BLUE RIDGE — Union County coach Brian Allison knows the history all too well -- which is why, during one of the first team meetings this week as the Panthers prepare to take on rival Fannin County on the road, he shared some not-so-flattering statistics with his troops.
“It’s been a tough place for us over the years,” said Allison, who has been part of nine of the last 11 meetings between the two teams in two stints as the Panthers coach since 1996. Only once -- a 36-0 win in 2000 -- has he made the trip back to Blairsville with a victory in hand.
“The fans over there really get into it and it’s a great atmosphere for sure. We just haven’t been able to have a lot of success over there, no matter how good or bad either of us has been. I told the kids to expect a dogfight because it’s one every time we play.”
Fannin County coach Jim Pavao is hoping so. The Rebels (2-1) are riding a two-game win streak of their own and have won six of the last seven meetings at Rebel Stadium.
“This is a huge hurdle for us with the way (Union County) is playing,” Pavao said. “But we feel confident, especially at home.”
Union County (3-0) has had the better of the series of late, winning four of the last six matchups overall with the home team winning every contest. The 2015 edition could be one of the more memorable installments in the series if both teams match the level of their first few contests.
Both teams have put up some big offensive numbers in the early going. The Panthers are averaging 41.3 points while the Rebels are averaging 30.6 points a game.
And both teams feature solid quarterback play that has helped drive the offenses. Senior Joseph Mancuso, who has eight touchdown passes and just one interception in the first three games, leads the Panthers. Meanwhile, the Rebels have scored 66 points in the last two wins behind junior quarterback Brad Davis.
But Allison knows all too well that stats mean little in this one.
“As a sophomore Joseph threw three interceptions (in a 43-35 Fannin win in Blue Ridge),” Allison said. “It’s a big game for both teams being next door to each other. Their guys really defend their home field well.”
Pavao, despite being fairly new to the rivalry, said he has seen what the game means to both communities after just one season in Blue Ridge.
“It probably gets more talk around the school and around town this week than for any of the games during the season,” Pavao said. “It means a lot to the folks and the players. But we also know it’s just one game and it’s not a region game so we try to keep things in perspective as a program.”
With the offenses already showing midseason form, a high-scoring affair seems inevitable.
“It always seem like a high-scoring game and I’m sure the fans kind of like that,” Allison said. “I think the team that makes the fewer mistakes and of course turnovers will be the key. The way both offenses are going I don’t know if you can count on stopping them consistently.”
The Union County defense did allow 28 to Lumpkin County and its powerful ground attack but is still yielding just 13.6 points per game. The Fannin County defense (13.0 ppg) has improved in each game since yielding 29 in its opener -- a 29-26 loss to Class AAAA Gilmer -- to a shutout last week.
However, the Rebels will be without defensive leader in senior linebacker Jerod Petty, who is out for the season with a knee injury.
“That’s a big loss for us but I don’t know if you can stop a guy like Mancuso even if you have everyone,” Pavao said. “The key for us will be to make them earn points and not give up big plays. That’s easier said than done.”
Win or lose, both Allison and Pavao said continuing the momentum built to this point in the season is important. Both teams begin their all-important region schedules in the following contest.
”It’s important to play well not just for the recognition and the rivalry but to have the kids see that their hard work and effort is paying off,” Pavao said. “We have a bye next week so we certainly don’t want to have a bad taste in our mouths for two weeks with the beginning of the region coming up.”
“We start our region schedule next week so you always want to start the region with momentum,” Allison said. “We won last week but I really thought we took a step back. We had a punt return and two interception returns for touchdowns. Our offense really bogged itself down.
“We had a lot of penalties and made a bunch of mistakes. We had three scores called back and we can’t do that with the games we have left and be successful.”
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/9/335965/visitors-treated-unkind-in-fannin-union-rivalry