SYLVANIA — Historic accomplishments often require historic performers.
Thanks in large part to senior quarterback Bailey Fisher, Rabun County football has both.
The signal caller passed for 241 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 149 yards and 3 more scores as the Wildcats hammered Screven County in the second half of their 56-14 state quarterfinal victory on Friday in Sylvania.
The performance helped carry Rabun County to its first ever state semifinal berth and continued to prove that Fisher is one of the top players in a state littered with top-level talent.
Surprisingly enough, it took Fisher and the Wildcats offense a full quarter to find top gear on Friday, as the two teams battled to a 0-0 scoreline through the first 12 minutes of their Class AA Elite Eight showdown. Granted each team managed just one full possession each in the first quarter, as the Wildcats (13-0) punted and then forced a turnover on downs at their own 27.
The defensive stand ignited the Wildcats offense, which compiled a nine-play, 73-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Fisher to Austin Jones at the start of the second quarter. It was simply the warm-up for Rabun, which scored on seven of its next 11 possessions (and two of the non-scoring drives came as Rabun held the ball to end the first half and then the contest).
The Wildcats rolled up 523 yards on 70 offensive plays -- 282 rushing, 241 passing -- while holding the hosts to 268 total yards, including just 84 rushing. Screven County entered the night averaging 299 yards per game on the ground. Yet two long touchdown passes (67 and 79 yards) provided the Gamecocks' only scoring of the night.
The two long scores did allow Screven County to stay within striking distance of Rabun at the half, as Fisher's two short touchdown runs helped give the visitors a 21-14 advantage. But Fisher lofted a 7-yard scoring strike to Cole Keener with 6:09 remaining in the third quarter, and it was almost all Wildcats from there.
Rabun was forced to punt once more but then reeled off four straight touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, including Fisher scoring strikes to Braxton Hicks (27 yards) and Cole Keener (20 yards), sandwiched around another short touchdown run for Fisher. Brison Beck rounded out the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown jaunt, as the Wildcats rolled into history.
The Rabun defense certainly played its part in its maiden voyage into the Final Four, forcing three turnovers (two fumbles recovered and an interception) and yielding just two third down conversions in 10 attempts by the Gamecocks (11-1).
The Wildcats will hope for a repeat next Friday, as they prep for a home showdown with second-seeded Brooks County -- which blanked Callaway 31-0 on Friday.
Considering the length of this week's road trip (over 200 miles), it will be a welcome change, as Rabun County looks to make its way to a championship game appearance in Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/11/609141/rabun-county-rolls-into-history-behind-7-fisher-tds-stout-defense