Three area rivals meet on Friday at Union

By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
August 19, 2004
UNION As is often the case in a new season, fans watching the countywide jamboree at Union High School Friday night probably won't be able to tell who the players are without a program.
In fact, they may not even be able to tell who the teams are without some additional help.
In the three-school affair, Union squares off with Newton at 6:30 p.m., Newton takes on Newton County at 7:30, and Union faces Newton County at 8:30.
The teams should be totally unfamiliar with each other. The last time Union played Newton County was in 2000. The Yellowjackets haven't played Newton since 1998. Newton and Newton County last met in 2001.
While the outcome won't count on anybody's record, it will give the fans of each team an early peek at what to expect this fall.
"We're ready to play and see where we're at and the scrimmage will definitely help," Newton County head coach Jeff Breland said. "It will really help tell the tale of who can play and who can't. I'd a lot rather it be this week than the following week (against Kosciusko) when it counts.
"We just want to play a lot of folks. Some of the things we think we can do, we may not be able to do."
Union fourth-year head coach Brad Breland, the younger brother of Jeff Breland, came up with the idea of having a jamboree as his team plays in an 11-school league with even the season opener next week at Noxapater counting toward making the playoffs.
An 0-3 start last year effectively ended Union's playoff hopes before most schools had even played a division game.
"I'm sure it was coming along, but I did write the Mississippi High School Activities Association a letter, along with several other people in our district," Brad Breland said. "My main concern was this 11-team district. I thought that put us at an unfair disadvantage.
"I hope this jamboree will help us because it will give us a week to play that won't really count. We'll see some good competition and hopefully we'll find out what we need to work on through that. Hopefully, we won't get anybody hurt.
"It's rough on us having to play all these district games. Especially last year. We didn't have but three seniors and we were starting five or six freshmen. As it turned out, last year we had played three games and lost all three and were basically out of the playoff hunt before anybody else in the state had played a district game.
"Hopefully, this will help us kinda get our feet wet and see what we need to work on."
Unlike spring jamborees which usually have no kicking game, this event promises to be real football.
"It'll be just like the first half of a football game," Brad Breland said.
"We really need to find out some areas that we need to work on so we can get better.
"With that first game (at Noxapater on Aug. 26) being so crucial for us, we really need to find out quickly where we need to improve and improve upon it."
And don't think for a minute he wouldn't enjoy having bragging rights over his older brother, even if it's just for half a game.
"We're going to play hard. We're going to try to play everybody, but the main thing we want to do is get better and not get anybody hurt," Brad Breland said.
Newton County opens its season in Decatur on Aug. 27 against Kosciusko.
Newton travels to Forest for its season opener on Aug. 27.
"We're going to see how much progress we've made and how much more we need to make," second-year Newton head coach Pepper Posey said.
"Coaches think they need to have everything in by the first game and that really stresses you out.
"We're ready to strap it on and hit somebody else. We hope to make a good showing."
In addition to the Breland brothers, there's the Hanna connection as well. Tate Hanna is a first-year assistant at Union, while brother Trent Hanna returns as an assistant at Newton.