GAC Took it Home on Homecoming 47-7
UCHS Football September 25, 2017
Union County Panthers vs Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans
Varsity Football
September 22, 2017
Location: Blairsville, GA
With the threat of rain approaching at the start of the Homecoming festivities on Friday night, the atmosphere was slightly sound. Parents, friends and teachers arrived several hours before kickoff to support the court and take pictures. Colorful dresses and flashes of camera lights filled up the Panthers endzone. The guys went on to complete their normal pre-game warmups and prepare for the challenge that was ahead.
Greater Atlanta Christian, also known as GAC is now ranked #1 in the AAA Region 7 standings and #6 in the Georgia AAA Region. GAC’s football program is responsible for producing 3 D1 commits this season alone: CB/RB #2 Kyler McMichael (Clemson), CB/WR #4 Trey Morrison (UNC), DE #74 Chris Hinton (Michigan).
As the clock struck 7:30pm, so did the lightning. The game was delayed for exactly one hour before the matchup could begin. After a series of heavy rain, thunder and lightning, the weather finally subsided and the teams took the field. The UC captains for the game were: #8 Cole Wright, #11 RJ Banton, #14 Riley Barrett, and #62 Del Ruff. GAC won the coin toss but allowed Union to receive the ball first.
Panthers, with an unintentional error, threw an interception at the 33-yd line for the first play of the game. It took GAC all of 45 seconds and 2 plays to score against the Panthers making it 7-0.
In the middle of play, the entire stadium lights went out! WOAH. The only lights that remained on for a duration of 30 minutes were those in the press box and those on the scoreboard. To add humor to the evening, fans began to pull out their phones with their flashlights on and wave them in their air like they were at a concert. It was pretty neat! 
With all of the weather and technical difficulties out of the way for the evening, play resumed.
GAC scored once again with 5:18 left in the first off a 5-yd run up the middle. With a nasty onside kick, the Spartans tricked the Panthers and regained possession at their own 45-yd line. It took the Spartans 17 seconds, a 44-yd pass and a 1-yd rush to score the 3rd touchdown. 21-0 GAC.
Panthers with possession, paw upfield for a 1st and 10 at the 31-yd line. Yet, unfortunately, fumble the ball and do not recover. A few plays later, GAC scores again. 28-0 with 3:22 left in the first.
#17 Pierson Allison had to replace #8 Cole Wright halfway through the 1st due to a foot injury.
Panthers determined to change the score, work their way from the Spartans 20-yd line all the way to their endzone. At the 10-yd line #17 Pierson Allison dances around the backfield and bounces off some Spartans before finding #84 Kyle Morlock on the left hand side!! #36 Brian Smith puts it clean between the posts! 28-7 Spartans with 55 seconds left in the 1st.
GAC went on to score 2 more touchdowns against the Panthers before the end of the half. 41-7 Spartans.
The fans stuck around and were anxiously awaiting the halftime show. Homecoming 2017. Union County does their homecoming slightly different than most schools; each grade has a different number of representatives. Freshman elect 2, Sophomores elect 3, Juniors elect 4, and Seniors elect 5.
The members of the 2017 Homecoming Court are as followed: Freshman: Hannah Todd & Chloe Truex. Sophomore: Megan Bright, Caroline Collins, & Cydney Rich. Junior: Aladriel Arnold, Allison Fair, Maddie Sutton, & Carolyne Stone. Senior: Claudia Ledezma, Hannah Lickey, Jessica Palomo, Emily Rittenhouse, & Baylee Young.
The 2017 Homecoming Queen was awarded to Senior JESSICA PALOMO! The first runner up was awarded to Senior Claudia Ledezma & the second runner up was awarded to Senior Baylee Young. Congratulations ladies!!
The Spartans put up one final touchdown in the 4th quarter, ending the game at 47-7 with the Panthers first loss of the season.
The Panthers look forward to facing East Hall in Gainesville, GA for their second conference game of the season on September 29, 2017 at 7:30PM. The Panthers are now 4-1 overall for the season and 0-1 for Region! We need your support Panther fans!
Also, support the Panthers JV team this Thursday, September 28, 2017 as they face the Dawson County Tigers at home at 5:30PM! The JV Panthers are 2-0 currently!
