TIGER — Before the start of the 2015 season, senior ‘do-a-little-bit-of-everything’ Charlie Woernor was unquestionably the main attraction for the Rabun County football team.
He broke up passes. He made tackles. He returned kicks. He caught passes. He ran the ball. And, oh yes, he scored touchdowns. Lots of touchdowns.
But after a pair of early playoff exits in 2013 and 2014, Rabun County coach Lee Shaw knew for the Wildcats to make a serious run in 2015, Woerner, a Georgia-commit, would need to occasionally take second -- or even third -- billing.
“Charlie is a special player,” Shaw said. “He is one of the best players I have ever coached. He’s a tremendous athlete and can do just about anything on the football field that he wants to. But we really needed to develop some other players and have them step up for us to be a serious contender.
“No matter how good a player someone like Charlie is, teams can take them out of a game if you don’t have some other guys who can make plays around them. That was a high priority for us.”
In 2014 Woerner led the team in rushing attempts (156), rushing yards (1,143), receiving yards (659), and touchdowns (22). The entire rest of the team had 22 touchdowns combined.
This year, Woerner still leads in receptions (42) and receiving yards (675) but has only run the ball eight times for 68 yards. His touchdown total has dropped to 10.
But it is all part of the master plan to make the Wildcats (10-1) more dangerous and unpredictable. And Woerner was just fine with the new game plan.
“Whatever is needed to help the team win,” Woerner said this week as the Wildcats prepare to take on Early County (7-3-1) Friday night in the second round of the Class AA playoffs. “I just enjoy playing with my friends and helping the team win. It’s better when there is more than one guy the other team has to worry about.
“It has been a lot of fun to watch the other guys make plays. We are so much more dangerous as a team this year. We want to get to the (Georgia) Dome and the way we’re playing this year it makes things a lot harder for the other team.”
A key ingredient to Rabun's success has been the emergence of sophomore quarterback Bailey Fisher, who is a legitimate dual threat. He has thrown for 2,449 yards and 29 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He is also third on the team in rushing with 519 yards and another seven touchdowns.
The weapons don’t stop there. Senior running back Eli Gipson leads the team in rushing with 646 yards to go with six touchdowns, and junior running back Cal Drummond has 555 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing. On the receiving end, sophomore Dillyn Nichols has 498 yards and three touchdown catches while seniors Alden Wright and Jack Johnson each have six touchdown receptions.
But perhaps the biggest stat for the Wildcats is that they have produced 61 total touchdowns so far with 14 players besides Woerner with 51 scoring plays -- 17 more total touchdowns than a year ago.
In the past two seasons, teams minimized Woerner’s contributions in the playoffs. In last week’s first round victory over Bremen, however, Woerner had perhaps his best-ever playoff game with eight catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He added a team-high 17 tackles and one forced fumble on defense for good measure.
Shaw said they didn’t use Woerner as a decoy during the regular season even though teams would show double and sometimes triple-team coverage on him. The opposition quickly realized the Wildcats were far more than just a one-cannon attack and had to choose their poison.
“The teams know about Charlie and they plan for him,” Shaw said. “But when they see what Bailey and the other guys can do they have to adjust. What I like is that we just haven’t had to put everything on Charlie’s shoulders. It has allowed him to stay a little fresher, and he didn’t get beat up as much during the season. He’s just getting to enjoy playing the game.”
But now that it’s playoff time, Shaw admitted that you can’t leave your prized thoroughbred in the stable.
“Every game gets a little tougher in the playoffs so you need your best players making plays,” Shaw said. “We need Charlie to get as many touches as we can. He’s a difference-maker out there.”
Woerner drew comparisons to another receiver, Brad Stewart, who led Benedictine to the Class AA state title last year. The Wildcats fell victim to the Cadets in last year’s second round but Woerner and Stewart matched up against each other throughout the game.
“He’s a lot like Stewart in that he’s big, fast, physical, and can turn a game around,” Shaw said. “It was fun watching them go against each other last year.”
Woerner, however, felt he offered some different skill-sets.
“I feel like I’m better catching the ball and making something happen after the catch,” Woerner said. “I try to get separation during routes. (Stewart) was great with his hands and being able to jump over guys to make a catch.”
The Wildcats are certainly hoping that Woerner and the offense can continue their recent surge to go with the stingiest defensive unit in Class AA. They are yielding just 7.4 points a game on the season.
The Bobcats have been up and down all season. They have given up just 49 points (7.0 ppg) in their seven wins (and tie) but have yielded 119 points (39.6 ppg) in their three losses, all against teams still alive in the playoffs.
At this point in the season, every game could be the last and Woerner said his team is trying to keep the season going as long as possible.
“We know it could be our last game together but we’re just focused on having fun and playing one more game together,” Woerner said. “We’re using that as a motivator to prepare each week because we’re not ready to quit playing yet.”
Shaw said he noticed a difference last week in his group. After a slow start yielded a 14-7 halftime lead, the Wildcats outscored Bremen 35-7 in the second half.
“I think the guys are practicing and playing with a little more sense of urgency right now, which I think is a good thing this time of year,” Shaw said. “I think people saw us as an improved from the last couple of years and that we’re not just the Charlie Woerner show. But you can bet they will get to see plenty of Charlie out on the field and hopefully he’s making a difference for us like we know he can.”
Woerner said win or lose there will be no regrets, though he still has his dream vision intact.
“Even if we win the state title the thing I’ll remember most will be all the fun times I had together with my friends on the field,” he said. “If I had a dream ending it would be getting to the (Georgia) Dome and getting to raise that trophy with my friends.”
EARLY COUNTY at RABUN COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Frank Snyder Stadium, Tiger
-- EARLY COUNTY (7-3-1): No. 3 seed from region 1-AA, defeated Lamar County 28-0 in the first round
-- RABUN COUNTY (10-1): No. 1 seed from Region 8-AA, defeated Bremen 49-14 in the first round
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... The Wildcats continue to show consistency on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats are the No. 1 defensive team in AA allowing just 82 points (7.4 ppg). They have not allowed more than 19 points in any game this season. ... Rabun County is looking for its first quarterfinal appearance since 1998 while the Bobcats last reached the quarterfinals in 2012. ... The Wildcats are 18-5 at home under coach Lee Shaw.
