TIGER — Rabun County coach Lee Shaw did not hesitate when asked about sophomore quarterback Bailey Fisher.
“He definitely reminds of me (of my sons) Jaybo and Connor,” Shaw said.
Considering that Shaw’s sons, who played at Flowery Branch HIgh, both went on to play at the FBS level, that came as high praise indeed. Connor is currently on the roster of the Cleveland Browns, though he is on injured reserve after suffering a thumb injury during preseason.
But Shaw also knows that with high praise comes even higher expectations. Shaw gave Fisher his first taste of running the Wildcats spread attack during portions of 2014 as a freshman backing up Collin Grant. It didn’t take long for Shaw to notice similarities between Fisher and both Jaybo and Connor.
“He can run and throw a variety of passes,” Shaw said. “But what impressed me the most is his football IQ. He is a student of the game. He watches film and is always trying to get better. He’s got that winner mentality. I felt he could be a special player for us even as a freshman.”
Fisher saw action during the first half of 2014 but then was mainly used as a backup to Grant while playing primarily on defense. He was handed the keys to the Wildcats spread attack coming into the 2015 season and has already put his stamp on the offense.
He leads the team in rushing (56-310 yards, 2 TDs) and passing (64 of 93, 3 INTs, 6 TDs) and is one of the better dual threat quarterbacks in northeast Georgia already. It has taken some of the pressure off Georgia-commit Charlie Woerner, who leads the team in receiving with 262 yards and four touchdowns.
“Last year people thought we were just the Charlie show, and he did a lot for us,” Shaw said. “With Bailey and guys and like Eli Gipson running the ball this year we can move Charlie around some and try to get some mismatches. But teams are also double-teaming Charlie a lot more and Bailey has done a great job of distributing the ball.”
The success shouldn't be coming as such a surprise. Jaybo Shaw is now the quarterbacks coach at Rabun County. He left a job at Western Carolina as the receivers coach to take the job at Rabun County.
"Jaybo has really made a difference with all our quarterbacks," Shaw said. "He has really gotten Bailey processing where we need him to be."
Twelve different receivers have caught passes in the first four games for Rabun County. And Shaw said the offense, which has gotten better with each outing, is just beginning to hit its stride.
That is perfect timing for the Wildcats (3-1, 0-0 Region 8-AA) who open their Region 8-AA schedule on Friday at Riverside Military Academy (0-2, 0-0).
“I feel like we have a lot of guys that are playmakers and Bailey is the trigger man to make it work,” Shaw said. “He is making good decisions for the most part. But he still has a lot of work to do to be that great player that we feel he can be.”
With 20 seniors and 14 returning starters from a 2014 team that advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year, Shaw felt handing the reins to Fisher was the next step in his growth and the growth of the offense.
“This is a talented team overall,” Shaw said. “It’s not the Charlie show or the Bailey show. It’s the Rabun County show right now. We wanted to find someone to give us the continuity for the next couple of years and Bailey showed us that he is a special player.
“But with so many seniors there is a little bit of a sense of urgency to make something big of this season. Our goals are always the same: region championship, a deep run in the playoffs, and getting to the Dome. I’m sure every program is shooting for those same things and we’re no different just because we have a lot of seniors, or just a few.”
But Shaw also knows that achieving all, or even any, of their goals requires more than the ability to put points on the board. The offense is averaging 32.9 points a game over its last three games, but what has Shaw and his staff thinking big has been the play of Rabun's defense. The unit has allowed just 43 total points (10.7 ppg) and held Jefferson to just 19 points -- 11 points below the Dragons season average.
“Even though I’m a spread offense guy, I still believe you have to play good defense to win titles,” Shaw said. “We did a nice job against Jefferson. We had two touchdowns called back in that game so we played good enough defense to win the game.”
Which brings us back to Fisher. Jaybo Shaw and Connor Shaw both led the Falcons to deep runs in the playoffs at Flowery Branch. Connor guided the Falcons to the 2008 Class AAA state title game. Does coach Shaw see a similar path for the Wildcats under the guidance of Fisher?
“I wouldn’t want to put that kind of pressure on a sophomore his first year starting,” Shaw said. “But like I said, he is improving quickly and has the talent to be a special player for us. If we keep improving each game and stay healthy, I like the direction we’re headed.
“Riverside is the next opponent for us and they are big and are a dangerous team. We have a tough schedule the rest of the way with teams like Union County, Washington-Wilkes, and Greene County to end the season. We’ll see where we are then.”
