The Rebels topple No.1 Dawson, 31-15

 The Fannin Rebels ( 2-1,4-3) hosted the (3-1,4-3) Dawson Tigers at Rebel’s Stadium this past Friday. Fannin took last year’s game late in the fourth quarter, 35-28 on an interception.

The Rebels coming off a region win at Lumpkin looked like a championship team Friday night. The team had an all new swag about themselves, a focus unlike any I or any Rebel fan has saw in previous years. This team believes. Coach Pavao and his staff have prepared this years team to compete in an ever changing Region 7-AAA. Last year’s undefeated West Hall sits near the bottom and Dawson sits up top. As it stands Dawson and Franklin still sit on top tied for first place with a 3-1 record. Fannin, Banks and East Hall, 2-1 are tied for 2-3 place and West Hall and Lumpkin round out the region. Next up for Fannin is a home game against a struggling West Hall Spartans (0-3,2-5). The Rebels look to rewrite history after last years shutout in Oakwood, GA.

The key to Fannin’s wins seems to be the leadership of the seniors and the underclassmen believing and buying into the season. Nobody wants to be the “ONE” its a team effort and they all know that. Sr. Dakota Archie is one of those seniors that can and has made a difference. He commands respect by leadership and hard work. Jerrod Petty whom was injured at the Murray game is still on the sidelines and in the locker room getting the team pumped and focused. The leadership does not stop at the seniors, they’re several juniors that have made a difference. Earls, Cornillaud, Sauls and Ware just to name a few. Truth be told this team has a ton of leadership on all levels. This past Friday was a true testament to just that.

Dawson was a perfect 3-0 coming into the game and the clear favorite to win. I don’t have the Tigers stats, but I can say this I am pretty sure the Tigers didn’t reach their 365 all-purpose yard average. Fannin came out quick scoring 24 first half points, holding the Tigers to no points, a position Dawson was unfamiliar with. Clay Ware got six of those points on a pick six for a 50+ yard return. The Rebel’s are a strong first half team, but historically this season give up their wins in the second half. Not this week. Dawson was able to find the end zone on the opening kick-off of the second half, but could not get enough momentum in the remainder of the game. QB Coey Watson (Avg. 212 YPG) has been a huge part of the Tigers offense and Fannin did a great job of pressuring him and not giving him the chance to hit the secondary in both passing and running. Senior Tigers Hunter Mitchell (Avg. 98.8 YPG) and Tucker Maxwell (Avg. 73.6 YPG) were held all night. The Rebel’s defense with starter Jerrod Petty out for the season has made the adjustments and look like a true contender this season. I talked with Coach Pavao and he told me when asked about this season “This group of young men hold their own destiny”.