On Thursday, August 25, 2016, the Union Bears hosted the first football game of the season against the John I. Burton Raiders. The stadium was packed with fans of both teams cheering on their schools through the intense heat. This was a highly anticipated game for both the Bears and Raiders.
To start off the night, the Raiders began playing offense, with a first down run by Andrew C. #5. The Raiders fought against the Bears strongly, until the time on the score board read 7:28. The Bears scored the first touchdown of the night along with a field goal that brought the score to 7-0. The Raiders retaliated against the Bears, by bringing the ball to their own 5 yard line ready for a touchdown. Sadly, for the Raiders, the ball was intercepted by the Bears, but this did not stop the Raiders from holding them back until the clock ran out, signaling the first quarter was over. After the game, Coach Stidham of the Raiders said he was okay after the first quarter; he knew the Raiders were playing properly and were confident about the upcoming quarters.Throughout the second quarter the teams' performances remained comparative, as each team played their best. With 2:00 left in the quarter, the Union Bears headed towards their end zone for another touchdown, but were surprised by the Raiders who intercepted them and carried the ball all the way to their own end zone, scoring their first touchdown of the night! This play led to the Raider fans jumping up onto their feet cheering! Just when the crowd started to settle down, Burton obtained a field goal tying the score 7-7. With only 0:22 left in the quarter, the Bears came back against the Raiders and scored another touchdown and a field goal, which brought the score to 7-14 with the Bears leading.
During half time, the Raiders were encouraged by their coaches advice to be positive, as Coach Stidham later said, they "challenged them." Andrew C. #5 said, the coaches advice was to, "Keep up the pace. Don't get lazy." They were encouraged to finish the game strong. The Raiders were definitely tired by half time considering the size difference of the teams. The Bears team consisted of 63 players, while the Raiders team only had 27 players on Thursday night. Thus, the Raiders tired out quickly due to nearly continuous play.
To start off the third quarter, the Raiders came back with a touchdown by Tyree B. #10. This brought the score to 13-14, with the Bears in the lead. Within just a minute, the Bears came back and scored another touchdown against the Raiders, followed by another touchdown with only 0:119 left in the quarter. To top off this touchdown, the Bears scored a field goal bringing the final score of the third quarter to 13-27, with Union still ahead of the Raiders.
The fourth quarter consisted of multiple touchdowns by the Bears. The Raiders played their best, but as Andrew C. #5, from John I. Burton, stated "The team tired out." The Bears won the game with a final score of 13-54. Various members of the Raiders' team said they were pleased with their performance in the game, and believe the upcoming season for them will be very successful. Come out and support the Raiders this Friday, September 2, 2016, as they compete against Chilhowie!