GHSA announces changes to playoffs

Team FYN Sports
ghsa

The GHSA (Georgia High School Association) has announced a few changes for the 2020 state playoffs in different sports.

Monday, Executive Director Robin Hines stated that the coronavirus would impact a number of sports when they enter postseason play when it came to attendance numbers.

The State football championship will be at full capacity in Georgia State’s Football Stadium so it will not be affected.

Basketball will see a huge change, as the state semifinals and finals games are usually played at surrounding colleges, but will not be this year. This year they will be played at high school gyms. The GHSA cited that many colleges simply are not allowing their arenas to open at all.

Hines said that the softball championships which take place in Columbus, will not have stands for fans. Attending fans will be required to bring their own chairs and seating and be required to socially distance.

Swimming finals are still set for Georgia Tech, but Hines said currently the facility is not allowing fans. The GHSA could possibly charge schools $40 per athlete to cover revenue loss and the cost of the facility.

Hines also announced the GHSA is forming a Diversity Committee.

GHSA to discuss department of public health’s concerns tomorrow

FCHS Football, Sports
ghsa football

Georgia High School Association director Robin Hines has his weekly meeting with the sports medicine advisory committee on Wednesday, and this week they will discuss the Georgia Department of Public Health’s concerns about fall sports.

Dr. Kathleen Toomey said on a zoom call on Friday that she had rising concerns about fall sports and the risks involved in football, cheerleading and band.

Hines responded to the department of public health’s concerns by saying, “I felt like the meeting was informative, and I appreciate Dr. Toomey taking the time to share with our superintendents her thoughts on reopening schools. As a result, it’s certainly increased the communication between the GHSA and the department of public health. We look forward to working with them.”

Dr. Toomey did not specifically say that fall sports should not be played, however she did mention that sports such as golf and tennis make it easier to maintain social distance than something like football or cheerleading would.

Stay tuned to the FYN Sports pages to find out how tomorrows meeting went and get the most recent updates on GHSA sports.

GHSA to push start of football back 2 weeks

FCHS Football
ghsa football

The Georgia High School Association held a private meeting earlier today to discuss the upcoming fall football season start dates and schedules. The meeting was not broadcast publicly, but according to the GHSA’s meeting minutes, the competition date for football will be pushed back for two weeks, but the football conditioning and all other sports starting dates are unchanged.

The first football games will be held on labor day weekend, with scrimmages on August 21st and 28th.

There will be a full regular season and a full playoff schedule as of right now.

Practice will begin next Monday, with pads starting August 1st.

The start date for the rest of fall sports has not been altered and is as follows:

  • Softball: August 6
  • Cheerleading: August 8
  • Cross Country: August 10
  • Volleyball: August 10

This is a developing story, please stay tuned for updates as more details of the meeting are released.

Georgia High School Sports Resume

FCHS Football, Sports

Georgia High School’s have been given the nod to resume off season workouts starting June 8th. The GHSA held a meeting last week and voted to push back the original start date they had agreed upon, moving things a week back from the 1st to the 8th. The meeting was held electronically and was broadcast on the NFHS network. 

 

“These kids have already been away from their fellow students for two-and-a-half months. They’ve already missed proms and honors nights. They’re ready to get back, and that’s been made clear to me from the hundreds of emails I’ve gotten from parents saying, ‘Please let our kids get going.’ It is time to get going” Executive Director Robin Hines said during the meeting.

 

Many of the GHSA board members were concerned that teams would feel rushed to get back out there and start back without being fully prepared, which warranted the opening date being pushed back to the 8th. Hines also hammered the point home that these would all be voluntary conditioning workouts only, with no bats or balls permitted. 

 

The GHSA also released guidelines for schools to follow which can be found here

 

A few of the main recommendations and restrictions include: 

 

  • Member schools should prepare an Infectious Disease Prevention Plan prior to staff and athletes returning to conditioning.
  • Groups should be the same individuals (including coaches) for each session to limit risk of exposure. Students or coaches CANNOT change groups for the duration of this guidance.
  • There is no competition allowed between schools.
  • Social distancing should be adhered to always and masks/face covering are recommended for the weight room.
  • No use of locker rooms or shower facilities. Students should report to the facility dressed to condition and shower at home.
  • Each student should have their own personal water bottle. No use of water fountains. 
  • It is recommended that staff and athletes are screened prior to each workout. 