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 112 yards PASSING – 46 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #24 C. Buzzard 20-27; #8 C. Wright 4-15; #17 P. Allison 2-13; #15 C. Dockery 3-5 Total: 46 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #17 P. Allison 14/20, 112; #8 C. Wright 0-3 Total: 112 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #20 C. Rich 5-29; #4 K. Hemphill 3-24; #84 K. Morlock 2-20 (1 TD); #2 C. Schafer 2-14; #21 S. Drake 1-14; #22 A. Pattee 1-11
TACKLES — Panthers: #2 C. Schafer 5; #11 R. Banton 4; #17 P. Allison 3; #34 B. Nelson 3; #14 R. Barrett 2; #53 M. Beise 2; #74 N. Ledford 2; #7 A. Scott 2, etc.
Ruff leads Panthers over Bobcats
UCHS Baseball February 21, 2018
The Panthers faced off against the Gilmer County Bobcats in a non-conference matchup. The Panthers entered the contest with a 1-1 record.
Davis took the mound for the Panthers for the second time this season. Davis pitched well as he allowed one earned run during 4 innings of work.
Davis got info some trouble to start the game allowing a hit and a walk as the Bobcats pounced onto an early lead 1-0.
UCHS senior RJ Banton warms up on the mound during Tuesday night’s game against Gilmer High. Photo by Isaiah Garrett, TeamFYNSports.
Banton stepped in to relive Davis after 4 innings of work. Davis finished with 1 K and 2 BB’s over the course of 4 innings. Davis allowed one earned run.
Can Colwell helped the Panthers grab a lead in the bottom of the 4th with a 2-out, 2-run, single.
The Panthers got into some trouble early in the 6th inning after an error at 3rd base let the Bobcats gain some momentum as they went on to score 3 runs. The Panthers trailed 4-2.
After allowing 3 runs, 2 of which were earned, Banton returned to pitch in the 7th. Banton struck out a batter to start the 7th and finished with 2 groundouts.
Trialing by 2 the Panthers looked to regain the lead and a win. Allison and Ruff walked. Banton got on base with a single. Junior Kelley hit a 2-out, bases clearing, double in walkoff fashion to win the game.
The Panthers were led by, Ruff with 3 HBP BB’s 1RBI and Can. Colwell 1-3 with 2 RBI’s.
The Panthers improve to 2-1. The Panthers will host the Rabun County Wildcats Monday, Feb. 26th in a non-conference matchup.
Union falls to Dawson County
Union County High School February 14, 2018
The Lady Panthers tipped off at 4:30 Feb 7. The Lady Panthers looked to face a Dawson County Lady Tigers team that they had fell to twice already this season. A win for the Lady Panthers would secure the 4th spot in the region and a playoff berth, a loss would end the season.
The Lady Panthers got off to a sluggish and slow start as the Lady Tigers got off to a 10-0 run to start the game. The Lady Panthers found rhythm and followed that run up with a 9-0 run of their own. The Lady Panthers trialed 17-9 at the end of Q1 led by Daniel with 3.
The Lady Panthers continued with their Q1 rhythm as they grabbed a lead right before the half going on a 12-2 run as they led 21-19. Senior guard Daniel led the Lady Panthers with 11 in the first half.
The halftime break got the best of the Lady Panthers as they lost all rhythm and scored only 1 point during the first 5:20 of Q3, the Lady Panthers had 7 turnovers in that span of time. UC trailed 41-27 going into Q4.
The deficit seemed too much to overcome as the Lady Panthers trialed by as many as 18. The Lady Panthers season came to an end as they lost 41-53. Daniel led the Lady Panthers with 15 in her final game, Mccarter followed up with 12.
The Lady Panthers finished the season 15-10 under first year head coach Corey Garrett.
Daniel finished her high school career with over 1000 points and 2 all region selections. Mccarter was the only other Lady Panther to make the all region team. Hill was selected as an honorable mention.
Panthers celebrate senior night, fall to Tigers/Lady Tigers
Union County High School February 7, 2018
The Lady Panthers tipped off at 7 following senior night at 6. The Lady Panthers had 2 seniors, Bailey Daniel and Grace Wischmeyer. Wischmeyer was limited to playing time this season due to a knee injury.
