TIGER — Magic has engulfed the air in Tiger all season -- yet there was still plenty of it to go around on Friday.
Now Rabun County football will carry that magic to Atlanta and Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The Wildcats stormed all the way to the Class AA state championship game and a berth at "The Benz" courtesy a 23-12 defeat of Brooks County in Tiger. Rabun scored 17 straight points to storm back from a 5-0 first half deficit and then one-upped a late and long Brooks touchdown play with an even bigger one of its own to clinch its first ever title game appearance during its first ever semifinal appearance.
It was a moment to savor for Wildcats coaches, players and fans alike, as they poured on to the field and celebrated with the heroes of the moment and turned their thoughts toward Saturday's championship game -- at 1 p.m. against Hapeville Charter.
"This is surreal...," said a beaming Lee Shaw, Rabun County football coach and former standout player -- who required at least 20 minutes to receive all the congratulatory postgame hugs and handshakes from the mob of Rabun supporters. "This is for every mountain school and for everybody that's ever played for Rabun County, the brotherhood.
"The way we played, we kept battling through some early adversity, and we never gave up, when we could have early on there. It was just incredible."
The Wildcats (14-0) trailed 5-0 after an early turnover and safety, but it did not faze Rabun, which fired back to take a 7-5 halftime lead and never trailed again.
Bailey Fisher scored on two gritty touchdown runs and Austin Jones exploded for a 74-yard scoring catch and run to help lead the Wildcats offense -- which fed off a Rabun defense that picked off five Brooks County passes and never allowed the Trojans' speedy ground game to take control.
"Our defense has been a spark all year," said Fisher, who completed 15 of 20 passes for 234 yards and rushed 21 times for 56 yards. "People want to talk about our offense, but our defense makes plays all the time and doesn't get the credit. We were so resilient all game. But we knew it'd be a dogfight."
Rabun's defense yielded just 294 yards -- and just 84 rushing yards to a team averaging over 200 yards a game on the ground, helping the Wildcats to overcome a strong Brooks County defense that yielded 286 yards of its own. And after spending much of the first half on the field, the Wildcats began to turn the contest with big plays, including Justin Wilkes' interception near midfield that sparked Rabun's first touchdown drive just before halftime.
"We play off turnovers -- we have all season -- and we just try to put pressure on the pipe to try and make it bust," Shaw said.
The damn eventually burst for the Trojans (12-2) in the second half, as Cole Keener snagged three interceptions, including on a last-ditch Hail Mary attempt that sent the Wildcats dancing into Atlanta.
"This has been such a great season. We had already made history, but we weren't satisfied," Jones said. "Our defense had to step up tonight, and we knew we would. We were jacked all game long. And it came down to toughness. And that's what we've got here is a bunch of hard-nosed guys that love to play with each other."
The Wildcats could not manufacture a single first down in the first quarter -- despite four possessions. In fact, the Wildcats fumbled the ball away at their own 13-yard line at the end of the period. Yet the Rabun defense proved equally impressive and held the Trojans to a 28-yard Tony Velasquez field goal after the turnover and trailed 3-0 with 11:25 remaining in the half.
The Trojans defense came up with another big play in the second quarter, forcing a safety on Fisher after Brooks downed a punt at the Wildcats 2-yard line. The two-point play yielded a 5-0 advantage for the visitors -- and gave Brooks the ball. But after scratching and clawing for any semblance of rhythm, Rabun County finally snatched it before halftime -- and kept inching away in the second half.
A sack and a short Brooks punt set up a 26-yard field goal from Andrew Barnes and a 10-5 lead with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter. The Rabun defense maintained the advantage by sniffing out and stuffing a fake punt run and then picking off another Trojans pass attempt on their enusing two possessions. And by the time Fisher bulled his way into the end zone from four yards, the Wildcats could almost taste "The Benz" with just 7:56 remaining.
The Trojans provided one final sting in the tail, as Khalid Humphreys caught a swing pass, eluded a tackler and sprinted 53 yards for a score to pull within 17-12 with 3:49 to play. But the Wildcats were not about to let it slip, and Jones answered in spectacular fashion.
Following a 23-yard completion to Braxton Hicks to get Rabun out of first down at its own 2-yard line, Jones provided the winning cushion, hauling in a short completion only to rip away from the grasp of three tacklers and then out-run two more for a 74-yard exclamation point.
"It was special in 2008 [when Shaw led Flowery Branch to a state title game]," said an emotional Shaw. "But to be able to come home and lead this group of young men... This lasts forever. I'm so proud of Rabun County."
SCORING SUMMARY
Brooks County....0....5....0....7 -- 12
Rabun County....0....7....3....13 -- 23
Second Quarter
BC - Velasquez 28 field goal, 11:25, 3-0
BC - Safety, 4:41, 5-0
RC - Fisher 6 run (Barnes kick), 1:14, 5-7
Third Quarter
RC - Barnes 26 field goal, 2:55, 5-10
Fourth Quarter
RC - Fisher 4 run (Barnes kick), 7:56, 5-17
BC - Humphreys 53 pass from Perry (Velasquez kick) 3:49, 12-17
RC - Jones 74 pass from Fisher (kick failed), 3:25, 12-23
