Rabun County coach Lee Shaw is showing people around the state that it is possible to build a football power in the mountains of northeast Georgia.
His Wildcats have won four consecutive Region 8-2A titles. They have advanced to the playoffs now seven straight seasons (they already have qualified for the 2018 postseason). The are coming off their first-ever state championship game appearance in 2017.
This season they faced several challenges, none more prominent than replacing graduated quarterback Bailey Fisher “perhaps the greatest player in the history of Rabun County,” Shaw quoted, with a true freshman in Gunner Stockton. The result: the Wildcats are 7-1, 5-0 in Region 8-2A and Stockton is already showing flashes of brilliance under center as he leads what is the top-rated offense in Class 2A.
Rabun County plays Oglethorpe County this week but already is poised to take on arch-rival Union County next week in Tiger for a shot at their fifth consecutive region crown.
AccessWDUN’s Jeff Hart caught up with Shaw this week to discuss the changes coming into the 2018 campaign, Stockton’s already-growing legacy, and how to keep the flame hot in an attempt to return to the championship game.
QUESTION: Coach, thanks for taking a few minutes. This was a younger, much more inexperienced team than in recent years coming into the season and they have been charged with defending a run to the state championship game in 2017. You’ve had guys like freshman quarterback Gunner Stockton [who already has racked up a Division I offer from Rutgers] who have had to step right into the fire. Yet, it seems like more of a reload than a rebuild. How has this team handled the pressures of being targets while trying to build their own success?
ANSWER: They are hungry for success. They don’t want to drop the torch but they also want to write their own story. This group has been playing together for a while through the younger programs so there is a lot of chemistry. This group is probably a little more business-like than some of the other teams. They are a “bring your lunch pail to work” kind of team. Every team has its own personality and this one certainly does. I think they’ve done a good job of handling things so far.
Q: Offensively your teams have been among the most explosive in the state over the past half-dozen seasons. Last year y’all where in the top 5 in Class 2A and right now you sit No. 1 in 2018 after eight games averaging 45.3 points a game. You graduated perhaps the greatest player in Rabun County history in quarterback Bailey Fisher. However, Stockton has had a solid first campaign. You have senior wide receiver Austin Jones. Is the consistency of your offenses more about the system or just finding the right talent for the right positions?
A: I think it’s a combination of things. Coaches and players buying into wat we want to do from the beginning has been a big part of it. Our offensive coordinator Jaybo Shaw makes tweaks every year based on what our personnel is and that also is a big part of it so it’s not just one thing. You definitely have to know what you're best at doing and identifying the guys you have and where they best fit. The strength of this group is probably our offensive line. A talented group. They have enabled us to do the things we need to whether it just be run, or pass, or be balanced. Austin does so many things. He gives us the ability to really do some different things. Gunner is just a special talent. I’ve said it before and I stand by it that he has the potential to be the best quarterback I’ve ever coached. He’s only going to get better, in my opinion.
Q: It’s a team game so no one person can do it all. But are there a few guys that have been the unsung heroes and leaders for this team?
A: We have a bunch of guys that really make things go for us, that do the little things that make a huge difference in us having success. On the offensive and/or defensive line we have seniors Jackson Webb (LT/DE), Shawn Lovell (C), and Austin Sosebee (TE/DL) and sophomore Will Hightower (RT). They are just integral parts of what we do. On defense we have a good linebacking group in juniors A.J. Wheeler, Trent Miller, and Mason Sprinkle that have really done a good job for us. Every team has and needs guys like these that are the glue that holds everything together.
Q: Y’all got over that mountain last season finally getting past the quarterfinals and into the program’s first-ever championship game. This is a different team and a different season. However, do you think this group is building toward another deep playoff run? Is it a pressure that is hard to deal with and what does this team need to do better to get there?
A: I do think this team is capable of a deep run. It’s getting better each week no matter the level of the competition. The potential is certainly there. But matchups and injuries are key elements when you get in the playoffs that you can’t control. There are so many factors that go into being able to go on a run and make it to a title game. As to what we need to work on, you never really want to admit to your opponents what your weaknesses are so I’m not going to help them here. But for sure we have weaknesses and it’s my job to fix those. On the pressure, I think it’s an awesome pressure to have. It’s what you strive for as a program, to have that pressure. It makes you better. Expectations, whether they come internally or from outside, are what you make of them.
Q: You finish the season against arch-rival Union County (8-0, 5-0 Region 8-2A) next week. Y’all have won the last four meetings, including in 2014 and 2015, which decided the Region 8-2A titles. This is the first meeting since then and once again the two teams will be playing for the region title. Two very similar teams with high-flying offenses and defenses that have been stingy in region play. What kind of game do you envision? High-scoring? Defensive battle?
A: It’s a great rivalry. They’ve been our No. 1 rival for a long, long time. They are a very good team or they wouldn’t have the record they do. I see a very heated, physical rivalry game. It should be a slobberknocker. It could be a track meet but I’m sure both defenses will be ready.
Q: Final question. It’s your last meal. Dillard House or Oinkers? A combination? Somewhere else? Why?
A: Well, it’s hard to beat Oinkers. Great BBQ. Dillard House is a great traditional meal place. I like The Universal, which is just an old gas station that has some good food. The Rusty Bike is another place -- awesome breakfast there. I think, really, if it was my last meal, I’d probably drive around and get a little bit of everything. Why not go all out.