The Lady Panthers faced off against the Lady Tigers from Dawson County. The Lady Panthers fell to the Lady Tigers earlier in the season 54-42. The Lady Panthers looked to secure a spot in the playoffs with a win.
Mccarter led UC with 4 of the 9 points scored in the first quarter. The Lady Panthers trailed 11-9 after Q1.
The Lady Tigers used a 12-4 run to open Q2 to extend the halftime lead 32-21. Ade. Dockrey led the Lady Panthers with 4 points. The Lady Tigers also used a 9-1 run the close Q2.
The Lady Panthers fell behind majorly in the first half due to poor free throw shooting. The Lady Panthers shot only 35% from the line 6-17.
The Lady Tigers separates themselves over the course of Q3 with a score of 54-31. Hill led Lady Panthers scorers with 4.
The Lady Panthers fell 70-38 to the Lady Tigers. Sticker led the Lady Tigers with 25. Mccarter led the Lady Panthers with 8.
The Lady Panthers finish the 15-9 in the regular season. The Lady Panthers next game will be Wednesday Feb 7th, at East Hall facing off against Dawson in the first game of the region tournament.
The Panthers followed tipping off at 8:30.
The Panthers had several seniors, twins, Candler and Crawford Colwell, RJ Banton, Cole Davis, Timothy Patrick, and Patrick Baggett.
Cra. Colwell was only 6 points away from hitting his 1000th point. The Panthers trailed early 13-9 at the end of Q1 as they were led by Baggett who had 4.
The Panthers trailed 31-34 at the half. UC was led by Allison who has 3. Cra. Colwell with 1:38 left to play in Q2.
The Tigers used a 8-0 run to open Q3 as they led 45-34. DC was led by Reed with 5 and The Panthers were led by Davis with 4.
The Panthers would fall to the Tigers for the second time this season 59-47. The Panthers fall to 16-8. UC wad led by Baggett with 17. The Panthers will play @ East Hall Feb. 6th, I. The opening round of the region tournament. The Panthers will play North Hall.
Lady Panthers fall to North Hall, Panthers streak continues
TeamFYNSports December 17, 2017
Panthers ‘Trump’ the Wildcats 42-14!
UCHS Football September 11, 2017
Union County Panthers vs Andrews Wildcats
Varsity Football
September 8, 2017
Location: Blairsville, GA
“Make America Great Again, Trump the Wildcats”
It wasn’t just another Friday night for the Panthers – Union County honored its first responders (Firefighters, EMTs, Police Officers, etc) and Deputy/Former Security Guard for UCHS Mitchell Henderson flew in the game ball on a helicopter. The crowd was in awe as the pilot landed the helicopter in the playground just above the field and watched him make his way down to the 50-yd line. This was very special for the hometown of Blairsville; Mitchell was flown out last year when he was involved in a life threatening car crash. His miraculous recovery had nearly everyone at a loss for words and some in tears.
Another interesting touch to the evening; the Panthers Pit Crew (a.k.a. the student section), made an executive decision to honor the first responders & Cole Wright’s offer to West Point by dressing in their ‘Merica gear.’ The banner below says “They Hate U.S. Cuz They Ain’t U.S.”
Upon receiving the ball, the game began and took an unusual twist in the first quarter. Instead of the Panthers norm of exploding and scoring immediately, they threw an interception for their first possession. The 1A SMC Wildcats advanced from the 20-yd line to the end zone for the first touchdown of the night. Womp, womp.
#84 Kyle Morlock
That lit a fuse within the Panthers players. With an impressive left field shift, #8 Cole Wright found #84 Kyle Morlock for a 20-yd spiral into a closing window, leveling the playing field back to 7-7.
With defenses working aggressively against each other, the Panthers offense fought hard and scored one touchdown in the second quarter. Several first-and-tens upfield brought the Panthers to scoring position as #15 Cole Dockery fought his way through for a 1-yd rush, improving the score to 14-7!
#8 Wright pawing his way through the Wildcats for a TD
Then the lights came on for the Panthers in the third quarter – literally. Until this point, the stadium had been darker than usual due to a section of lights being out on the left-hand side of the field.
Assuming Coach Brian Allison and the other coaches said some very encouraging words to the guys in the locker room during halftime, the boys came back out and dominated the Wildcats like they have every team they’ve played so far this season!
