HOMER — Travae Cain starred, as Banks County got a key victory to get right into the thick of the Region 7-AAA playoff race on Friday.
The Leopards bounced back from last week's close loss to Franklin County with an emphatic second half in a 52-28 win over Fannin County in Homer.
Cain led the way, scoring five touchdowns, piling up 330 total yards (300 rushing) while also forcing a fumble on defense.
"He was a beast," Leopards coach Biff Parson said of Cain. "And we needed that, because Fannin County's a good team."
Leading 17-14 at the half, Banks County (4-2, 1-1 Region 7-AAA) forced three straight Rebel punts to kickstart its second half surge.
"We bowed our necks there, and that was huge, really," Parson said. "We felt like we let one slip last week (vs. Franklin County), and we didn't want to start 0-2 in the region and start hoping for other people to lose to keep us in the playoff race. This puts us in the mix."
Zez Steeple also played well for Banks County, totaling over 200 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown run and averaging 40 yards per kickoff return. Meanwhile quarterback Griffin Goodwin, entering the game in the second quarter after suffering an injury last week, threw two touchdown passes.
The Leopards will take a bye next week and play host to Lumpkin County on Oct. 16.
Fannin County (2-3, 0-1), meanwhile, will look to bounce back against Lumpkin County next Friday.