Georgia’s official sports seasons wont start until mandatory practices begin, which as of now is set for July 27th for football and August 1st for all other sports. 

 

Thursday the GHSA released a statement clarifying some of the guidelines. 

  • Groups of 20, including coaches, for workouts per sport at any given time at the campus/facility.  Campus/facility denote the buildings and contiguous property surrounding the buildings.  You cannot have a group from one sport in the weight room and another from the same sport on a field on the same campus.  This includes adjacent middle school properties. If your middle school that feeds the high school is on an entirely different campus/facility, a second group from the same sport could condition at that location as well following the same guidelines.  Multiple sport conditioning groups should be scheduled with staggered starting and ending time to prevent large gatherings before and after workouts.

 

  • Groups should be the same individuals (including coaches) for each session to limit risk of exposure. Students or coaches CANNOT change groups for the duration of this guidance. Athletic Directors and Head Coaches are allowed to monitor all workouts. Schools that employ a Strength and Conditioning coach may use that individual to direct all workouts. These individuals count in the group limit of 20 persons. Social distancing, hand washing/sanitizer are stressed and masks/face coverings for these individuals is highly recommended. Groups should be consistent from workout to workout.  If there are multiple-sport athletes, one conditioning group should be selected and adhered to for the duration of this guidance. There should be no student athlete in multiple conditioning groups.

Hines included in this release that he fully expects for these guidelines to change over time but they must be implemented for at least the first week of the students’ return to workouts, as a focus on conditioning instead of sport-specific skills will help reduce risk and help everyone ease back into things. 

Four Rebels place at traditional state wrestling championships

FCHS Wrestling, Team FYN Sports
Fannin Third-Place

The Fannin Co. Rebels wrestling squad saw four members earn state placer honors at the Georgia High School Association’s Traditional State Wrestling Championships Feb. 13-15 at the Macon Centreplex in Macon.

Third

Grayson Patterson

Third

Landon Galloway

Three Rebels placed third and one placed fourth in a strong showing for coach Chuck Patterson and Fannin Co.

At 120 pounds, Grayson Patterson placed third. After a first-round bye, Patterson looked to not be on track for a state placer finish after falling in the second round by a 12-7 decision, but rattled off four straight wins in the consolation bracket to finish third. In his first match of the consolation round, Patterson win by pin at 4 minutes, 6 seconds, before winning the second match by a 5-0 decision, and the third match by a 19-5 decision. Patterson then won the third-place match with a 10-5 decision.

McCay Turner

Kainan Henson

At 126 pounds, Landon Galloway also placed third. Galloway also had a first-round bye before winning his quarterfinal match by pin at 5:17. Galloway lost a tough, 2-1 decision in the semifinals before going on to win his first consolation match by a 10-7 decision and bringing home third place with a 2-0 decision.

McCay Turner, at 152 pounds, earned third-place honors as well. After his first-round bye, Turner won his quarterfinal match by a 3-1 decision, before falling in the semifinals by an 8-4 decision. Turner won his first consolation match by a 5-1 decision, before winning the third-place bout by pin at 2:08.

Kainan Henson, at 106 pounds, rounded out the state placers for Fannin Co. Henson won his first-round match by pin at 1:16.

 

Lady Rebels advance to second round of state playoffs

Fannin Co. Basketball, Team FYN Sports
Fannin Co.

For the first round of state playoffs, the Fannin Co. Lady Rebels traveled to Atlanta to take on the Westminster Wildcats last night, Feb. 14. Both teams fought hard until the end, but Fannin Co. was the one to come out on top with a 54-45 victory to move on to the second round of the state playoffs. 

Fannin Co.Westminster got the ball from tipoff where they had trouble making their way to the basket. Fannin Co. had a solid defense where they earned rebounds and drove the ball to their basket for points. Saidee Collins was the first to put points on the board with a shot from the block to give Fannin Co. the early lead. Mackenzie Johnson continued the trend as she drove to the basket immediately after to put the score at 4-0. Johnson had a great night on defense as she got after the ball and was able to draw fouls and added a free throw to the Lady Rebels score. The Wildcats began to put the ball into action as they made 3-pointers to put points on the board. The Lady Rebels kept adding to their score and closed out the first quarter with a score of 13-8. 

