Last Thursday, Andrew Thomas was relieved of his duties as head football coach and athletics director of Union County High School (Lake Butler).

Thomas, who led the Tigers (10-2) to the FHSAA Rural State Semifinals this past season, released a statement on Saturday via his personal Facebook account. He said, “plenty more details will come when the time is right, but I wanted to express this first.

“I love Union County,” Thomas wrote. “One thing for sure, who and the amount of people that have reached out to me the past two days tells me all I need to know and gives me comfort that God has a plan.”

Thomas, who led Trenton football to two Class 1A state titles in three years (2013 and 2015), began coaching at UCHS in 2020.

“I was drawn to coach in Union County because of its history for loving and supporting their football teams, and Union County did not disappoint,” he said. “They did support and still are very supportive of the football team, my staff, my family and myself. No matter what the future holds for my family and I, Union County will always be very special to me.”

He noted that he’s had “nothing but full support from the school board and boosters through this.”

“I know a lot are thinking ‘what did he do?’ Nothing, not to deserve this, will elaborate at later time,” he said.

Thomas thanked his wife, Angel, and his children, noting how much time and effort they have put “into the background of this program.”

He also spotlighted the “wonderful coaching staff throughout the five years that’s changed year to year.”

“Football is a tough Sport, played by tough men,” Thomas said. “And our job is to turn boys into men and it’s harder and harder in this day in age, but I’m so thankful to coach the student athletes I got to here and very proud of the guys that bought into this program the last five years. Without them and their true commitment and buy in then we don’t have what we’ve had.”

He ended his statement highlighting some of the things the program has accomplished during his time in Lake Butler, including the “best five year run in Union County in 30 years.”

They won 10 playoff games, equal to the previous 16 seasons combined, and he finished 46-14 for a .767 winning percentage.

They beat rivals Madison County and Columbia (Lake City) for the first time in program history and advanced to the third or fourth round of the playoffs every year.

This past fall, Union County lost at eventual state champion Madison County, 34-8, on Nov. 29 in the FHSAA Rural State Semifinals.

Thomas’ other state semifinal appearance was in 2022 when the Tigers (8-3) lost at Northview (Bratt), 21-11, denying the program its first trip to the state title game since 2003.

In 2021, Union County finished the regular season unbeaten for the first time since 2012.

During Thomas’ time as head football coach, they have upgraded their facilities to include a new Jumbotron, new Legacy Locker room lockers and floors, “fieldhouse upgrades everywhere,” and they were in the process of total renovations inside the fieldhouse.

“Probably most importantly, 16 of our kids that we have sent on to the next level for opportunities to play in college,” Thomas said. “Apparently, this culture of success has been challenged and questioned but I’m dang sure proud of it.”