#TeamFYNsports wanted to give our readers a little insight about what to watch for in tonights Elite 8 playoff game between the Fannin County Rebels and the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes. 

Take a look as T

Unbeatens: 

Tonights matchup features two unbeaten teams. Fitzgerald comes in 11-0 and ranked number 1 overall in AA. Fannin Comes in ranked as high as 6 in some polls with a 10-0 record. No matter who you are pulling for, we will see one team come away with their first loss of the season. 

Weather and Drive:

I could see the cold weather tonight coming into play for sure. Fitzgerald, being in south Georgia is probably not used to playing in the cold Blue Ridge weather. If Fannin comes out with some intensity and starts laying the wood early, they will have a good chance at coming out of this game on top. I also could see the long drive that Fitzgerald has coming into play here. Perhaps these guys are a little sluggish and that could give the rebels the opportunity to jump out early.

Fitzgerald:

Fitzgerald is athletic across the whole field. The Purple Hurricanes are for sure a run first team. They are going to line it up and try to run it down your throat. Tonight will be a huge test for the Fannin front line. I would not expect to see a lot of passing out of Fitzgerald, as from what I have seen that doesn’t really seem to be their game. We dont know a ton about these guys seeing as how they come from so far away, but these are some of the guys to watch out for tonight-

-#8 EJ Lightsey, a 6’2 210lb Linebacker and Defensive back who has offers from Florida state, South Carolina, UGA and University of Tennessee. I would expect Lightsey to be in on most of the tackles tonight, and I would expect to hear his name over the loud speaker multiple times. 

-#18, Dequavion Harper is a preseason all state Defensive lineman who will look to make an impact early if Rebel QB Luke Holloway has limited mobility. 

-#3 Chance Gamble, a Wide receiver will make an impact for the Purple Hurricanes through the air if the Rebels Defensive backs aren’t on top of their game. Gamble is also a preseason all state Defensive Back.

Fannin:

Fannin suffered a few injuries to some key positions last week. We saw Senior QB Luke Holloway hobbling around pretty much the entire game. He has had a week to heal up, so we will see pretty early on in this one if he is going to be 100%. We also saw Cohutta Hyde on the sideline in sweats after halftime last week. If Cohutta is able to suit up tonight, that will give the Rebels a huge edge as he is one of the fastest guys in the state.

Hanging around:

Fannin’s best chance tonight after what I have watched all season is to hang around and keep this one close going into the locker room at half time. Fannin is arguably the best second half team in the state, so if they can keep it within striking distance at half time I could definitely see them pulling off the upset tonight.

Underdogs: 

Fannin is headed into tonight as a pretty big underdog. I have seen a lot of predictions from different outlets and they all have on thing in common: Fitzgerald winning. Fannin has played all year with a chip on their shoulder, and I think the fact that everyone outside of Blue Ridge is expecting them to lose is going to add fuel to the fire.