Being chased by his shadow, #21 Sawyer Drake
The Panthers pawed their way down the field and scored 4 more touchdowns in the second half of the game!
TD#3: an impressive 43-yd run by QB #8 Cole Wright up the left-hand side through a pack of Cats!
TD#4: a wide open 43-yd run up the right-hand side by Senior #15 Cole Dockery!
TD#5: a beautiful 71-yd spiral straight down the mid-field line to Sophomore #21 Sawyer Drake!
TD#6: a poetic 24-yd run by QB #8 Cole Wright! Wright tried the right-hand side but quickly saw defense closing in, switched back and took it up the left-hand side for a TD!
42-7 PANTHERS!
To reduce the Wildcats suffering, the Panthers allowed them one last 9-yd pass for a touchdown ending the game at 42-14.
Allison ended the game by telling his players, “Thankful for the win but we needed a game like this to prepare us for the rest of our season.”
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 264 yards PASSING – 188 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 7-125 (2 TD); #15 C. Dockery 9-100 (2 TD); #24 C. Buzzard 6-45 Total: 264 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 9/16, 188 Total: 188 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #21 S. Drake 2-77 (1 TD); #18 L. Dyer 1-32; #4 K. Hemphill 2-31 (1 TD); #4 K. Hemphill 3-26; #84 K. Morlock 1-20 (1 TD); #20 C. Rich 1-13; #22 A. Pattee 1-11.
With another win under their belt, the Panthers look forward to hosting Banks County for another non-conference game on September 15, 2017 at 7:30PM. The Panthers are now 3-0 for the season!
Also, support the Panthers JV team this Thursday, September 14, 2017 as they face the White County Warriors on the road at 5:30PM! The JV Panthers opened up their season last week with a victory over the Fannin County Rebels, making their record 1-0!
(Pictures by: Jenni Dixon)
Panther Playback 2018
Business August 28, 2018
BKP sits down every Monday night with Union Panther’s head Coach Brian Allison to discuss the previous week’s game and look forward to the next game.
11/5/18 – Senior Night
10/29/18
10/22/18
10/15/18
Special 1-on-1
9/24/18
9/17/18
9/10/18
8/27/18
Union travels to GAC despite rough weather
Union County High School January 24, 2018
Friday Jan 19th despite no school due to the weather Union county traveled to GAC to face off in a 7-AAA matchup. The Lady Panthers were a little rusty having not played in a week due to game cancellations. The Lady Panthers got off to a slow start against the #1 team in the state.
UC trialed 7-18 at the end of Q1. The Lady Panthers were led by senior Bailey Daniel with 5 points, GAC was led by Sutton with 7. The Lady Panthers trailed at the half 21-34. Daniel led the panthers with 10, Sutton led the Lady Spartans with 15.
Turner led GAC in the 3rd with 13 points to extend the lead the Lady Panthers. UC was led by Mccarter’s 6 points. The Lady Panthers were on the wrong end of a 12-1 run to end Q3 37-55.
The final score was 53-64. Senior Bailey Daniel led all Lady Panthers with 25 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Brooke Dockrey scored 11 and Kait Mccarter scored 11 and had 9’rebounds. The Lady Panthers fall to 12-6 and 4-3 in region play. The Lady Panthers will play Andrews NC, Saturday Jan 20th.
The Panthers followed the Lady Panthers tipping off at 6. The Panthers got off to a slow start against the #4 team in the state. UC trailed 29-8 at the end of Q1. Patrick Baggett scored all 8 points for the Panthers in the first quarter.
The Panthers were on the wrong side of a 13-1 run to begin Q2 to trail 50-15 at the half. Pierson Allison led UC scorers with 6 points. The Panthers were in a hole that they would never get out of as they trailed 65-26 at the end of Q3. The final score was 75-31.
Pierson Allison led all UC scorers with 12 followed by Baggett with 11. The Panthers fall to 13-5 and 3-4 in region play. The Panthers next game will be home against Andrews NC.
Union County takes 3rd in Battle of the States
Union County High School January 2, 2018
Friday Dec. 29, the panthers looked to finish off day 3 of the Battle of the States tournament. Both teams were 1-1 and were playing for 3rd place. Both were playing towns. The lady panthers dominated all assets of the game.
