TIGER — Bailey Fisher may be amongst the top prep quarterbacks in the state -- across all classifications.
The Rabun County junior is at the top of his game -- witness last week's 20 of 24 passing performance against Vidalia in the second round of the Class AA playoffs, an outing that saw him throw for 248 yards, while also rushing for 117 yards and account for all six Wildcats touchdowns.
It was just one of many instrumental performances in a campaign leading Rabun back into the state quarterfinals for a second straight year and the third time in program history.
Good luck getting him to brag on himself, however.
In fact, when asked about what he must do to help the Wildcats (11-0) to a first-ever state semifinal berth on Friday in Fitzgerald, Fisher immediately referenced an interception thrown in last year's 31-28 state quarterfinal loss to Jefferson County.
"I had a big turnover in last year's game so we definitely know we can't have any turnovers; we've got to have a clean game -- got to have an efficient game," Fisher said. "If we do that, and we play our hearts out, we should have a pretty good outcome."
In other words, Fisher is not just a talent, but a great teammate and coach's dream.
"He's playing lights out; we're very blessed to have him playing on our side and for me to coach him," said Rabun County offensive coordinator Jaybo Shaw. "He's been the backbone for us on offense, and he's the captain. So he's playing about as good as he can for us right now."
Both Shaw and his father and head coach Lee Shaw know good quarterback play.
Lee Shaw helped mold a number of quarterbacks that have gone on to the collegiate level, including Jaybo -- who played at Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern -- and his brother Connor -- who starred at South Carolina and earned an NFL roster spot (currently with the Chicago Bears).
So when the elder Shaw says something like this -- "I believe by the time it's over with he may be the best that I've ever coached" -- you take notice.
The combination of Fisher's legs, arm and head for the game -- along with Jaybo Shaw's decision to join the Rabun staff from Western Carolina University have paid dividends in Tiger.
"It reminds me of what we did (at Flowery Branch High) back when Jaybo was playing and Connor was playing, where they had total control of changing a play and understanding what was going on," Lee Shaw said. "And, as I said, (Fisher) and Jaybo are on such the same page it's really scary. Bailey knows what he's going to call before Jaybo gets it out of his mouth. He knows what we're trying to accomplish. And you've got to have a guy like that in this system. If you're going to be deadly on offense you've got to have that trigger guy that can do that. And we've got one."
Fisher has passed for 2,442 yards and 27 touchdowns, against just 6 interceptions, while also completing just over 70 percent of his passes. The yardage is tops among all Class AA quarterbacks.
"He's just so in tune with the game plan we've got going right now and some of the things we've changed from the regular season to now," Jaybo Shaw said. "And he's a smart football player. That's probably one of the biggest things that sets him apart from some of the quarterbacks that we've seen, that I've been around. He understands coverages; he understands what we're trying to do on offense. And then me and him being on the same page and knowing what we're trying to accomplish... Yeah, he's in a zone right now. "
Fisher has also rushed for 889 yards and 21 scores, his dual-threat ability making the Wildcats' offense that much deadlier. Just ask senior running back Cal Drummond, who has 1,481 yards rushing and 16 TDs on the season.
"Given the opportunity to fake a handoff to me and him run, or him give it to me and they follow him... If he pulls it, they're going to follow me and he's going to find a hole. If he gives it then they're going to probably follow him backside and I'm going to find a hole outside, so it opens up both our games tremendously, having a threat through the air and on the ground," Drummond said. "It's huge; it's something not every team has and most teams probably want it."
Will that be enough to help overcome second-ranked Fitzgerald (11-1) on the road on Friday? Everyone in red and white is certainly excited to find out -- even if they're not getting carried away with it.
"We know it's gonna definitely be a crazy atmosphere down there in Fitzgerald. And we're definitely excited to go down there," Fisher said. "But like I said I don't want to make it out to be too much of a big game. We want to treat it just like any other game, so we're not getting too nervous or anything like that. We just want to go down there and play football."
Rabun knows that points and big plays will come at a premium against the Purple Hurricanes, who enter allowing 15.4 points per game. And even if the Wildcats are scoring 47.9 points per contest -- tops in Class AA -- they are approaching the contest as firm underdogs.
"I put it like this: We've only got to play them once, 48 minutes or more. We don't have to play them on Saturday night, Sunday night. So for one game, one time, we play great, play out of our mind and maybe they slip up a little bit, we got a chance," Lee Shaw said. "It reminds me of 2009 when Flowery Branch, we went down to Carver, Columbus, and upset them. And I felt like we beat the best team in the state that night. And we may not could have beat them in another 500 times. But for one Friday night, a special night, anything can happen. And that's what we're hoping for against Fitzgerald."
With a quarterback like Fisher in control, special nights are certainly no rarity for Rabun County.
RABUN COUNTY at FITZGERALD
- WHAT: Class AA football quarterfinal
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
- WHERE: Jaycee Stadium, Fitzgerald
- RABUN (11-1, No. 1 seed Region 8-AA): The Wildcats defeated Vidalia 42-7 in the second round
- FITZGERALD (11-1, No. 1 seed Region 1-AA): The Purple Hurricanes defeated Rockmart 48-21 in the second round
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/11/473267/bvideo-playoff-focusb-fisher-wildcats-flying-high-on-eve-of-quarterfinal-showdown