Unity Christian Lions Football

New year. New vision. Same goal.

Thank you for your service.

43 CARRIES!?!?!

Clinton VerHeecke, you are ridiculous!

The Lions concluded their 2025 campaign with a hard-fought victory against perennial powerhouse, Milford-Cissna Park. MCP is one of the elite programs in the I8FA and always bring out the best in us when we line up against them. Coach Schwartz leads with class and integrity, and we wish him and his team the very best of luck as they begin their playoff run.

Unfortunately, our final record of 4-5 narrowly missed a playoff birth, despite the strength of schedule. Regardless, it was an incredible effort on the part of the UCS. Clinton Verheecke finished his season with a "Superman-like" 43-carry effort that netted him 223 yards and 3 TD. This brought his rushing total for the year to 1300+ yards! Isaiah Johnson (615 yards/5 games), Austin Kretzinger (508 yards/8 games) and Jaeden Jackson(507 yards/6 games) all added at least 500 yards rushing on the season to bring the team rushing total to over 3,000 yards. Our ground attack was led by fullback, Garrett VerHeecke, who also jumped to 4th place on the LSA/UCS all-time tackles list (234 tackles), and an offensive line who returns all of its starters in 2026.

Perhaps the most mind-bending stat from today is the time of possession, which saw Unity hold on the football for over 41 minutes! This, along with two takeaways, was just enough to keep the high-powered Bearcats offense off the field enough to secure the win.

To our incredible Unity Football community -- thank you for your unwavering support this year. It has made all the difference to our players and coaches. Through ups and downs, cheers and tears, you've battled alongside us no matter the circumstance. We are thankful for your passion!

Today was also the final time our eight seniors got to wear the red and black. To all of you -- Jaeden, Lily, Wyatt, Washington, Jackson, Xander, Garrett, and Clinton -- You’ve each lived out what it means to “leave it better than you found it.” Over the years, you’ve weathered challenges both on and off the field. You have embraced new roles and ideas with excitement and courage. Most of all, you have helped this team grow in faith, discipline, and unity. Your leadership and perseverance have set a standard for every player who will follow.

We love you all, we thank you, and we celebrate how you’ve served others, sacrificed for your teammates, and glorified God in the process.