ELBERTON — Whether Rabun County was trying to make a statement or not, the power brokers in Class AA certainly won’t be able to ignore the fifth-ranked Wildcats dominating 42-10 win over ninth-ranked Elbert County Friday night at the historic Granite Bowl.
“With two top 10 teams like this, we just wanted to make sure that we were worth the ranking,” Rabun County coach Lee Shaw said. “I think we showed that we are.”
Except for three first quarter turnovers, it was about as complete a game as the Wildcats (7-0, 4-0 Region 8-AA) have produced, especially with the Region 8-AA title on the line.
The defense held the Blue Devils (6-2, 3-1 Region 8-AA) to just one late fourth quarter touchdown and forced four straight three-and-out Elbert County possessions to open the second half while the offense took advantage of short fields.
Junior quarterback Bailey Fisher ignited a 21-point explosion in just over five minutes in the third quarter with a 50-yard touchdown run on a 3rd-and-1 bouncing outside and then outracing the Blue Devils defense. On Rabun’s next possession he connected with Noah Cannon on a 31-yard touchdown and capped the quarter with a 24-yard scramble for a touchdown on a 3rd-and-13 with 3:57 left for a 35-3 lead.
Fisher said after the 50-yard score, dissention started to set in on the Blue Devils defense.
“(The 50-yard run) was big. It was like a dagger to the heart,” he said. “You could see after that they started arguing with each other. We always like to step on the gas when we have the other team down. We did that in the third quarter.”
Asked about whether the rest of Class AA might be forced to focus their attention a little more toward the north Georgia mountains, Fisher said he hoped so.
“I feel like we showed we earned whatever ranking we have,” he said. “I love this team and right now we’re just focused on getting better. But I think we can play with anyone.”
The Blue Devils had their chances in the first quarter but were forced to punt, missed an open receiver in the end zone before missing a field goal, and then connecting on a field goal after stalling on a 1st-and-goal from the Rabun 8 after the three Rabun County turnovers.
“We did not execute well in the first half,” Shaw said. “But our guys kept battling. The defense has been stellar all year and I thought that was as good a performance as we’ve given all year.”
Despite the offensive firepower of both teams, it was the defenses that dictated the first half.
The Wildcats appeared to have the kind of start they wanted starting their first possession at the 50 after a 25-yard kickoff return and a Elbert County penalty. Then, Fisher ran for an easy 11-yard gain but fumbled on the play with the Blue Devils recovering.
The Rabun defense forced a quick three-and-out and punt and the Wildcats offense again looked to have another quick start. Fisher connected with Cole Keener on a 61-yard touchdown pass but it was called back for illegal man downfield. Two plays later Fisher was picked off by Jacquavious Ramsey at the Elbert 47.
The Blue Devils mounted the first real drive moving to the Rabun 22 but the drive stalled and David Vera missed a 39-yd field goal with 4:01 left in the first quarter.
The two teams then traded punts and Elbert County forced the third Rabun County turnover of the half on the first play of the second quarter when Dillyn Nichols coughed up the ball after a 13-yard pass from Fisher.
The Blue Devils recovered at the Rabun 36 and moved to the Wildcats 6 after a 19-yard run from Jasquiz Rucker. But again the Rabun defense held and Elbert County settled for a 24-yard Vera field goal with 8:35 left.
“Elbert had over 50 different formations for us to prepare for so to hold that group to just 10 points is outstanding,” Shaw said. “If you want to win championships you have to have a great defense. I think this group is as good as any around.”
The first five Rabun County possessions resulted in three turnovers and two punts. The sixth possession would be the charm.
Rabun County used a 9-play drive, highlighted by a 29-yard pass from Fisher to Austin Jones, and capped by a 2-yard Cal Drummond touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 7-3 lead with 6:19 left in the half.
The Wildcats got the break they wanted 10 seconds later when Natavius Huff fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Fisher rambled 13 yards on the next play to give Rabun a 14-3 lead in a 15-second span.
The teams traded punts again and the Elbert County offense mounted one last drive getting to the Rabun 19. But a crucial penalty for too many men on the field pushed the ball back to the Wildcats 24 and Vera’s 42-yard attempt sailed just wide left as the Wildcats took a 14-3 lead into halftime.
Bailey finished with 194 yards rushing and 245 yards passing on just 13 completions to lead Rabun County. Nichols had three catches for 52 yards and Cannon, Kolby Blalock, Keener, and Hicks each had two catches for the Wildcats. Five of the catches were for 23 yards or more.
Elbert County did manage 265 yards rushing, paced by Jaquiz Rucker who finished with 178 yards, but most of that came in the fourth quarter against the Wildcats' second unit and 56 came on two runs. The Rabun County defense made the Blue Devils one-dimensional holding them to just 37 yards passing.
The win puts the Wildcats in sole possession of first place with two games left. One win over Oglethorpe County or Monticello will give them the region title.
Shaw said they haven’t discussed anything beyond whatever happened Friday night.
“We didn’t see this as a title game. We still have two games left and we would never disrespect an opponent. We still have work to do,” he said.”We just looked at this as a game for first place. Now it’s on to next week.”
SCORING SUMMARY
Rabun Co.....0....14....21....7 -- 42
Elbert Co......0.....3......0....7 -- 10
Second Quarter
E -- David Vera 24 FG 3-0, 8:35
R -- Drummond 2 run (Barnes kick) 7-3, 6:19
R -- Fisher 13 run (Barnes kick) 14-3, 6:04
Third Quarter
R -- Fisher 50 run (Barnes kick) 21-3, 9:20
R -- Cannon 31 pass from Fisher (Barnes kick) 28-3, 7:21
R -- Fisher 24 run (Barnes kick) 35-3, 3:57
Fourth Quarter
R -- Hicks 12 pass from Fisher (Barnes kick) 42-3, 5:08
E -- Rucker 28 run, (Vera kick) 42-10, 1:58
