TIGER -- Just how high is football fever running in Rabun County these days?<br />
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Consider that in a high school of about 600 students, the Wildcats boast a roster of 63 players.<br />
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It's the kind of student-body involvement some varsity coaches could only dream about -- but Lee Shaw is not about to start pinching himself. In fact, the coach -- about to embark on his third season in charge of his alma mater -- is thinking only of improving his Wildcats. And Shaw believes his team has strong chance of taking yet another step forward in 2014.<br />
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His first two campaigns proved impressive enough, as Shaw led Rabun to back-to-back playoff berths, including the program's highest win total since a state quarterfinal run in 1998 with an 8-3 mark in 2013.<br />
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"Before we started here there were about 25-30 guys on the roster and to go to over 60 is incredible," Shaw said. "There's been a total buy-in to Wildcat football by the community, and there's a lot of excitement here."<br />
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That said, Shaw knows that continued improvement might not necessarily mean more wins in 2014 -- not with a non-region schedule that includes a 2013 Class A semifinalist, a 2013 Class AA quarterfinalist, a 2013 Class AAA playoff foe and a Class AAAAAA program. But Shaw says he's not interested in inflated win/loss records, rather testing his squad.<br />
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"We want to play good teams in order to prepare for the region schedule," said Shaw, whose program will face Jefferson in its opener (the quarterfinalist), Habersham Central in game two (the Class AAAAAA foe), Mt. Pisgah Christian (the semifinalist) in game three and Jackson County (a team coming off back-to-back Class AAA tourney appearances) in game four. "We're looking to sharpen ourselves for region and, hopefully, beyond."<br />
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That region (8-AA) lost one of its bigger programs in Jefferson -- now in Region 8-AAA -- but 2013 region champ Washington-Wilkes returns, while Shaw expects the other teams in the league to be improved in 2014.<br />
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"There should be about four-five teams all even with each other (in 8-AA)," Shaw said. "Washington-Wilkes is probably above us all, but Union County returns a lot; Riverside Military is well-coached and will be better; Greene County will be better, and Oglethorpe County and Social Circle have new coaches."<br />
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Shaw will take an experienced group into battle in 8-AA this season -- though experienced depth must be built on the fly.<br />
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"We're not as deep as we'd like to be, and we'll have several guys playing both ways this year, but the guys we have are extremely hard-working and talented," Shaw said.<br />
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That includes another explosive corps of receivers and running backs -- led by junior standout Charlie Woerner. <br />
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"He's a difference-maker," Shaw said of the 6-foot-3, 220 pound Woerner, an FBS recruit that will play receiver, running back and "wildcat" quarterback at different times for the Wildcats.<br />
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Yet Woerner is far from a one-man show, and receivers Alden Wright, Jack Johnson, Noah Cannon and Tyler Harris also represent consistent threats, along with running backs Eli Gipson, Cain Tomlinson and Dae'Quan Harrison. Meanwhile, offensive linemen Tanner Veal, Johnathan Leverette, Blake Curbow, Peyton Backer and Jeremy Cannon will form a solid base in the trenches.<br />
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Perhaps the biggest question for Rabun's spread attack comes at quarterback, where junior Collin Grant moves in to take over for graduated standout Wes Holcombe. Grant tore an ACL in the 2013 preseason, keeping him from starting as the team's H-back. Freshman Bailey Fisher is also a name to watch out for at the quarterback spot.<br />
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Many of the same names will star on defense, including Woerner at safety, while Tucker Williams will act as the team's vocal leader at linebacker.<br />
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"We've got nine seniors on this team, and they've done a great job working and leading this team," Shaw said. "I'm not sure what this team's identity will be by season's end, but they've been very hard working, and they've had some great leadership."