As Westminster began to look inside to their posts for points, Fannin Co. did the same. The Lady Rebels passed around the key well as they had great looks inside to their posts. Olivia Sisson showed off her moves on the block as she added four points to Fannin Co.’s score. Becca Ledford was the one who led the Lady Rebels in scoring for the night with 19 points overall. Abby Ledford also showed off her hustle as she drove to the basket and added four points on the board for Fannin Co. to go into halftime with a 21-17 lead 

Fannin Co.To start off the second half, Fannin Co. began to make their 3-point shots. Natalie Thomas was on fire above the key as she added 12 points to Fannin Co.’s score from four made 3-pointers. Reagan York continued the trend as she added 10 points on the board for the Lady Rebels, six of them being from made 3-point shots. Westminster began to make a comeback as they were able to make a 3-point shot to tie the game 31-31. Abby Ledford was able to sneak in and and make a wide open shot down low to get Fannin Co.’s lead back with a score of 33-31. Becca Ledford followed right behind as she made a layup to advance Fannin Co.’s lead and closed out the third quarter with a score of 35-33.

The Wildcats quickly tied the game back up to start off the fourth quarter and were able to take a 37-35 lead with made free throws. They continued to advance their lead until Reagan York made back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game 43-43. Natalie Thomas answered the call as she was able to make a 3-point shot of her own to put Fannin Co. ahead 46-43 for the Lady Rebels to keep adding onto to their score and advancing their lead. As the buzzer sounded, Fannin Co. found themselves with a 54-45 victory to move on to play in the second round.

When asking Becca Ledford about the team’s efforts this season, she stated, “We have put our heart and soul into this team and we no longer do this for ourselves. We do this for each other, our coach, our fans, and everyone who supports the Rebel Nation.”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeDuuBxlW0M

 

Several area football players named to the all-state team

Team FYN Sports
High school football

The 2019 All-State Football Teams as selected by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution were released Thursday and several area players were honored.

Two players were named to the Class AAA first team: North Murray senior Ladd McConkey was named the first team Athlete, while Fannin Co. junior Luke Holloway was named the first team Punter.

Dawson Co. placed two players on the Honorable Mention list: senior defensive back Riley Herndon and junior place kicker Caleb Bonesteel.

North Murray senior linebacker Dylan Flood was also named an Honorable Mention.

In Class AA, two players from Rabun Co. were named to the first team: sophomore quarterback Gunner Stockton and senior wide receiver Braxton Hicks.

Union Co. senior quarterback Pierson Allison was named an Honorable Mention in Class AA.

 

Fannin wins appeal, will move to Region 7-AA for 2020-2022

Fannin County High, Team FYN Sports
Fannin

Fannin Co. athletic programs are expected to play in Region 7-AA beginning with the 2020-21 school year.

Earlier this month, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) released the list of tentative reclassifications for the 2020-2022 school years. Initially, Fannin Co. was put into Region 8-AA along with Banks Co., Elbert Co., Rabun Co., Riverside Military, and Union Co.

Fannin Co. administration filed an appeal with the GHSA to move to Region 7-AA, citing travel times and travel distances as the main factors.

The appeal letter, submitted by Fannin Co. High Principal Erik Cioffi, stated:

“The request to transfer regions is based on travel time, distance, cost, instructional time, and safety. In Region 8-AA, two of the team are one 125 miles away and the bus routes for these trips take longer than three hours to complete. … If approved, a placement in Region 7-AA would allow for all trips to be under 100 miles in distance and take less than two hours. The time and mileage of travel in 8-AA would also add cost by increasing driver time and fuel consumption.”

The appeal letter went on to state that student instructional time would also be impacted along with citing safety concerns of so many underage athletes traveling into the late hours of the night.

Fannin Co.’s appeal was granted by a 13-1 vote Tuesday, Nov. 29, with two members of the GHSA’s Reclassification Committee abstaining after Cioffi presented the request at the hearing held in Thomaston.

While the appeal was approved by the committee, the move to Region 7-AA is not quite a done deal yet, says Cioffi.

