It didn’t take long for Union Bear senior running back Avery Jenkins to make his mark this season. In the opener, the speedster carried the ball 11 times for 227 yards (20 YPC) in route to Union’s 35-20 win over J.I. Burton and also being named the inaugural CoalfieldSports.com Offensive Player of the Week.
Jenkins was electric in all phases of the game. Before breaking off an 80-yard touchdown run, Jenkins had two long kick returns negated that would have put him over 300 all-purpose yards.… Read the rest CoalfieldSports.com’s Inaugural OPOTW: Union’s Avery Jenkins
It didn’t take long for Union Bear senior running back Avery Jenkins to make his mark this season. In the opener, the speedster carried the ball 11 times for 227 yards (20 YPC) in route to Union’s 35-20 win over J.I. Burton and also being named the inaugural CoalfieldSports.com Offensive Player of the Week.
Jenkins was electric in all phases of the game. Before breaking off an 80-yard touchdown run, Jenkins had two long kick returns negated that would have put him over 300 all-purpose yards.… Read the rest Categories:
This season, the folks at Coalfield Sports are picking five of the most intriguing matchups in the area to be the games of the week before you the fans select THE game of the week.
Each week, Ryan and Brady, the hosts of the SWVASports Podcast will pick the five contests and be joined by a special guest each week.
So far, the records are as follows:
Ryan: 5-0
Brady: 4-0
Guest: 3-2
Eugene Hilton went 3-2 last week in his debut as the CoalfieldSports guest picker.… 
No close-proximity tension. No county connection. The two teams aren’t even in the same conference. However, Richlands and Union has become one of, if not the biggest rivalry in southwest Virginia. .
Since Union High School opened, the teams have met eight times. Seven times in the regular season with a lone playoff encounter in 2017. In those eight meetings, the largest margin of victory is a nine-point Union victory in last season’s regular season matchup.… 
Week Two: Union Bears (1-0) at Richlands Blue Tornado (1-0)
at
Last meeting:
2017:
Regular season: Union def. Richlands 16-7
Playoffs: Union def. Richlands 13-10
Overall series: Union leads 5-3
Another chapter in the Bears-Blue Tornado series unfolds this Friday in what has become Southwest Virginia’s most exciting rivalry. The 2A powerhouses are always near the top of their respective districts and are always in the hunt for the Region D crown.… 
Welcome to Coalfield Sports’ Game of the Week Poll!
Throughout the season we will be selecting five games each week for our weekly pick’em segment on the SWVA Sports Podcast. Co-Hosts Ryan Dye and Brady Hess will keep a running total of their picks along with a collective total of the weekly guest picker!
With so many great games each week to choose from, we’re going to need your help in selecting the Coalfield Sports’ Game of the Week!… 
Vote for Coalfield Sports’ Offensive & Defensive Players Of The Week!
Winners will be announced on Thursday’s episode of the SWVA Sports Podcast.
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CoalField SportsThe collective account for the staff of CoalfieldSports.com
http://www.coalfieldsports.com… 
For perhaps the final matchup between two rivals, Union relied on big plays in the run game to earn an impressive but sloppy 35-20 victory over J.I. Burton.
Burton hung close at times behind senior quarterback Houston Thacker but the Raiders were outmanned at the line of scrimmage. Thacker was 20-of-28 for 192 yards. Most of Thacker’s yardage was racked up on short routes. The Raiders did complete one big pass, a 40+ yard gain to Derrick Allen.… 
Leave it to the Union Bears to make a benefit game dramatic. The Bears traveled to Bristol to take on the Virginia High Bearcats for a scrimmage, their last preseason test before opening the season against John I. Burton on Aug. 23rd.
While the game does not count towards your record, it came down to a last second Union stop for the Bears to prevail, 24-20.
Coach Travis Turner used the scrimmage as valuable live game preparation for his team.… 
Union High School has had one head coach since its inception in 2011. That coach is Travis Turner, whose name has been a staple in Wise County for decades. Turner, a native of Appalachia, was a star quarterback who won a state title as a signal caller under his dad, legendary coach Tom Turner. The quarterback turned coach was hired in part to smooth over the consolidation of Appalachia and Powell Valley.… 
