players carried the football.

That's not an offense built around one superstar. That's an offense making a defense figure out which direction trouble is coming from next.

🎤 ABE HALL TAKES THE MICROPHONE

Senior quarterback Abe Hall waited a long time for his chance to run the Union offense.

Thursday night, he didn't waste it.

The 6-foot-3 senior rushed for 95 yards on 10 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown, while completing 8 of 11 passes for 146 yards and another score.

Hall summed up Harless' offense better than anybody else could.

“It’s just chaos. We have threats everywhere on the field.”

Chaos.

Nature Boy likes chaos.

“Abe Hall! Six-foot-three, running for 95, throwing for 146! Son, that's styling and profiling! That's limousine riding, jet flying, touchdown throwing, fifty-yard running football! WOOOO!”

Hall quickly gave the credit away, praising the community, Union's running backs and an offensive line that controlled the game from the opening whistle.

And that offensive line deserves plenty of it. All the fancy formations in the world don't mean much if somebody is getting knocked backwards at the snap. Thursday night, Union was doing most of the knocking.

💥 HERE COMES ELIJAH LOMAX

Then there's junior Elijah Lomax.

Apparently Lomax decided one touchdown in the first quarter wasn't enough.

So he scored three.

Lomax carried seven times for 85 yards, scoring on runs of 29, 4 and 35 yards. His third touchdown, followed by his own two-point conversion, gave Union a 20-0 lead before the first quarter was over.

“We like to apply the pressure and keep everybody fresh on offense,” Lomax said. “We’ve been productive every day in practice and that carried over into tonight.”

Ric?

“THREE touchdowns in the first quarter? WOOOO! Elijah Lomax walked into Bullitt Park like the Nature Boy walking into the Greensboro Coliseum! Everybody knew something was coming. Nobody could stop it!”

Freshman Jaieree Hamler added another dimension. The powerful young back contributed tough running, solid blocking and a one-yard touchdown.

That's worth remembering. Freshman.

If Thursday night was his introduction, there may be plenty more introductions coming.

🪣 THE BUCKET WAS NEVER REALLY IN DOUBT

The annual Brawl for the Bucket usually comes with plenty of emotion.

This one came with a first-half avalanche.

Lomax scored three times. Hall broke loose from 50 yards. Hamler punched one across the goal line, and Hall later connected with Burke for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

By halftime, the competitive portion of the evening was basically finished.

Union had 19 first downs to Lee's 10 and averaged nearly eight yards every time it attempted a pass. More importantly, the Bears completely erased Lee's ground game.

The Generals finished with 19 rushing attempts for six yards.

Six. Not six per carry. Six for the night.

“SIX rushing yards? WOOOO! I've spent more yards than that strutting from one side of the ring to the other!”

Lee quarterback Clay Robbins did manage 115 yards passing, and Nathan Shelburne caught three passes for 43 yards, but the Generals never found the end zone.

Lee coach Joey Carroll admitted his team didn't match Union's physicality and also noted the difficult circumstances his players faced after a sudden coaching staff departure forced Lee to install a new defense Monday.

The Generals also suffered a far more important concern than the final score when junior Karder Pendergraft injured the same knee that cost him much of last season. Carroll said afterward that the injury “doesn’t look good,” with further evaluation expected Friday.

Here's hoping the young man gets better news than feared.

🏆 DIFFERENT COACH, FAMILIAR EXPECTATIONS

For Jamie Harless, Thursday night was his first game as Union's head coach.

Final score:

Union 42, Lee High 0.

That's a pretty fair way to introduce yourself to Bullitt Park. The place where REAL MEN, PLAY REAL FOOTBALL ON REAL GRASS!

Harless wasn't ready to start polishing a championship belt afterward. His assessment of the offensive line was simply that they “played hard,” and he immediately pointed toward communication and other areas where Union can improve.

That's probably exactly what Union fans want to hear.

Because this program isn't measured by one August victory.

Union has made the playoffs every year the school has existed. The Bears have played for regional championships, made deep postseason runs and entered this season coming off another trip to the state semifinals.

Head coaches have changed. Players have graduated. Offenses have changed.

But that crowd still gathers around Bullitt Park, the Bears still make that late walk onto the field, and somebody wearing navy and orange still expects to be playing football when the leaves start falling off the mountains.

Thursday night, the Jamie Harless era started with 392 yards, six touchdowns, a shutout and another Bucket staying in Big Stone Gap.

The Nature Boy has seen enough.

“Coach Harless, welcome to Bullitt Park! Abe Hall, welcome to the main event! Elijah Lomax, THREE touchdowns, baby! And that big Union offensive line? They're the FOUR HORSEMEN with an extra man!”

Then Flair pauses, straightens the robe and points toward the lights.

“Coaches may come and coaches may go. Players graduate. Playbooks change. But winning football at Bullitt Park?”

“THAT NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE! WOOOOOOOO!”

FINAL: UNION 42, LEE HIGH 0

🏈 Friday Night Holler Football Reports
Big hits. Big plays. Small-town football. And just enough foolishness to keep Friday night interesting.

WOOOOOOOO!