LOUISVILLE — Rabun County football has already caught up with history -- now the Wildcats hope outrun it.
Rabun County will play in its second ever state quarterfinal contest on Friday when it travels to face Jefferson County in Louisville. And 15 years after making its first Elite Eight appearance an entire community believes it is time for something unprecedented.
(NOTE: For a look at all five state quarterfinal contests involving area teams, click here.)
“It’s been just an incredible journey; it’s been a great accomplishment for these young men, for Rabun County,” Wildcats coach Lee Shaw said. “I’ll get some calls from some guys who played on the 1998 team (that first reached the quarterfinals), and some of the guys are excited about it and some of the parents of the ’98 group -- they’re glad. They set the bar high in the quarterfinals, 11 wins, everything everybody’s been chasing since then -- they’re excited for this group. As one guy told me. It’s time for that record to be broken, and they’re excited about it because they’re Wildcats.”
Shaw -- a former standout player and assistant coach for Rabun -- has led his program into territory well-familiar for himself, even if it is new for his players. In his fourth season leading the Wildcats he believes his current squad shares plenty in common with the four Flowery Branch teams he led to quarterfinal berths (going 2-2 in those games). And after playing all four of those contests on the road, Shaw says there is no big secret to playing well away from home.
“Really it’s to not make it any bigger than it is. It’s still a football game; you’ve still gotta play 48 minutes-plus,” Shaw said. “And we travel well here in Rabun County. We’re going to have a huge crowd down there, so it’s not going to be anything different. You always want to play at home because it’s special, but I think these guys are going to be able to play well on the road.”
Certainly defense tends to travel well, and the 2015 Wildcats have that in abundance.
The Wildcats (11-1) are yielding a Class AA-best 7.4 points per game and have continued that domination into the postseason, allowing just 21 points through two wins behind the play of standouts such as linebackers Rhodes Jones (team-high 101 tackles), Dawson Henricks (81 tackles) and Cal Drummond (77 tackles) and safety Charlie Woerner (76 tackles). The unit has also recorded 24 sacks and 22 turnovers (14 interceptions).
“We’re just flying around hitting guys; it’s fun to play on defense,” said Rabun senior safety/receiver Woerner. “The coaches, halftime adjustment and everything -- going through the week we’ve got everything at 100 percent, so it’s been fun.”
Not many defenses have had fun trying to corral Jefferson County quarterback TJ Bell, however. A true dual-threat, the senior has passed for 1,738 yards and 19 touchdowns -- against just 5 interceptions -- while also rushing for 1,063 yards and 21 scores. He is flanked by plenty of size, speed and experience, as the Warriors (10-2) roster features 28 seniors.
“(This is) a tremendous challenge; this is a really, really good football team,” Shaw said. “Of course you wouldn’t be in the Elite Eight if you weren’t. But they’re very special, and (Bell) is as good as I’ve seen. He’s got the size, got the arm, got the legs -- I mean he’s very much a dual-threat. Our defense will be challenged more so than at any time this year.”
Yet it is Rabun’s offense that could hold the key. The Wildcats know they must avoid the slow starts that saw them score just 14 points combined in the first halves of their two postseason wins. And while halftime adjustments have sparked Rabun to dominant victories, the Wildcats want to get going early this time around.
“We’re going to have to play four quarters, especially offensively,” Shaw said. “Defense has been playing for four quarters, offensively we’ve got to find a way to put together four good quarters and play all three phases of the game, play the best of their ability, and that’s the only way we’re going to be able to come away with a win.”
That means the Wildcats’ offensive line must get off the bus ready to play.
“If they don’t play well for us early then we kinda’ get exposed and we have to regroup a little bit at halftime and maybe change our schemes up a little bit and our thought process,” Shaw said. “And it’s just a chess match anyway against a defense. Hopefully our offensive line comes out and plays well early, and if they do play well early we’ll have a fast start.”
Certainly Rabun has the firepower to score on anyone -- as quarterback Bailey Fisher and Woerner have demonstrated, accounting for 11 of the team’s 13 postseason touchdowns. Woerner, a University of Georgia commit, has proven his worth, catching 17 passes for 395 yards and six scores in two playoff games. Yet after spreading the ball around to numerous playmakers during the regular season, Fisher believes his team will be just fine if teams adjust to try and negate the imposing senior.
“I feel like eventually they’re going to really start keying in on Charlie and double cover him,” Fisher said. “Then we’ve got so many other guys that can step up and make plays. We’ve got Cal (Drummond), Eli (Gipson), Alden (Wright), Jack (Johnson), Tristan (Huggins) -- they’ve all been making plays all year, and I expect them to keep doing the same.”
Fisher has also made plenty of plays, especially in the postseason, passing for 587 of his 2,758 yards this season, as well as 9 of his 35 touchdowns.
“He’s played tremendous, for being a sophomore quarterback he’s performing in the first round, second round against these really good teams -- it’s pretty special to watch him. And I’m glad he’s my quarterback,” Woerner said.
They will face a Warriors defense that has racked up 16 sacks and 23 turnovers this season while allowing 18.75 points per game. Senior linebacker Roitavious Boatwright leads the group with 107 tackles, while defensive lineman Melton Brown has 81 stops.
“They’ll be a little bit like (second round foe) Early (County), just more beefed up up front,” Fisher said.
The Warriors will also be playing in just their second state quarterfinal (the first coming in 2009), but even with all the history and excitement in the air, Shaw says he believes his team is focused -- as it has been all season.
“This is a very mature group, very even-keeled. They’re excited about it of course, but it was a goal they felt like they could achieve and go further. And that’s the goal like every high school coach preaches and sells at the beginning of the season, but these guys have just continued to find a way to win and make it special,” Shaw said. “And they’re having a good time doing it.”
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/11/352404/bvideob-game-of-the-week-rabun-county-aims-to-surpass-historic-mark