Union’s postseason run came to a close Friday night with a second-round 50-0 loss to the East Bladen Eagles, ending a year defined by both adversity and growth. While the final score favored the Eagles, the message from head coach Mark Oates was clear: this season was about more than one game. It was about changing a mindset, raising expectations, and laying the bricks for the program Union wants to become.
The Spartans entered the second round riding momentum from its dramatic comeback win over Northwest Halifax, a victory defined by grit and belief. But the Eagles presented a different challenge, one Oates knew well.
“I coached with Coach [Lenon] Fisher. I coached their head coach [Robby Priest] at East Bladen when he was in high school. I can sit there on the sideline and tell you what plays they’re running,” Oates stressed in a phone interview Monday. “They’ve always been tough, and they play hard. That’s where we’re trying to get — we want to model ourselves after them.”
He emphasized there was no nervousness going into the matchup, only respect rooted in decades of connection. But East Bladen’s physicality took over, and Union’s mistakes compounded the challenge.
“You’re not going to win many games with six turnovers,” he said. “If we’re being honest, they were the better team Friday night. But we felt like if they came out rusty after being off 21 days, maybe we could get some pressure on them. That didn’t happen.”
Looking back on the year as a whole, Oates didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I feel like this was a season of lost opportunities, missed opportunities,” he said. “At the midway point, we should’ve been 5-2.”
But behind the frustration was unmistakable pride.
“I know what I walked into at Union, and I can see the growth. But we’re never going to be a program that lies to itself. You are what your record says you are. We’ve got to get better. I’ve got to get better. My coaches have to get better. The players have to get better.”
The biggest strides came off the field: in attendance, work ethic, discipline, and expectations.
“When I first got here, kids could not show up and still be part of the program. We wiped that out early,” Oates said. “There is a visible effort from the parents now. They understand and they’re contributing to the success of the program.”
Practices, accountability, communication — all of it changed.
“You’ve got to coach the kids, you’ve got to coach the coaches, you’ve got to coach the parents,” he said. “Nobody else sees the vision the way I see it because it’s my vision. But everyone contributes to it.”
Union will graduate a small but meaningful senior class, players Oates credits with helping move the program in the right direction.
“I told them I love them and appreciate them. They’re the group that helped start laying the foundation to change the culture at Union,” he said.
He highlighted players who stepped into roles they’d never played before, including Manny Adams, whom he convinced to try football when he arrived.
“Manny never played football before,” Oates said. “We put him at running back a month ago, and you wouldn’t even know it was his first time. He did whatever we asked him to do.”
He also praised first-year players and late bloomers who embraced the challenge:
Shawn West, who came out as a senior and became a solid contributor, David Roblero Suarez, Tray Owens, Khriztopher Ramirez, and Caleb Robinson, who could “barely lift the bar” but worked until he was benching close to 300 pounds.
Oates also gave praise to Gavin Weeks, a hard-working offensive lineman who “did a great job for us.”
“Their work will not go unnoticed,” Oates said. “That’s the crew laying the bricks to change this culture.”
If there is one thing Union has going for it, it’s youth. A lot of it.
In the first-round win over North Halifax, Oates counted five freshmen on the field at one point in the middle of a playoff game.
“Young guys stepped up and made plays,” he said. “We’re going to get there. The mindset is to get there.”
The centerpiece of that future is sophomore standout Tobias Cromartie, who rushed for nearly 1,700 yards this season despite every defense knowing Union struggled in the passing game.
“For him to get 1,700 yards says a lot about him and our kids up front,” Oates said.
He also highlighted Kenny Ray Bailey, a model of coachability and technique; Fabian Zuniga, the center who quietly anchored the offensive line; and freshmen Maliq Dominguez and Marquavion Melvin, who stepped into major defensive roles
“These guys are putting more bricks in their back pocket,” Oates said. “We’re going to get there.”
The message to the underclassmen was simple: “No excuses. I don’t want to hear any excuses about why you can’t work out or why you can’t do this. It’s time to go to work.”
Oates emphasized that Union must continue learning how to practice, prepare, and finish.
“A lot of kids don’t know how to practice. A lot of coaches don’t know how to teach kids how to practice,” he said. “It’s not an overnight fix. But we’re heading in the right direction.”
He also stressed the importance of respecting the process.
“When it’s hard, you have to learn how to respect losing before you can win,” he said. “You might beat us, but you’re going to have to show up and play.”
For Oates, coaching isn’t about glory — it’s about raising young men.
“I’m trying to help these kids become good young men. That’s what it’s about,” he said. “Helping all kids, not just the ones on my team.”
The loss to East Bladen stings, but the foundation underneath Union football is sturdier than it has been in years. A young roster returns. A record-setting running back leads the offense. A coaching staff aligned under one vision continues to push forward.
Union’s season is over, but its direction is set.
“We’re going to get back in the weight room and go to work,” Oates said. “We’re heading in the right direction. There’s still work to be done, but I love where we’re going.”