“The next step is for the Executive Committee for Reclassification to approve all regions for GHSA. Nothing is official until that meeting, which I understand to be in early December,” Cioffi said Wednesday.

The prospective Region 7-AA includes Chattooga, Close, Dade Co., Fannin Co., Gordon Central, Model, and Pepperell.

Rebels Become 2-0 in Region

Fannin County High, Team FYN Sports
Rebels 2-0 in region!

Last night, the Fannin County Rebels traveled to East Hall to take on the Vikings for their second region game of the season. The Rebels had just come from a 21-7 region victory over the Cherokee Bluff Bears and hoped to continue the trend.

Fannin won the coin toss and decided to receive the ball. Cohutta Hyde was the one to receive as he ran it to the 35 yard line. Treylyn Owensby was the go to guy for handoffs as he gained most of Fannin’s yards.

After Owensby earned a Fannin first down, he ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play. Sara Sosebee’s attempt at an extra point was good, putting Fannin ahead 7-0.

The Rebels defense was solid as Micah O’Neal had big tackles and Carson Beavers had great coverage to keep the Vikings from catching long passes.

After the defense refused to give up any points, their offense took the field. As Fannin made their way up the field, Luke Holloway made a pass to Hyde for him to move around the defense and score another Fannin touchdown for Sosebee’s kick to be good, putting the score at 14-0.

Jalen Ingram had a squib kick where Fannin stopped the Vikings as Jackson Weeks mas a wall on defense. Seth Reece continued the trend as he brought a Viking down and kept them from gaining any yards. Fannin’s defensive pressure caused the quarterback to fumble the ball for Jakob Tuggle to recover and gain possession for Fannin. East Hall redeemed themselves soon after that as they recovered a Rebel fumble.

To close out an eventful first quarter, the Vikings made their mark on the score board as they ran the ball from their 20 yard line all the way to their end zone, but failed at an attempt of a two point conversion, putting Fannin ahead 14-6.

Andre Bivens hustled as he made a great catch right beside the sideline and did everything in his power to keep it in bounds for a Rebel first down.

Will Mosley was another go to for handoffs to gain yards for Fannin. Holloway looked up the field to find Mosely open as he ran it to the 1 yard line, putting the Rebels in perfect scoring position. Owensby did it again as he ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play.

Sosebee’s kick went right through the uprights, giving Fannin a 28-6 lead. Despite the Rebel’s great defensive pressure, the Vikings found an open man to make a long pass to for East Hall to find themselves at their one yard line to run the ball in for a touchdown on the next play. They once again attempted for two points and were successful the second go around, putting the score at 28-14 to go into halftime. 

Fannin’s defense came to play at the start of the third quarter. Jalen Ingram had a big stop, followed by Jackson Weeks. The Vikings had a long pass for a first down, just for Dalton Ross to recover an East Hall fumble on the next play and gain possession for Fannin. The Rebels focused on their running game as Owensby gained most of the yards for Fannin. After earning a first down, Treylyn ran the ball in for his third touchdown of the night. Sosebee’s PAT was good, extending Fannin’s lead 35-14. As Fannin’s defense held the Vikings, Tuggle closed out the quarter with a quarterback sack.

As the Rebels got closer to their end zone, Holloway threw a pass to Ingram who was wide open and pushed his way into the end zone, putting Fannin ahead 42-14 with Sara’s made kick.

Hyde had a great onside kick for Fannin’s defense to stop the Vikings right where they wanted them. Tuggle broke through the line and was able to sack the quarterback one more time. As Fannin got closer to their end zone, Holloway had a QB sneak to score another Rebel touchdown. Sosebee’s kick was good, extending Fannin’s lead 49-14.

The Vikings were quick to answer the Rebels call as they had a long run for another East Hall touchdown and one more shortly after they held Fannin on offense. Neither two point conversion was successful, leaving the score at 49-26 for Fannin to become 2-0 in the region.  

Fannin’s victory puts their overall record at 5-1 and their region record at 2-0! Catch the Rebel’s next game, next Friday as they take on North Hall at home starting @7:30pm!

