Football Preview: Union City

Union City Head Coach Mike Thompson is in his third season with the Indians.


UNION CITY, Ind. –
Union City Head Coach Mike Thompson welcomes back 11 seniors as he enters his third season with the Indians.

“We have several returning varsity players with some additional guys who are quality players, so we expect to compete every play, in every game,” Thompson said.

The Indians open the season on the road at Tri High in a Tri-Eastern Conference contest.

“Those in the TEC expect us to finish last in the conference and not be competitive, but we expect to compete on every snap and be a much improved team over last year,” Thompson said.

Trevor Thompson is expected to be a leader on offense and defense.

“Trevor has worked hard in the off-season and has improved his throwing,” Thompson said of his quarterback. “I expect us to have more options in the passing game this year. He will also return as a 3-year starter on defense.”

The other returning starters for the Indians are Kyler Purdin, Kelby Purdin, Dawson Thornburg, Zack Adkins, Cody Crawford, Cameron Vincent, Jacob Moore and Dakota Hanaway.

“We have several guys who will step in to starting roles this season,” Thompson said.

Akili Roberts, Mason Good, Josh Crawford, Nick Wells, Braxton Wright and Jayden Hindsley.

“The TEC will be a very competitive conference,” Thompson said. “Until Northeastern is beaten they will remain the favorite, but I think this could be the year somebody gets them.”

“Hagerstown looks to be a great candidate for the top spot,” Thompsopn continued. “The TEC champ could very likely be at least a 1-loss team. There could also be a couple sleeper teams that surprise people.”

“Our sectional has changed this year and the depth in this sectional appears as though it will not be the same as our sectional the last couple years,” Thompson added. “Our guys were excited about the changes when they were announced, but now we are one game at a time, not thinking about anything other than Tri on Friday.”