Panthers Defeat Rebels

Last night, the Union County Panthers Football Team traveled to Fannin County High School to take on the Rebels. Both teams were 2-0 and ready to fight for their third win.

Alex White kicked off for the Rebels where Union had a long carry on the receive, but was stopped by Junior, Cohutta Hyde. The Panthers threw the ball to gain yards and got closer to the end zone. With the ball thrown to the corner of the end zone, Union caught a pass for their first touchdown of the night. Their kick for the extra point was good, putting them ahead 7-0. Carson Beavers received the ball for the Rebels where he carried it to the 24 yard line. Treylyn Owensby was the go to guy of the night for hand offs to gain yards for Fannin. Overall, the Junior rushed for 121 yards. Despite Owensby’s carries, Unions defense was too much to over come as they took Fannin down on a fourth down. Andre Bivens had great defensive coverage for the Rebels as he deflected a long Panther pass to save Fannin from another Union touchdown. With the Panthers too far from the end zone, they attempted to kick a field goal for an extra three points, but failed at the attempt. With 8.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Fannin Quarterback Luke Holloway carried the ball for 30 yards for the clock to run out with Union ahead 7-0.

Throughout the night, Holloway completed 13-for-22 passes for 142 yards. As Fannin had possession of the ball, Union’s defense broke through the line and sacked the Quarterback twice. Will Mosley and Jakob Tuggle fought hard on defense for Fannin as they kept Union from advancing up the field. Despite their grit on defense, the Panthers were able to score on a pass up the field, but the extra point was no good due to a bad snap. Although Fannin fought hard to run through Union’s defense, they were unable to score. With the Panther’s in possession of the ball, there was a bad snap that went over the Quarterback’s head for Tuggle to recover for Fannin. To close out the first half, Alex White attempted a 42 yard field goal to put Fannin on the board, but failed at the attempt which put Union ahead 13-0.

Fannin gained most of their yards from passes up the field. After they kept earning first downs, Holloway threw an interception to give Union possession of the ball. It didn’t take long for the Panthers to make their way up the field and throw for another touchdown. Their attempt at an extra point was good, extending their lead 20-0. Cohutta Hyde showed off his speed as he broke through the defense and had a long carry for Fannin. Despite their hustle, Fannin was unable to score, putting Union ahead 20-0. 

Fannin found their fire to start off the fourth quarter. Not only did Will Mosely have a great night on defense, but also offense where he had 57 rushing yards. As Fannin got closer to the end zone and into scoring position, Holloway ran the ball in for Fannin’s first touchdown. Sara Sosebee’s kick for an extra point was good, putting the score at 20-7. Micah O’Neal also had a good night on defense where he made big stops for the Rebels. Fannin took over at the 22 yard line to push the ball up the field. Holloway showed off his arm as he completed a 45 yard pass to Cohutta Hyde who had 100 yards receiving. Treylyn Owensby was the next to have the ball as he carried it into the end zone for another Rebel touchdown. Sosebee earned the extra point for Fannin and put the score at 20-14. White had a squib kick in hopes that Fannin could get the ball back, but found the Panthers in scoring position. Union answered the Rebel’s call, and threw for their third touchdown of the night. Instead of kicking for the extra point, the Panthers went for a two point conversion but failed at the attempt. After Fannin earned first downs and got closer to the end zone, Holloway threw an interception for Union to run it all the way back for a touchdown. After the extra point was good, the Panthers found themselves with a 33-14 lead over Fannin. Although Fannin fought hard to get to their end zone before the clock ran out, they were unable to score any more points, leaving Union with their third victory.

The Rebels loss put their overall record at 2-1. Catch Fannin’s next game at 7:30, next Friday as they travel to Chestatee!