The lady Indians were missing star freshman forward Kennedi Henson and the lady panthers capitalized early and often as the panthers out rebounded the lady Indians 16-6 in the first half. The score was 13-8 at the end of Q1.
The lead grew of the course of Q2 at the half the score was 24-13 as sophomore guard Brooke Dockrey led the team with 8 points. At the end of Q3 38-22. Union ended the game with a final score of 52-33 at sophomore guard Brooke Dockrey had 16 and senior guard Bailey Daniel had 14.
Union out rebounded the lady Indians 28-12 as The lady panthers finished 3 and had one all tournament selection which was Bailey Daniel. The lady panthers are currently ranked 11th in AAA and host the #14 lady Vikings Jan. 2nd @ 6.
Panthers Defeated by East Hall 62-42
UCHS Football October 2, 2017
Union County Panthers vs East Hall Vikings
Varsity Football
September 29, 2017
Location: Gainesville, GA
With t
he sun shining on the Panthers as they arrived at East Hall’s football stadium Friday night, the mood was light. Parents and students mingled with one another as East Hall’s band serenaded the stadium and their cheerleaders released balloons into the open sky.
East Hall is now ranked #3 in the AAA Region 7 standings behind GAC and Dawson County and #8 in the Georgia AAA Region. To my knowledge, East Hall does not currently have any players committed to continue their football career in college.
With the matchup beginning promptly at 7:30pm, the UC captains were announced: #8 Cole Wright, #11 RJ Banton, #
50 Coleson Daniel, and #70 Jeffery Buzzard. Not sure who won the coin toss but Union County received the ball first!
Panthers, determined to get the advantage, scored first! #8 Cole Wright found #21 Sawyer Drake wide open in the endzone for a 26-yd pass! The kick by #36 Brian Smith was good for a Panthers 7-0 lead with 8:27 left in the first quarter.
The Vikings battled back; passing their way upfield to even out the score. Ut. Oh. Vikings QB threw for a 44-yd wide open touchdown! There was a sideline warning penalty on the Vikings; Union fans cheered with hopes that the touchdown would be no good but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. 7-7 with 7:17 left in the first.
East Hall scored two more again the Panthers in the first quarter. They used a combination of passing to push them upfield and get in scoring position. Vikings QB threw a 26-yd pass which pushed them to 1st and Goal, then used one of their larger players to dive overtop of the defense in order to score. The final touchdown of the first quarter was from a similar situation except the player tiptoed into the endzone. The kick, however, was no good. Vikings lead 20-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Panthers find #84 Morlock in the endzone from the 15-yd line and score another bringing the deficit to 20-14. 8:48 left in the second quarter.
#17 Pierson Allison replaced #8 Cole Wright momentarily during the first quarter but Wright completed the game for the Panthers, even though he appeared to be limping and in pain for most of the game.
East Hall goes on to score 3 more touchdowns against the Panthers through the first half and a quarter of the way through the third quarter. Thus increasing the deficit to 42-14 Vikings.
Panthers, playing with heart, work their way to the end zone once more. #8 Cole Wright digs his way on the left hand side for another touchdown and limps his way over to the sideline as #36 Brian Smith kicks once more. 42-21 Vikings with 7:25 left in the third quarter.
With a quick blitz and run up the right hand side, the Vikings score again off a 50-yd rush and a short pass to their #1. 49-21, 5:47 remaining in the third.
Back and forth they go, the Panthers score again!
#24 Chad Buzzard on the carry pushed the Panthers all the way to the 5-yd line. One penalty later and a 20-yd pass puts the ball in the hands of #21 Sawyer Drake for another touchdown! 49-28 now with 3:34 left in the third.
As I mentioned before, the game seemed to be a game of back-and-forth. The Panthers scored and then the Vikings scored. Then repeat that once more.
East Hall scored the final touchdown of the game due to the Panthers inability to gain yardage on their last possession. The game ended on an incomplete pass around the 30-yd line. Final Score: 62 – 42 Vikings.
Now that they have seen the competition they will be facing the remaining games of the season, the Panthers must put in the extra work. The remainder of the season will not be easy. Up next, they face Dawson County at Home. Dawson is currently ranked #1 in the 7-AAA Region! The Panthers are now 4-2 overall for the season and 0-2 for Region! We need your support Panther fans!
