This wasn’t the Lincoln team that Golden Eagles coach Chad Bowman sees working hard every day in practice and working hard to help rebuild the community.
“That’s not them,” Bowman said after the quiet postgame huddle that followed Lincoln’s 49-6 loss at Union County on Friday, Aug. 28. “I know in my heart that’s not them, and the coaching staff knows that’s not them. I love these boys to death, but I’m very disappointed how that turned out today. We need to communicate through the scoreboard the changes that have been made here, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Lincoln and Union County supporters both had this Tri-Eastern Conference week two matchup circled on their schedules. The Golden Eagles’ most recent victory was against the Patriots in 2024. Union County’s previous most recent win was against Lincoln in 2025. The teams’ 2026 rosters show comparable numbers and comparable experience.
Bowman believed his team was ready to build on some positives shown in its opener against Indianapolis Homeschool. He also believed his players deserved an onfield payoff after devoting hours to assisting the Cambridge City community in the aftermath of the catastrophic floods earlier this month.
Instead, the Golden Eagles (0-2, 0-1) found themselves trailing 21-6 before they took a single offensive snap. It was 28-6 before they gained a yard from scrimmage.
The Patriots (1-1, 1-0) played keep-away during the first 10 minutes, taking the ball out of the Golden Eagles’ talons with two long touchdown drives plus another score following a successful onside kick. When Lincoln finally got to run an offensive play, Union County’s Dylan Wooley snagged an errant pitch in midair and rumbled 47 yards to the end zone.
“We got beat on intensity and confidence out of the gate,” Bowman said, “and it spiraled out of control after that.”
The Golden Eagles briefly interrupted the Patriots’ point production with Caden Alvarez’s 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Union County’s kickoff after its first score sailed over Alvarez’s head, forcing him to retreat to the left sideline to collect the ball at the 3. From there, Alvarez ran through the widely scattered defenders until he reached the open field around the 50 and then outran all defenders to the end zone. Alvarez’s touchdown briefly made it 7-6, but Lincoln got no closer.
The Golden Eagles’ most successful plays from scrimmage also came when Alvarez got the ball in the open field. Alvarez’s four carries of 14 yards or more were Lincoln’s largest gains of the evening.
Union County generally kept the ball on the ground on a perfect night for watching football at Curry Phenis Field — warm but not too warm at kickoff, cool but not too cool after sunset.
On a field filled with young players, Patriots freshman back Zac Gentry was the most productive with four touchdowns and more than 9 yards per carry. Gentry started the game with long runs up the middle. When the Golden Eagles plugged the gaps, Gentry found openings on the outside.
Union County called 15 running plays before attempting its first pass. When the Patriots did take to the air, they found success. Union County quarterback Aidan Vauthier completed a 41-yard pass to Connor French one second before halftime. Vauthier then darted through the defense for a 7-yard score on the last play of the first half to increase the Patriot lead to 42-6 and ensure a running clock in the second half.
Union County 28 14 0 7 – 49
Lincoln 6 0 0 0 – 6
Union County stat leaders – Rushing: Zac Gentry 14-132, Aidan Vauthier 12-80, Mason Ramsey 9-57, Michael Leas 3-11. Passing: Vauthier 4-6-0-71. Receiving: Dylan Wooley 3-31, Connor French 1-41
Lincoln stat leaders – Rushing: Caden Alvarez 9-75, Ryan Riggs 9-17, Colton Cupp 7-9, Alexander Stevens 2-7. Defense: Billy McKeown 9 tackles (1 TFL), Cupp 6 tackles, Kaiden Carver 6 tackles, Conner Vrbenec (2 TFL).
A version of this article will appear in the September 2 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
