Friday Night Holler Report: WOOOOO! The Nature Boy Says Union Is Stylin’, Profilin’, and Bear-Huggin’ the Wolfpack!

“WOOOOOOOO!”

Somewhere in Dickenson County Friday night, you could almost hear Ric “The Nature Boy” Flair hollering, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!”

And brother, the Union Bears rolled into Ridgeview’s Wolfpack Stadium looking to do just that. They weren't wearing $5,000 custom-made suits, alligator shoes, or riding in limousines and flying in jet airplanes. Nope. These boys came over from Big Stone Gap wearing shoulder pads, helmets, and carrying a little old-fashioned Southwest Virginia mountain football attitude.

Now, the folks at Ridgeview have themselves a fancy artificial turf football field. Nice and green, pretty as a picture, and you don't even have to mow the blamed thing. But the Union Bears come from a place where REAL football is played on REAL GRASS, where a little mud on your britches is a badge of honor, and where smash-mouth football means somebody's gonna wake up Saturday morning feeling like they went three rounds with The Nature Boy himself.

And when the final bell rang Friday night, Union was standing tall with a 23-20 Mountain 7 District victory.

“WOOOOO! THAT'S RIGHT, BROTHER!”

Now, don't let that three-point margin fool you. This was a slobberknocker worthy of a steel-cage match, with both teams throwing haymakers until somebody finally hit the mat.

Union came into this one with a reputation for pounding the football behind its big ol' offensive line. Elijah Lomax is usually the fella doing the pounding, but Ridgeview wasn't about to let him run wild. The Wolfpack stacked the defensive box tighter than fans packed around a wrestling ring in the old Kingsport Civic Auditorium. Lomax had to earn every inch, finishing with 69 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Well, as The Nature Boy might say, “Whether you like it or don't like it, learn to love it!”

Union quarterback Abe Hall decided if Ridgeview wanted to crowd the line of scrimmage, he'd just throw the football over their heads. And waiting downfield was senior Rayvon Jones, who turned three catches into 103 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones hauled in a long touchdown pass in the first quarter and added a 16-yard scoring catch in the second. Suddenly, those Wolfpack defenders were looking around like somebody had just hit 'em with a flying elbow off the top rope.

“WOOOOO! STYLIN' AND PROFILIN', BABY!”

Union coach Jamie Harless and offensive coordinator Kory Bostic had talked all week about getting Jones involved. Turns out they knew what they were doing. Hall finished with 175 passing yards, and Jones gave Ridgeview more trouble than Dusty Rhodes ever gave The Nature Boy on a Saturday night.

But don't think the Wolfpack was ready to tap out.

Alex Grant broke loose for a 55-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, bringing Ridgeview within 21-14 at halftime. Grant finished with 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. That young man can flat-out tote the mail, and Union had to keep an eye on him every time he touched the football.

The Bears weren't interested in giving up their championship belt, though. Union blocked a Ridgeview punt, and when the football rolled out of the end zone, the Bears collected two more points on a safety. That made it 23-14, and you could almost hear The Nature Boy hollering from the Union sideline.

“WOOOOO! THE NATURE BOY IS IN THE HOUSE!”

Ridgeview wasn't finished. With 5:13 remaining, quarterback Braxton Deel connected with Landon Yates on a 13-yard touchdown pass, cutting Union's lead to 23-20. Suddenly, the Wolfpack faithful were on their feet, and that fancy artificial turf was about to see one heck of a finish.

Union tried to put the game away with another drive but turned the ball over on downs with 2:31 remaining. Ridgeview had one last opportunity to steal the show, and the Wolfpack started moving the football.

But every good wrestling match needs somebody to deliver the finishing move.

Enter Union's Bayley Sturgill.

With 1:24 remaining, Sturgill recovered a Ridgeview fumble at the Wolfpack 36-yard line, and just like that, the Bears had delivered the football equivalent of Ric Flair's famous Figure-Four Leglock.

The Wolfpack wasn't getting out of that one.

Union improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Mountain 7, while Ridgeview fell to 4-2 and 2-1 in district play.

Now, Ridgeview has a mighty fine football team, and nobody should mistake this for an easy victory. Those Wolfpack boys fought like somebody had insulted their grandmama's biscuits. But Friday night belonged to the Bears, who proved they could win with the running game, the passing game, special teams, and a defense that knew when to deliver the knockout punch.

And somewhere back in Big Stone Gap, you can bet a few Union fans were celebrating like The Nature Boy after winning another world championship.

Because you can have your fancy artificial turf, your bright stadium lights, and your high-flying offense. But when the Union Bears come calling, they'd just as soon turn the whole thing into an old-fashioned backyard wrestling match.

And as Ric Flair would tell you:

“TO BE THE MAN, YOU GOTTA BEAT THE MAN!”

Friday night, the Bears were the men.

WOOOOOOOO!