Trojans Defeat Rebels in Pink Out

Fannin County High, Team FYN Sports

Last night, the North Hall Trojans traveled to Fannin County High School to take on the Rebels for their Pink Out game. Fannin had just come from a big 49-26 victory over East Hall and hoped to continue the trend.

At the kickoff, Fannin received the ball, Treylyn Owensby was the go to guy for hand offs where he gained yards for the Rebels. Although they didn’t have much luck with the Trojans tough defense, Fannin tried to make their way up the field by running the ball. After being stopped and having a turn on defense, Jakob Tuggle sacked the quarterback. Cason Owensby and Micah O’Neal continued the trend as they did the same thing on the very next play. As the Trojans saw they were not able to reach the end zone before Fannin would gain possession, they kicked a 43 yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead over Fannin. Andre Bivens was on the return for Fannin but quickly found North Hall’s defense waiting on him. After a short time on offense for Fannin, their defense came out and hoped to do the same. North Hall followed Fannin’s lead as they ran the ball up the field instead of throwing it. Even though the Trojans kept pressing up the field, Fannin’s defense fought hard. O’Neal made a stop at the 1 yard line, hoping that they could continue the trend just for the Trojans to run the ball in for a touchdown on the next play. The kick for the extra point was good, putting north Hall ahead 10-0. Jalen Ingram returned the ball for Fannin and made it to the 41 yard line for the Rebels to offense to take over. Owensby was given a hand off by Luke Holloway and earned a Fannin first down to end the first quarter.

The Rebels still found themselves unsuccessful in attempts to run the ball up the field against the Trojan defense. Tuggle and O’ Neal continued to have a great night on defense as they made big stops for Fannin. We saw a slight glimpse of Fannin’s passing game as Holloway threw to Andre Bivens for a fair catch at the 47 yard line. As the Rebels were approaching fourth down, the ball was handed off to Owensby for him to earn a Fannin first down. Despite the Rebels hustle, it was not enough to make it to their endzone. The Trojans offense came out ready to play as they took over at the 18 yard line. Cason Owensby and Carson Beavers were quick on their feet as they made big stops for Fannin. With North Hall running the ball in for another touchdown and a successful attempt at and extra point, they extended their lead to 17-0. After a Rebel return to the 30 yard line, Holloway threw an interception for JoJo Goodwin to make the stop for Fannin. Right after the Trojans earned a first down, they ran the ball in for their third touchdown of the night. The kick was good, closing out the first half with North Hall ahead 24-0.

Ingram started off the third quarter with a squib kick in hopes that Fannin could gain possession of the ball. Although it was a great attempt, the rebels were unsuccessful. Seth Reece came alive on defense as he started to make big plays for Fannin. Cason Owensby showed off his hustle as he recovered a North Hall fumble and gained possession for the Rebels. The Rebels began to take advantage of their passing game as Holloway made a pass to Reece for a first down. After a back and forth quarter, neither team found themselves able to reach their end zone, leaving the Trojans ahead 24-0.

North Hall started off the fourth quarter hot as it took them no time to run the ball in for another touchdown and earn an extra point. No matter what the Rebels did, it seemed that North Hall had a way to stop it. Will Mosley had a big play for Fannin on defense as he recovered a Trojan fumble. Mosley earned a first down on the next play with a throw from Holloway. As North Hall was called with their second targeting penalty of the night, Fannin got to move up the field but it was not enough for Fannin to score. It wasn’t long after North Hall got the ball that they had a long run to add another touchdown and an extra point to their score. Holloway kept testing out the passing game as he made a pass to Goodwin for a Rebel first down. The Trojans defense was solid as they refused to give up any runs, leaving North Hall with a 38-0 victory over the Rebels.

The Rebels loss put their overall record at 5-2 and their region record at 2-1. Catch Fannin’s next game as they travel to Dawson County next Friday to take on the Tigers @7:30pm!

Lady Rebels fight Tigers

Fannin County High, Team FYN Sports

For their first region game of the season, the Lady Rebels traveled to Dawson County to take on the Lady Tigers. Going into the game, Fannin was ranked 7th in 7AAA while Dawson was ranked 4th.

