Unbeaten Union County Returns To The Playoffs

It's been a few years since fans in Lake Butler have had something concrete to cheer about. Their Union County Fightin' Tigers have enjoyed plenty of success over the years, but until last year when veteran head coach <strong>Andrew Thomas</strong> posted a 9-4 record, there have been some lean years. Heading into Friday night's 1A second round game at 9-1 Hilliard, this program is unbeaten in 11 games – and outscoring the opposition this season, 448-104, the memories of the past five seasons have started to fade. Before Thomas arrived, the previous years 7-6 (2019), 5-6 (2018) and 6-5 in 2017 were not kind to the Fightin' Tigers. This past off-season set the tone for the success of this program, which owns wins over Starke Bradford County (50-21), Clearwater Collegiate Academy (10-6), Gainesville P.K. Yonge (28-13), Williston (46-12), Winter Haven Akelynn's Angel Christian Academy (47-0), Cross City Dixie County (28-12), Jacksonville Hollis Christian (42-0), Alachua Santa Fe (49-14), Newberry (45-13), Cocoa Beach (54-0) and last week's first round playoff win against Trenton (49-13). <strong>TALENTED SENIOR CLASS</strong> Every successful program has a solid senior class leading the way – and Union County has been no exception. Class of 2022 standouts <strong>Caleb Crawford</strong> (RB/DL, 5-9, 185 – 2.78 GPA), <strong>Alex Dure'</strong> (OL, 6-3, 285 – 3.71 GPA, 26 ACT), <strong>Trevor Holtzendorf</strong> (LB, 5-10, 180 – 3.08 GPA – 17 ACT), <strong>Aidan Newsome</strong> (WR/DB, 5-10, 165 – 3.75 GPA, 32 ACT) and <strong>Malcolm Odom</strong> (SS/Athlete, 5-10, 175 – 2.91 GPA) are special. So are <strong>Martin Odom</strong> (DB/Athlete, 5-10, 170 – 2.8 GPA) and well-rounded <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50253" first="Curran" last="Webb"]</strong> (OLB/TE, 6-3, 210 -4.2 GPA, 26 ACT). <strong>JUNIOR CLASS STEPS UP</strong> As the seniors have added the experience and leadership, the impressive Class of 2023 have also made a huge contribution this season. Prospects such as all-around standout quarterback <strong>A.J. Cortese </strong>(6-4, 200 - 3.31 GPA), <strong>Daylyn Diston</strong> (WR/DB, 5-11, 160 – 3.33 GPA), <strong>Rayvon Durant</strong> (RB/SS, 5-9, 190 – 2.94 GPA), <strong>Markus Strong</strong> (DL, 6-4, 245 – 2.5 GPA), <strong>Daviontae Thompson</strong> (DE/RB, 6-3, 240 – 24 GPA), <strong>Dee Williams</strong> (WR/CB, 6-0, 170 – 2.5 GPA) and versatile lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128625" first="Mikah" last="Wilson"]</strong> (OL/DL, 6-4, 300 2.45 GPA) have played extremely well all season. <strong>PHOTO COURTESY OF LAKE BUTLER UNION COUNTY FOOTBALL</strong> <strong>TRACKING FLORIDA: Teams Look At 2021 Season. </strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/"><strong>https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/</strong></a> <strong><em>You Can Contact [player_tooltip player_id="111610" first="Larry" last="Blustein"] with prospect or team information at: </em></strong><a href="mailto:Floridakids1@aol.com"><strong><em>Floridakids1@aol.com</em></strong></a><strong><em>.</em></strong>