BLAIRSVILLE — For two years Pierson Allison watched patiently, and attentively, on the sidelines as Union County quarterback Cole Wright weaved his magic for the Panthers offense.
In 2017, as a sophomore, Allison got to see first-hand just what made Wright tick, competing against the eventual Army-signee in practice while roaming the Union County secondary. Allison also received spot duty at quarterback, completing 20 of 27 passes for 224 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. In 2016, a freshman Allison got into three games and went 6 for 12 for 72 yards.
Now a junior, Allison holds the reins of one of northeast Georgia’s more prolific offenses and says biding his time on the sidelines proved the perfect tutor.
“Cole was really, really good, and I learned a lot just watching him and playing against him on defense,” Allison said. “I feel I am much more prepared to take over (at quarterback) because of all of that."
Apparently so.
Allison is averaging 246 yards a game passing, and his 1,233 yards through five games leads all of Class 2A and puts him in the top 16 amongst all passers in the state -- regardless of classification. The junior also leads the team in rushing with 350 yards and has 14 total touchdowns (9 passing).
His coach, and father, Brian Allison, said it has been a project in the making.
“He’s been in this system for many years, but, watching Cole the last couple of years and getting into some games last year, you could see that he had the ability (to be pretty good),” Brian Allison said. “Pierson is getting better with his reads and in running the offense. He misses some things, but everyone is going to miss a few reads each game.
“The biggest thing to me for the offense is that he has a lot of weapons around him, and he is spreading the ball around. Also, our offensive line has done a real good job of protecting him and opening lanes for the runners so far.”
Not to take anything away from Pierson Allison and the Panther offense to this point -- Union County leads Class 2A in scoring as well at 44.5 points a game -- but coach Allison was quick to point out that they have piled up numbers against opponents that are just 6-18 on the season.
“You have to execute no matter who you play, and we’ve done a good job of that,” Coach Allison said. “But we’ve also played some teams that are struggling, so the stats may be a little skewed. I think this week we’ll find out just how good we are.”
The Panthers (5-0, 2-0 Region 8-2A) head to one of Georgia’s most iconic locales for high school football -- The Granite Bowl -- to take on Elbert County (4-1, 2-0 Region 8-2A) in a region matchup that holds major implications for both teams’ region title hopes.
Surprisingly, Friday’s showdown will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
“We’re definitely looking forward to it. (The Granite Bowl) is one of the premier places to play in the state, and it will be exciting to get that chance,” Coach Allison said.
It is safe to say that Elbert County, which is traditionally protective of its home turf, will offer Union County its first, and biggest, test of the season. The Blue Devils are 7-1 in their last eight home games, but the Panthers have won 5 of their last 7 road contests.
And while the Panthers do sit perched atop Class 2A in scoring, the Blue Devils defense has yielded just 66 points (13.2 ppg) on the season. Meanwhile, the Union County defense has allowed the fifth-fewest points in Class 2A (42, 8.4 ppg) -- but certainly expects to be challenged by a Blue Devils offense averaging 35.2 ppg. Elbert County is led by dual-threat Quindarius Hall at quarterback. Shun Allen at running back and Metrius Fleming at wide receiver also give the Blue Devils a core of dangerous playmakers.
Pierson Allison, who says the Panthers have seen plenty of tape on the Blue Devils, believes in his team's game plan. And the signal caller plans to get everyone involved in what he thinks is a better Union County offense overall than last year.
Junior Kyle Morlock leads the team in receptions (22 catches, 325 yards, 1 TD) while senior Sawyer Drake (18 catches, 334 yards) leads the team in yards and TD catches with four. But seniors Kanon Hemphill (15 catches, 216 yards, 2 TDs), Cayden Rich (12 catches, 188 yards) and Chayton Schafer (7 catches, 92 yards, 1 TD), along with sophomore Mason McCombs (3 catches, 47 yards), and senior Chad Buzzard (3 catches, 37 yards) all are averaging over 12 yards per catch. Buzzard also gives the Panthers a physical presence in the backfield, churning out 325 yards and 7 touchdowns on 64 carries.
“Elbert is very athletic and doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. But I think we can attack them through the air,” Pierson said. “We have a lot of guys this year that we can depend on. A lot of us got a lot of experience last year, and we’re older and understand what we’re doing more this year. My goal was just to come in and try to keep things rolling; if I was able to make a name for myself at the same time, that’s cool also.
“I feel we’re more potent than last year, and I definitely think we can have success. This is by far our biggest test of the season, but I also feel like we have a legitimate shot to win this one. It could be a shootout with the firepower of both offenses, but I also think our defense is better than people think.”
Coach Allison is not putting the entire season on one game, especially with arch-rival Rabun County looming down the road. But a win against the Blue Devils could be just the spark for his program this season.
“(It is) a huge test for us, the biggest so far, no doubt,” coach Allison said. “But it won’t be the end of everything for us, win or lose. However, I’d feel pretty good about where we are at at this point in the season if we can come away with a win Friday night.
“This is the kind of game we’ve been building toward, and, hopefully, we can push the program toward that next step. We're excited about this chance.”
