Union head football coach Brad Breland is pictured talking to his players during a practice in 2016. Breland recently announced his retirement as the Yellowjackets' coach, effective June 30.

If he had to boil it down, love for his hometown, his alma mater and his players kept Brad Breland at Union High School for 19 seasons.

Breland announced his retirement early this week as head football coach of the Yellowjackets following nearly two decades at the helm, effective at the end of the school year. It’s a decision Breland said he’s been praying about for several years now, and this year finally felt like the right time to step down.

“I just felt like God was telling me it was time to start my retirement and a new chapter,” Breland said. “Nineteen years ago God led me here and opened that door for me, and we jumped in and worked hard and were able to achieve success. The (Union Public School) District has been good for me and my family, and it’s been a blessing working here, especially with it being my alma mater. Obviously, everyone has a little extra pride in their home school and their hometown.”

Leaving the Yellowjackets’ football program is bittersweet because as much as he’s ready for the next chapter in his life, Breland said he’ll miss helping the student-athletes develop both on and off the field.

“It’s really fun to look at the pictures of them in the ninth grade and see them develop from being 14 to 18 and helping them go from being a kid to being a man,” Breland said.

Last month, Breland was head coach of Team Mississippi in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Football Game in Hattiesburg. Mississippi won 17-16, and looking back, Breland said it was a great way to close the book on his time at Union by representing the Yellowjackets on the big stage.

“That was truly special,” Breland said. “It was a huge honor for me both personally and professionally to coach in that ball game. To hang around and win that game without a great deal of success in that game was a huge deal for me and my family.”

From now until the school hires a new coach, Breland said he’ll keep working with the football players in the weight room as they go through their offseason conditioning program. Right now, he’s not sure what post-retirement life looks like, but he isn’t planning to relax just yet.

“I’ll work doing something,” Breland said. “I can’t sit at home.”