TIGER — Rabun County captain Austin Jones gives himself no quarter.
“I was horrible in that first half. Fumbled punt, missed tackles. Just awful,” he said about his first 24 minutes against Stephens County Friday night at Frank Snyder Stadium.
But playmakers usually make plays, and the senior needed just 37 seconds in the third quarter to turn things around for the Wildcats. Jones took a Stephens County punt 65-yards for a score and then intercepted a Kenny Colwell pass three plays later that sparked another Rabun County score as the Wildcats scored 28 unanswered second half points en route to a 41-14 win over the Indians.
“Well, he is a playmaker. It’s what he does and that punt return kind of ignited us,” Rabun County coach Lee Shaw said. “What’s more amazing is that he’s been battling a hamstring the last couple of weeks so we limited him as much as we could.”
Jones came into the game as the Wildcats leading receiver but had just one catch for 40 yards on offense. However, he had three other pass break ups on defense to go with the interception as the defense held Stephens County’s potent ground game to just 71 yards. They came in averaging over 165 yards a game rushing.
“I was probably only about 75 percent and as the game went on I could feel it a little more,” Jones said of his wobbly hamstring. “But after my bad first half I just told myself I needed to make something happen and fortunately I was able to do that. That punt return was exciting because it was into the student section and I could see them going crazy. That was fun.”
“The defense has played hard all three games,” Shaw said. “We’ve made some mistakes and given up some plays but I feel like we’re making progress. You have to play games like this against good competition to get better.”
In a game many figured to feature a pair of powerful offenses, the defenses took center stage in the first half.
The two teams traded punts to open the game and then Rabun County's Gunner Stockton, after guiding the Wildcats quickly down the field on their second drive, was picked off in the end zone by Indians' cornerback DJ Jones. It was the fifth interception already on the season for the Indians secondary.
But the Rabun defense again stuffed the Indians on three plays. However, on the ensuing punt, Jones fumbled after a big hit and Stephens County’s Charles Cochran recovered at the Indians' 45.
Stephens County needed just four plays to strike first on a 3-yard touchdown run by Hudson Spurlock for a 7-0 lead with 2:14 left in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 39-yard pass from Kenny Colwell to Gamarion Carter to the Wildcats 16.
That seemed to spark the Wildcats, who took control in the second quarter. They answered the Indians touchdown drive getting a 32-yard field goal from Tito Diaz to cut lead to 7-3 with 11:20 left in the first half on their next drive.
The Rabun defense forced a short punt on Stephens County’s next possession and a 5-yard touchdown pass from Stockton to Sam Adams capped a short 47-yard yard drive for a 10-7 lead with just 6:31 left in the half.
The Wildcats defense then stopped Stephens County on downs at the Wildcats 41 with just 35 seconds left. Stockton completed passes of 10-yards and 21-yards to Hicks, which set up a 40-yard field goal by Diaz as time expired for a 13-7 halftime lead.
Stephens County stormed out of the intermission as Colwell capped an impressive 75-yard drive with a 16-yard scramble run for a touchdown to reclaim the lead, 14-13, with 9:37 left in the third quarter. The Stephens defense then held the Wildcats on downs as a Stockton pass to Hicks inside the Indians’ 10 fell incomplete on a 4th-and-5 at the Stephens 33.
But the Rabun defense held on the Indians next possession and Jones’s electrifying return gave the Wildcats a 19-14 lead with 4:50 left in the third quarter. They never trailed again.
Stephens looked to have answered right back on a long kickoff return for a touchdown by the Indians’ Ty Kellar on the ensuing kickoff but it was called back for a block in the back. Jones then added insult to injury picking off a Colwell pass at the Indians’ 48 three plays later. That set up a 52-yard drive that was capped by a 5-yard Brison Beck touchdown run to push the lead to 25-14 after a failed 2-point conversion with 1:22 left
It stayed that way until midway through the fourth when the Wildcats sacked Colwell for a safety. Beck left any doubt capping the ensuing drive with a 38-yard touchdown run and Brody Jarrard finished the scoring with a 4-yard run with 1:38 left.
The Wildcats offense got the balance it wants with 229 yards rushing, paced by Beck’s 166 yards on 24 carries. Stockton was 14 of 22 for 209 yards and the one TD passing for the game.
SCORING SUMMARY
Stephens Co....7......0......7....0 -- 14
Rabun Co.........0....13....12...16 -- 41
First Quarter
S -- Spurlock 3 run (Jiminez kick) 7-0, 2:14
Second Quarter
R -- Tito Diaz 32 FG 7-3, 11:20
R -- Adams 5 pass from Stockton (Tito Diaz kick) 10-7, 6:21
R -- Tito Diaz 40 FG 13-7, 0:00
Third Quarter
S -- Colwell 16 run (Jiminez kick) 14-13, 9:37
R -- Jones 65 punt return (run failed) 19-14, 4:50
R -- Beck 5 run (pass failed) 25-14, 1:22
Fourth Quarter
R -- Safety 27-14, 5:07
R -- Beck 38 run (Tito Diaz kick) 34-14, 4:13
R -- Jarrard 4 run (Tito Diaz kick) 41-14, 1:38
