Union Pines Vikings 2025 Season Preview

It's July, which means it's team preview season! Here, I'm taking teams from across the state and highlighting their talent and potential in 2025. We're player-focused, so the biggest piece is highlighting future college talent. However, no good preview leaves out important info about the team and its chances during the season, so that will also play heavily into these previews.   Union Pines is a fast-improving team with a young roster. What can the Vikings do in 2025?   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Union Pines Vikings Season Preview</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Key Info</h3>   Head Coach: Bryan Till   2024 Record: 6-5   2025 Conference: Carolina Pines 6A   Key 2025 Games: Pinecrest (8/29), Southern Lee (10/10), Lee County (10/24)   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Key Storyline</h3>   Not all realignment is created equal and Union Pines is one of the most affected teams in the entire state. Not only has the competition within their conference changed drastically, so has the geography. After playing teams in the southeastern part of North Carolina, Union Pines will not move to a conference that, despite its name, isn't really in the "Pines" area of the state at all.   Union Pines is the furthest west and furthest south in its conference by a significant distance, as the Vikings are paired with teams in Lee, Harnett, and even Johnston County. I'm not sure whether that's a positive or a negative. On paper, this is a significantly easier conference than the one Union Pines played in last season, and the Vikings went 3-1 against current conference teams last season, with a close 26-23 loss to Southern Lee as the only blemish.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Union Pines Players </h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Offense</h3>   The strongest part of the Union Pines offense last season was the receiving corps, and that's the group that returns the most in 2025. The headliner is tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1644371' first='Hayne' last='Tobias'], a high-upside athlete at tight end and a Chattanooga commit. He's the key cog that makes the offense go, both as a receiver in the passing game and a lead blocker in the running game. His versatility allows the Vikings to give several unique looks while staying in the same personnel groupings.   They live by committee at running back, but rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1610573' first='Adrian' last='Colon'] began to separate himself at the end of last season and comes into the year as the likely 1A option.   In the slot, [player_tooltip player_id='1663329' first='John' last='Erguiza'] was the second-leading receiver last year, catching 24 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He's shifty and bring a unique skillset to the passing game.   The quarterback position is anything but decided, but watch out for sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1690456' first='Vida' last='Blue'], a talented dual-threat quarterback with excellent upside. The same could be said for a young offensive line. The coaching staff is high on class of 2028 OL [player_tooltip player_id='1687429' first='Easton' last='McCullen'], and while he may not start initially, it's going to be hard to keep him off the field.   Long-snapper [player_tooltip player_id='1697345' first='Taylon' last='Tranel'] will play at NC State because of his snapping ability, not as an offensive lineman, but he's a talented blocker and should factor in on the offensive line as well.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Defense</h3>   The strength of this team lies in its defense, specifically its front seven. Led by rising juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1610572' first='Josiah' last='Sandler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1610571' first='Dylan' last='Benedict'], the off-ball linebackers are simultaneously young and battle-tested. Benedict was an all-conference selection, while Sandler is making noise in the weight room looks poised for a big jump in 2025 after a 53-tackle sophomore season.   The reliability and speed of the linebackers allow the defensive linemen freedom to be aggressive. There are also both questions and the elite potential on the defensive line.   [player_tooltip player_id='1572073' first='Elijah' last='Clayton'] is slightly undersized for an edge rusher, and he'll often stand up off the ball as well. But, he's putting up some strong athletic testing numbers this offseason. He registered a 4.72 laser-timed 40 at the Under Armour Next Camp and is a recent member of the 1,100 club as a lifter, with a 500-pound squat and 330-pound bench as the highlights.   Despite being a bit undersized, [player_tooltip player_id='1706196' first='Domanic' last='Bean'] is the headliner on the inside, and he had 27 tackles last season. He held up well at the point of attack while playing nearly 15 pounds lighter than he will this season, so I'm excited to see what the work in the weight room can do on the field. He's joined by Pinecrest transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1706217' first='Duncan' last='Obst'], who played mostly off the edge and had 1.5 sacks a year ago.   On the other edge, 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1706216' first='Christian' last='Romine'] may start, despite having never played high school football. The staff is high on his potential, but we just don't know a lot about what he can do.   The secondary has some new pieces after the Vikings lost half of their interception production last season, but there is some serious talent on the back end. The safety duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1706205' first='Drew' last='Dougherty'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1706209' first='Jonah' last='Thienel'] are each a bit undersized, but fearless and fly around the back end of the defense. Each holds a DIII offer and have the speed, quickness, and awareness to control a game from their safety positions. Corner [player_tooltip player_id='1680008' first='Damarie' last='Johnson'] returns as an experienced coverage guy with two interceptions a season ago.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Verdict</h2>   I think conference realignment really benefits the Vikings. Outside of the quarterback position, the Vikings are a veteran group, returning their top three tacklers and 73% of their sacks on defense, and top four receivers on offense. Colon is one of the offensive keys, as he has the talent to actually improve a rushing attack that lost its three leading rushers from 2024.   The schedule is favorable, and they should be considered one of the favorites to win the Carolina Pines 6A Conference. If they do, it'll be on the backs of an improved, veteran defense, and a great offseason in the weight room.   A special shout out to the Union Pines coaching staff, specifically head coach Bryan Till and recruiting assistant Sean Cultrera, who each made sure I had all the information I needed to publish this report.   We want to cover more schools. If your team wants a season preview, reach out to me on Twitter (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>) with your prospect list and any other relevant information. Want to send this report to someone who isn't a subscriber? Support our work with promo code Helms30 so they can get 30% off their first billing cycle.

It's July, which means it's team preview season! Here, I'm taking teams from across the state and highlighting their talent and potential in 2025. We're player-focused, so the biggest piece is highlighting future college talent. However, no good preview leaves out important info about the team and its chances during the season, so that will also play heavily into these previews.