Wildcats Continue to Chase History

The Rabun County Wildcats football team wrapped up the regular season with a 9-1 record, which is the best regular season record since 1998. They also won their second region championship in a row… their first title was in 1998. The Cats now have an opportunity to do something else that it hasn’t done since 1998… advance to the third round of the GHSA playoffs.

Rabun County faced the Bremen Blue Devils out of region 5 last Friday, and used a strong second half to give region 8 their only win in the first round, 49-14. The game was tight at the end of the first half, with Rabun only leading 14-7. Head Coach Lee Shaw said that halftime adjustments made the difference in the second half.

“We tried to come out and throw the ball a lot early, which we felt like we could, but we had some protection breakdowns” says Shaw, “We just settled down and adjusted the game plan. We went to our two-back run attack, and the defense continued to play lights out. We just played better ball in the second half.”

Shaw also said that the unity of the team was the driving force behind the win over Bremen, and all of their wins this season.

“They play as a team.” Shaw says of his players, “It’s not one or two or three guys (who make big plays), when you talk about this football team, you’re talking about teamwork. It’s very evident in what they do.”

Charlie Woerner (Photo Courtesy of Von Watts)

With round one’s win out of the way, the Cats now shift their focus to Early County, the 3-seed out of region 1. Region 1 is one of the toughest in the state, with the likes of Fitzgerald and Brooks County joining Early County in round 2. Shaw says that the Bobcats remind him of Washington-Wilkes and Greene County, by their aggressiveness.

“They’re going to come out, being very physical, and if we don’t match that, then we are going to be in trouble.” says Shaw of Early County.

This is the second consecutive season that Rabun County has advanced to the second round of the AA playoffs. Last season, the Cats fell to Benedictine Military, 42-9. That team went on to breeze through the playoffs, en route to a state championship. If Rabun knocks off Early County at home on Friday night, they will advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1998, a team that finished 11-2. The winner will await the winner of the Wesleyan vs. Jefferson County game.

Bailey Fisher and Eli Gipson (Photo courtesy of Von Watts)

Rabun County (10-1) continues their road to the dome tomorrow night at Frank Snyder Memorial Stadium against the Early County Bobcats (7-3-1) from Blakely. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. Coverage of the game can be heard on Sky 96.3, WRBN-FM.

All photos courtesy of Von Watts