Morgan Holt started off the game with a 3 point shot to give Fannin the lead. Saidee Collins was the next to react as she was given a pass on the block and made a basket to extend the Rebels lead 5-0. Dawson started to put the ball into action as they drove to the basket for a layup to put the score at 5-2. Abby Ledford was able to draw a foul and add a free throw to Fannin’s score. The Lady Tigers then banked a 3 point shot to put themselves 1 point behind Fannin with a score of 6-5. After Dawson was able to draw a foul and make both of their free throws, they pulled ahead of Fannin with a score of 7-6. The Tigers continued to extend their lead from there as they closed out the first quarter with a 16-8 lead. 

Abby Ledford led Fannin in scoring for the night as she added 13 points to the Rebels score for the night. She was the one to hit a three point shot to put Fannin only 2 points behind Dawson with a score of 20-18. Reagan York followed the trend as she also made a 3 point shot to put Fannin ahead 21-20 and added 8 points to the Rebels score for the night. Dawson was able to quickly pull back ahead with a shot on the block to give them a 22-21 lead. As they kept adding onto their score and advancing their lead, the Tigers went into halftime with a 24-21 lead. 

Morgan Holt was aggressive with the ball as she drove to the basket and earned 7 points for the Rebels. Becca Ledford added to the action as she made a 3 point shot of her own to add to Fannin’s score and tied the game 31-31! Ledford showed off her hustle for the night as she added 10 points to the Rebels score. York managed to hit another 3 point shot to put Fannin ahead 36-35 to go into halftime!

To start off the fourth and final quarter, Natalie Thomas banked a 3 point shot to extend Fannin’s lead. Both teams played with great intensity and refused to give up until the buzzer sounded. The Rebels started to look inside to their posts to score points while Dawson did the same. Olivia Sisson earned rebounds where she went back up for shots and scored a basket for the Rebels. Once the Tigers were able to score a layup and a free throw right after to take the 47-45 lead, they never looked back. Fannin continued to fight hard to earn back their lead as Saidee Collins scored a basket down low and made both of her free throws. Although Fannin fought until the end, Dawson found themselves with a 54-49 victory as the buzzer sounded. 

Fannin’s loss puts their overall record at 4-2 while their region record stands at 0-1. Catch the Lady Rebels next game on Friday at 7pm as they travel to take on the North Hall Trojans!

Rebels Take Down Bears

Fannin County High, Team FYN Sports

Last night, the Fannin County Football Team traveled to Cherokee Bluff to take on the Bears for their first region game. The Rebels had just come from a 34-30 victory and hoped to carry the trend into their region.

Fannin received the ball from kickoff where Cohutta Hyde caught it at the 10 yard line. The Rebels seemed to be off to a rocky start on offense where they fumbled the ball for Cherokee Bluff to earn possession, but Fannin’s defense was able to recover. Not only was Will Mosley an asset on defense, but he also gained a lot of yards for Fannin from handoffs. It was a back and forth game as both teams held the other. Cherokee Bluff put more defensive pressure on Fannin where they had another fumble for the Bear’s to recover as the first quarter came to an end. 

The Rebels defense started to give it back to the Bears as Jakob Tuggle recovered a Cherokee Bluff fumble for Fannin to take over at the 18 yard line. Hyde dove for a pass from Luke Holloway to put Fannin in perfect scoring position at the 1 yard line for Treylyn Owensby to run it in on the next play for a Rebel touchdown! Sara Sosebee’s kick for the extra point was good, putting Fannin ahead 7-0. Jalen Ingram kicked off for the Rebels where the Bears gained eight yards on the return. Jackson Weeks hustled on defense as he deflected a pass meant for Cherokee Bluff. After more back and forth of the defenses holding the other, Fannin had another fumble for the Bear’s to recover at their 40 yard line. After Fannin’s defense kept Cherokee Bluff from scoring, The Rebel’s offense redeemed themselves. Thanks to heavy defensive pressure that Tuggle provided, the Bear’s threw an interception to Jalen Ingram who ran the ball all the way to Fannin’s end zone for a 75 yard touchdown! Soesbee had another good kick, putting Fannin ahead 14-0 to end the first half.

