(VIDEO) Game of the Week: Panthers, Wildcats set for championship showdown in the mountains

TIGER — As far as rivalries go this one is as old as the hills — or rather the mountains that surround it.

Rabun County and Union County will face off for the 52nd time in a long and storied rivalry on Friday at Frank Snyder Stadium in Tiger.

As storied as the Panthers vs. Wildcats history is, however, not many of their previous contests can touch this one for import.

The winner of Friday’s showdown will take the Region 8-2A crown and the No. 1 state playoff seed that comes with it. The loser, meanwhile, will finish as the No. 2 team in 8-2A.

It is the kind of tangible reality that puts rivalry talk on the back burner.

“I don’t know that that has anything to do with Rabun as much as it is the opportunity to play for a region championship. If it was anybody else. If it was Elbert or Social, anybody else in the region, it’s just another opportunity for us to play a ball game and play for a region championship,” said Union County coach Brian Allison.

That said, there is still something special in a showdown that is no longer a mountain spectacle, rather one all of Class 2A will keep an eye on, as the 9-0 Panthers look to knock off the No. 2-ranked Wildcats (8-1) after spending the last two seasons in Class 3A and separated from their old foes.

“It’s a classic set-up. We’re excited about it — community’s excited about it. This one has been kind of penciled in for a while because of the rivalry and we have them back on the schedule so everybody’s excited,” said Rabun County coach Lee Shaw, whose team is looking to land its fifth straight region crown and enter the playoffs on a hot streak after playing for last season’s Class 2A title. “This will be a playoff atmosphere and Union County will come over the mountain with a lot of people. Our people will come out, and it will be an epic football game.”

The numbers certainly set up for a classic battle, as the Wildcats enter with the top scoring team in Class 2A (47.3 points per game) against the No. 3 Panthers (44.1) — each guided by impressive quarterbacks that are in their first seasons as full-time starters after filling big shoes from graduated stars.

Junior Pierson Allison has impressed for Union after playing in spots last year behind then-starter Cole Wright, passing for 2,474 yards and 21 touchdowns against just 5 interceptions while also rushing for a team-high 597 yards and 8 scores.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats are leaning on a freshman that is already excelling beyond his years, as Gunner Stockton has passed for 1,924 yards and 24 TDs against just 4 interceptions, while also rushing for 471 yards and 11 scores.

Both teams also feature stellar receivers and backs.

Rabun is led by senior running back Brison Beck (952 yards rushing, 16 TDs), while Braxton Hicks (31 receptions, 541 yards, 9 TDs) and Austin Jones (25 receptions, 522 yards, 5 TDs) pace a receiving corps that has seen six players catch 10 or more passes this season.

Union also features running back Chad Buzzard (521 yards rushing, 11 TDs) and receivers Sawyer Drake (37 receptions, 746 yards, 6 TDs) and Kyle Morlock (37 receptions, 608 yards, 6 TDs) in a unit that includes five players with 14 or more catches.

For all the speed and flash on hand, however, Friday’s game will most likely come down to simple physicality — and who can dominate the line of scrimmage.

“We’re going to have to be physical up front. Rabun County is, and we’re going to have to intensify that,” Union senior offensive lineman Colson Daniel said. “We’re going to have to line up against people and move them.”

“That’s been the key for our success all year,” Shaw said. “Our offensive/defensive line are a lot of the same guys; they’re veterans, well invested in this program, lot of games played through the years. As we go is kind of how our offensive/defensive line goes.”

It is a challenge each team is relishing.

“There’s been a ton of excitement going on; there’s already been a little bit of trash talking, which makes it fun as long as things don’t get out of hand,” said Panthers receiver Kanon Hemphill, who is looking to help his team to its first region title since 1973. “But everybody’s excited and ready to play, and it’s a really good opportunity for us moving into playoffs.”

For Rabun, which has won four straight in a series it leads 35-16, it is another opportunity to show it not only maintains the upper hand in the region — but also across Class 2A in a game that carries implications further than the Blue Ridge.

“We just come out here, practice hard every day, practice like we’re going to play for a state championship every day, and it’s paying off so far, and we’re ready for Friday night.”