Also, support the Panthers JV team this Thursday, October 5, 2017 as they face Chestatee on the road at 5:30PM! The JV Panthers are 2-1 currently!
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 279 yards PASSING – 282 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #24 C. Buzzard 24-152; #8 C. Wright 16-119 (1 TD); #15 C. Dockery 4-15 Total: 279 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 18-32; 282; #17 P. Allison 0-1 Total: 112 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #21 S. Drake 6-115 (2 TDs); #24 C. Buzzard 3-63 (2 TDs); #2 C. Schafer 2-52; #22 A. Pattee 3-17; #84 K. Morlock 1-15 (1 TD); #20 C. Rich 2-12; #15 C. Dockrey 1-8
TACKLES — Panthers: #2 C. Schafer 7; #11 R. Banton 6; #14 R. Barrett 6; #17 P. Allison 5; #32 J. Colwell 5; #53 M. Beise 3; #12 S. Dobbins 3; #30 H. Kelley 2
UC PANTHERS JV SOFTBALL REMAIN UNDEFEATED
Business August 24, 2017
Union County vs White County Junior Varsity Softball
August 23, 2017
Location: Cleveland, GA
The Lady Panthers are still UNDEFEATED with a record of 4-0 and that is something to smile about!
Pictured: Kristen Poteete(Softball) “is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” – Yogi Berra
The Lady Warriors proved this statement to be true in yesterday’s game. With no offense to them, it seemed obvious that their pitching staff struggled to throw over the plate.
The Panthers faced three Warriors pitchers – O’Kelly, Vandiver and Anderson. Throughout the course of their 3 full innings, they had a combined total of 11 walks, 1 strikeout and 3 hits. Meaning: an average inning against these pitchers might consist 3 – 4 batters being walked, 1 getting a hit and someone seldomly getting struck out.
Opposite of that, Panthers pitcher Trinity Queen threw all 3 innings with a total of 3 walks, 6 strikeouts and 1 hit. Meaning: an average inning for Queen based on these stats will consist of 1 walk, 2 strikeouts and possibly a hit/ball in play; A.K.A. a quick inning.
With the minimal amount of time these ladies are allotted to play, they waste no time gaining an advantage over their opponent. In the top of the second inning the Panthers put up 6 runs; split evenly between walks (3) and singles (3). The Warriors never managed to score the entirety of the game. And the Lady Panthers brought home an 8-0 victory after a series of walks.
As you can see below, they also display admirable comradely between the coaching staff and each other which is another advantage this team has over others they may face.
Pictured: Payton OliverThe next JV Lady Panthers game is set for Tuesday, August 29, 2017 at 4:30 PM! Come out and support your Lady Panthers!
Union County School Systems Bid on Police Cars
Community September 25, 2018
Union County, Ga.—Union County School System contacted 84 vendors for bids on two potential vehicles for their Police Department. Two bids were returned from Jacky Jones Ford in Cleveland, Ga. and Ware Chevrolet in Blairsville, Ga.
Union County Schools Police Department currently owns two Dodge Durangos and has an order placed for two Dodge Durangos for 24,000 dollars each. These Durangos need additional work done as far as outfitting the vehicles with proper safety measures like lights, reflectors, sirens, etc.
Board of Education’s Assessment & Compliance Coordinator David Murphy suggested that the Board of Education go with the Jacky Jones Ford bid because the Dodge Chargers are already outfitted and there are about a 10K dollar cheaper.
Board Member Janna D. Atkins asked, “So how many vehicles do we have?”
Murphy responded, “We own two Dodge Durangos and we have another two Dodge Durangos on order. This [the Jacky Jones Ford deal] would allow us to cancel the order because the Dodge Durangos are 24,000 plus outfitting and the lights and all the equipment would make for a several thousand-dollar cost. So, this would be the cheapest option we can get.”
Janna D. Atkins replied, “So this is just a matter of us changing our minds between the Dodge Durangos and the Dodge Chargers?”
Superintendent John Hill spoke, “We found a cheaper option.”
Chairwoman Cynthia Odom stated, “Well there wasn’t any used ones available when we initially looked at them…”
Both Hill and Murphy answered, “No, ma’am.”
