TURFWAR 2017: Rebels control Bobcats, win 42-0

8/18/2017 – (Blue Ridge, GA)

The mania and excitement for the 2017 Solar Eclipse has taken Fannin County by storm, with tourists and locals flocking to grocery stores for their milk and bread as they prepared for the rare historic event. On Friday night, however, the Fannin County Rebels hosted the Gilmer Bobcats and made a little history of their own. In fact, while the offense steadily marched up and down the field, seemingly to the tempo of the FCHS band percussion beats; the defense completely shut the Cats out — a performance only to be eclipsed by the six PAT’s by Rebel kicker Sarah Sosebee. With each swing of her leg, Sosebee made history; she was the first and only female to ever score a point in a Fannin County football game.

The Rebels struck first, scoring on a 19-yard pass from quarterback Tyler Norton (#1) to Luke Cowart (#85) as Cowart cut through the heart of the secondary and darted into the end zone. A packed stadium held it’s breath and then shook the dust off the bleachers with cheers as Sarah Sosebee (#86) booted her first PAT of the night. “I was really nervous [and] didn’t want to let my team down,” Sosebee told TeamFYNSports after the game. “After I kicked and it was good I realized my hands were shaking but I was super excited at the same time.” Sosebee, whose kicking experience prior to this season was primarily as a soccer player, tore her ACL two years ago while playing on a boys’ travel team. Doctors told her she’d never play competitive soccer again. “My parents encouraged me to try something new. I always loved going to the soccer field and shooting for hours – that gave us the idea of kicking a football,” Sosebee said as she shared the details of her journey from the soccer field to the football field. “My dad asked Coach Pavao if I could try out for a kicker position. I worked out with the team and Coach Pavao let me join the team. I thank God for answering my prayers in a surprising way, and I’m really thankful to be part of a great team and a community who has given me an amazing amount of support and encouragement!”

Following the kickoff, Fannin answered any questions Gilmer may have had about the Rebels’ defense. Three quick snaps later the Bobcats’ punter was on the field, only to have the long-snapped ball sail over his head toward the end zone. The punter scooped the ball up before being tackled inside the 1-yard line, a turnover on downs. Norton took the snap and put the ball in running back Cody Jacob’s (#15) breadbasket, bouncing to the outside and across the goal line for a 13-0 lead. Sosebee once again split the uprights, Fannin leading 14-0 with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter.

Following the Rebel kickoff, the Gilmer Cats once again found themselves overwhelmed by the speed and aggressiveness of the Fannin Rebel defensive front. Rebel linebackers Brett Galloway (#9) and Mason Rhodes (#44) and defensive lineman Keenan Putnam (#52) closed in on the Cats’ quarterback and as the pressure built, he sent the ball into the turf, resulting in an intentional grounding penalty.  A failed screen pass snuffed out by the Rebel defensive backs forced Gilmer to once again punt the football.

The following possession for the Rebels offense kicked off the second quarter and they wasted no time confusing the Bobcats with a variety of ground and air attacks. Fatigue began to show in the Gilmer defensive front and the Rebels took advantage of it, handing the ball to Jacobs to pound it at the heart of the defense, then quickly resetting and sending the ball through the air to a versatile receiving core. From their own 48-yard-line, Norton took the snap from center Bradley Flowers (#66) and threw a swing pass to Jacobs. Jacobs took the pass to the house, a 52-yard completion, but a penalty brought the ball back to the Gilmer 30. After another brilliant run by Jacobs up the gut, Norton found Dawson King (#30) in the end zone for the third unanswered score of the game. Following the PAT, Fannin extended the lead to 21-0 (6:02 remaining in the 2nd quarter) and never looked back. Luke Cowart (#85) hauled in a beautiful spiral thrown by Norton for a 46-yard touchdown with less than five minutes remaining in the half.

Late in the third quarter, the Rebels were once again marching down the field and controlling the tempo of the game, with an outstanding performance running the football. Jacobs cut through the defense, bouncing off defenders and racing toward the pylon in a valiant attempt to extend the Rebel lead. Despite a holding penalty that overturned a touchdown, the Rebels went back to Jacobs on the following play and he carried the pigskin through the end zone. After three quarters of football, Fannin led Gilmer 35-0. With 8:54 remaining in the game, Matt Postell (#41) carried the ball across the goal line for the final touchdown of the game.

Statistically, this was an absolute nightmare for the Gilmer Bobcats, and the Fannin Rebels literally controlled every aspect of the game from start to finish. The Rebel offense racked up 359 yards, while the defense held the Cats to only 33 yards of total offense (all 33 yards coming by way of running the football). Fannin’s balanced attack gave way to 163 yards through the air and 196 yards on the ground; many of which came by way of Rebel running back Cody Jacobs (#15). Jacobs led the Rebels offensively with 21 carries for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. He averaged 4.3 yards each time he touched the football.

Rebel receivers Dawson King (#30) and Luke Cowart (#85) also played a vital role in the Rebels’ ability to reach paydirt. King caught 3 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown while Cowart hauled in 3 receptions for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Perhaps even more impressive that the offense, was the dominance of field position by the Fannin Rebel defense. The Gilmer quarterback struggled under relentless pressure and the Fannin defense penetrated the backfield seemingly at-will. Although the pressure did not lead to any turnovers, it forced seven 3-and-outs for the Cats as Gilmer was unable to convert a single third down in the game. Fannin, however, converted 8-of-10 third downs and was only forced to punt the football twice.

Fannin has a bye this week before returning to action Friday, September 1 at Ringgold. The Tigers (0-1)lost their game at Northwest Whitfield High School (1-0) last week, 48-29; they face rival Heritage (1-0) this week. Heritage won on the road last week as they rolled over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (0-1) 39-7 (all 39 points coming in the first half of play).  For more photos from the game and live updates throughout the season visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fetchyournews