Murphy continued, “All the information that we got [from initial search] was 80,000-100,000-mile vehicles. We put out [bids] there for less than 40,000.”
Hill explained, “There were some cars at this price point that was low-mileage used cars, but they weren’t outfitted with all the equipment.”
In the end, there was a unanimous vote to approve the Jacky Jones Ford bid for the two new outfitted Dodge Chargers for the Union County School Police Department pursuit vehicles.
After losing only three seniors, Union baseball is loaded
UCHS Baseball February 14, 2018
The Panthers look to improve after striking out on a 10-15 2017 season, and with a dugout full of experience returning this season, they’re chances are looking pretty good.
“The Panthers graduated only 3 players after the 2017 season,” third year head coach Robby Roxbury said in a recent interview with your TeamFYNSports reporter. He added, “This team has a lot of potential and we’re looking on building momentum early in the season and riding on it throughout the season.”
This 2018 Panthers roster returns many starters and carries a deep bullpen into this season. Region 7-AAA is one of the more difficult regions in the state as North Hall won the state championship during the 2017 season and GAC advanced into the quarterfinals.
Coach Roxbury when asked about how this region stacks up replied, “You look at this region and say wow! This is easily one of the most talented and most difficult regions in the state. Just to show how talented this region is, North Hall placed 3rd in the region last year and went on to win the state championship.”
The Panthers look to lean on the senior leadership from this team as they will have 7 seniors. All 5 of the 7 seniors have played all 4 years at Union County.
When asking senior infielder Patrick Baggett on what he thought about the upcoming season: ‘“This has been the quickest 3 years of my life I can’t believe we’re already seniors I’ve played with these guys since t-ball. I think we will improve a lot in contrast to last year, I’m not going to lie it was a difficult year for all of us we hate losing.”
Baggett along with the rest of the players, coaches, and fans hope to see this team make a deep run in the playoffs.
Union County handles business, defeats Lumpkin varsity teams
Union County High School January 8, 2018
Friday Jan 4, the Panthers faced off in a region matchup against the Lumpkin County Indians. The Lady Panthers tipped off at 7pm, the Lady Panthers got off to a hot start, taking a 12-3 lead as the first quarter came to a close.
The Lady Panthers continued to impress in the second quarter, led by sophomore center Kait Mccarter. Mccarter nearly had a double-double in the first half, with 10 points scored and eight boards collected before the end of the first two quarters of play.
After halftime, the Lady Panthers showed no signs of letting up. They went on a 10-3 run to end the third quarter with a score of 34-19 going into the fourth, a somewhat comfortable 15-pt lead.
The fourth quarter was a duplication of the previous three, demonstrated with an 11-2 run by the Lady Panthers, who at one point led by as many as 24.
The Lady Panthers top scorers were senior guard Bailey Daniel who had 19 (she is 7 points away from 1000!) and sophomore forward Kait Mccarter with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
The Lady Panthers improve to 10-4 and 3-1 in 7-AAA. The next game will be Saturday, Jan 5, at Andrews (NC) at 5:30pm.
The Panthers followed the Lady Panthers, tipping off at 8:30pm Friday night.
The varsity boys got off to a hot start, with starting forward Sawyer Drake scoring 12 straight points to put Union County up 23-17 after the first quarter of regulation.
Early in the second, however, tragedy struck as the super sophomore was forced to limp off the court in pain. Preliminary reports speculate Drake suffered a torn meniscus, an injury that would certainly leave some large shoes to fill for the Panthers.
As the team regrouped, they continued to keep the momentum in their favor and led by as many as 17 in before heading to the locker room at halftime, leading by 13, 40-27.
The third quarter was much of the same, as the Panthers came out and went back to work. They managed the ball well offensively, avoided unnecessary fouls, and continued to apply pressure defensively; extending their lead at the end of the third by a score of 64-39. A large part of that effort offensively came from senior forward Crawford Colwell, who had produced 21 points going into the final quarter of play.
Union (12-2, 3-1) finished the game with a final score of 76-54. They traveled to Andrews (NC) on Saturday, full story to follow.
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Panthers looking ahead after opening double-header
UCHS Baseball February 20, 2018
The Panthers faced off against the Commerce Tigers in a double header. This would be the Panthers first test of the season. Commerce is considered one of the better teams in the 1A-Private region.
The first pitch was at 4:05. Baggett was UC’s first baserunner of the season and Dyer was the first base hit of the year.
Ruff was the first to pitch for the Panthers in a game that would dig into the bullpen. Ruff pitched 2 innings. Ruff struck 2 batters out, walked 1, allowed 4 hits, Ruff was allotted for 3 earned runs.
Rich took over in inning 3 as the Panthers trailed 3-0. Rich pitched 2 shut out innings as Baggett tied the game up in top of the 4th with a 3 run 2 our single.
Rich got into some trouble early in the 5th as 3 hits and 2 walks as he gave up 3 earned runs. Rich finished with 4 K’s, 4 BB’s, and 3 ER.
Banton stepped in to finish the inning as the Panthers trailed 3-7 at the end of the 5th.
The Panthers put the comeback in force as they scored 2 runs in the 6th which was started by a Baggettt walk.
Colwell stepped in to pitch the 6th as he allowed 2 runs Colwell allowed 4 hits with 1 K.
Baggett finished 2-2 with 4 RBI’s and 2 BB’s and 2 steals.
The second game of the double header got underway at 7:20.
Harkins started the second game of the evening as he pitched 2 innings.
Baggett was the first run of the second game as he scored off of a walk, a stolen base, and an error.
The Panthers used a huge second inning to separate from the Tigers as Schafer hit his first home run of his career. The Panthers led 6-2 after the 2nd.
J. Colwell took over in the top of the 3rd as he gathered 4 K’s over the course of 4 innings. Colwell allowed 3 runs and walked 4.
Davis stepped in to close the game as he finished with 2 K’s and 1 BB.
Schafer led the Panthers going 2-2 with a homerun and a INF single. Dyer followed with going 2-3 with 2 RBI’s.
The Panthers improved to 1-1 as they split the series. The Panthers next game will be against Rabun county in a non-region matchup Tues. Feb 20th. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:00.
Panthers battle Indians for Region placements
UCHS Football January 31, 2018
Tuesday Jan 30th played against the Lumpkin County Lady Indians. The Lady Panthers looked to complete the season sweep over the Lady Indians who sat in 5th place in the region. A win would secure a playoff spot. A win would put the Lady Panthers in place for a 3 way tie.
The Lady Panthers got off to a quick start against the Lady Indians. The Lady Panthers led 10-2 at the end of Q1. Mccarter led all scorers with 8 points.
A slow Q2 by the Lady Panthers put them ahead 19-16 at the half. The Lady Indians opened the quarter on a 8-0 run. The Lady Panthers were led by Mccarter who had 4.
Bailey Daniel led the Lady Panthers with 4 points in Q3. To extend the UC lead 28-27 over the Lady Indians.
The Lady Panthers would go on to win a tough fought game 36-33. Daniel made 2 free throws to seal the game. The Lady Panthers were led by Mccarter’s 14 and Daniel’s poured in 11.
The Lady Panthers are now in a 3 way tie for 2nd place with East Hall and Dawson. The Lady Panthers will play Dawson County Fri, Feb 2 for Senior Night (beginning at 6pm).
The Panthers followed, tipping off at 7:30pm. The Panthers got off to a hot scoring start as they led 14-11 at the end of Q1. The Panthers were led by Allison who scored 7 in the first.
The Panthers separated themselves over the course of Q2 as they led 38-26 at the half. Baggett led UC scorers in the second with 9 points.
Cra. Colwell went down with an injury with :02 left to play in the half as he got pushed down on the Indians inbound. He is believed to have a grade 2 LCL sprain. His status is uncertain for the next game.
Can. Colwell opened Q3 with 6 straight points himself to lead UC with 8 points in the quarter as The Panthers led 52-42 at the end of Q3.
Drake and Bagget led Panther scorers with 4 each in Q4. Drake fouled out with just under 3:00 left to play. The Panthers went on to win 66-58.
The Panthers were led by Allison 16 and Drake 13. The Panthers improve to 16-7 and 5-6 in region play. The Panthers next game will be against Dawson County Fri, Feb 2. It will be senior night as well. Senior night starts at 6pm.