Ingram started off the third quarter with the kick off. As the Bears ran up the field to gain yards, Jackson Weeks intercepted the ball for Fannin at the 40 yard line. After deflecting passes and holding the Rebels, the Bears made their mark on offense. A penalty on Fannin results in a Cherokee Bluff first down for the Bears to run it all the way for a 79 yard touchdown. Their attempt at an extra point was good, putting the score at 14-7. As the clock wound down, Fannin kept fighting to push towards their end zone. 

Will Mosley made a big play as he ran the ball in for another Rebel touchdown, followed by another made kick by Sosebee to put Fannin ahead 21-7. Tuggle had another great play on defense as he sacked the quarterback. Hyde caught the Bears punt to earn 1st and 10 at the 48 yard line. Owensby was the go to guy for handoffs as he pushed through the defense to gain yards for Fannin. Mosley almost saved the day by recovering a Fannin fumble, just for one to happen again on the next play for Cherokee Bluff to recover. Cason Owensby made his presence known on defense as he got a hand on the ball and deflected a pass. Both teams played a solid defense to close out the fourth quarter as they refused to let the other score. As time ran out, Fannin found themselves with a 21-7 victory over the Cherokee Bluff Bears.

Fannin’s victory puts their overall record at 4-1 and their region record at 1-0! Catch Fannin’s next game, next Friday as they travel to take on East Hall @ 7:30pm!

Rebels Rally on Senior Night

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On 9/25, the Lady Rebels softball team prepared to take the field for their last home game as they took on Dawson County. Although the night came with many emotions, the Rebels were determined to play their last home game with everything they had.

Fannin took the field in their all black uniforms, ready to put up a fight for a win. The Lady Rebels wanted a win and you could tell by their performance on the field. The Rebels had a solid defense for two innings where they kept the Tigers from scoring any runs. All of the seniors played a huge role in Fannin’s defense for the night. Maleah Stepp in center and Reagan Young in right had a great night in the outfield full of great catches, Kyla Seabolt was aggressive at third base where she got big outs, Macy Galloway at short and Alicia Jones at second had some great snags in the infield that resulted in outs, and Amelia Sneed pitched a great game where she struck out five batters. As Fannin held Dawson on defense, the Rebels started to make things happen on offense. Stepp and Jones led the Rebels in hits for the night with two a piece. Over the first two innings, Fannin scored one run in each, resulting in a 2-0 lead.

The teams reversed roles for the next two innings where Dawson took the lead. The Tigers scored two runs in both the third and fourth inning as they held Fannin on defense. Dawson was ahead 4-2 going into the fifth inning when they managed to add another run to their score and held Fannin.

Both teams put up a fight in the sixth inning where they refused to let the other score. Fannin finally broke the trend at the bottom of the seventh inning where they scored two more runs. Although the Lady Rebels out hit the Lady Tigers 8 to 3, they were unable to put the runs on the board to catch up to Dawson. After an intense back and forth game, Fannin endured a heartbreaking loss of 5-4 to the Lady Tigers. Fannin’s loss put their overall record at 10-13 and their region record at 3-8.

Rebels Defeat Wildcats

Team FYN Sports

On 9/20 the Lady Rebels softball team traveled to Rabun County to take on the the Lady Wildcats for their senior night. Fannin had just come from a win over Chestatee the game before and looked to continue their streak. Rabun looked to redeem themselves from their first game against Fannin where they lost 9-0.

Fannin started off hot on offense where they put four runs on the board before Rabun could get their three outs. Alicia Jones and Riley Davis led Fannin in hits for the night with two a piece. Kayleigh Russell added to Fannin’s score with two RBI’s, followed by Alicia Jones with one. Fannin continued to add on to their score as they held Rabun on offense until the fourth inning where they reversed roles.

After Fannin kept adding onto their score and holding Rabun at zero for three innings, the Lady Wildcats started to score as they held Fannin. The last few innings they did score, Fannin only allowed Rabun to score one run in each.

Maleah Stepp had a great night on defense for the Lady Rebels with multiple diving catches in center field. Amelia Sneed had four strikeouts over seven innings on the mound for Fannin. While Rabun made six errors on defense, Fannin only made three.

Both teams had eight hits for the night, but Fannin was able to put more runs on the board. At the end of the seventh inning, Fannin found themselves with a 7-3 victory over the Lady Wildcats. The Lady rebels win put their overall record at 10-11 while their region record remained the same at 3-6.

Rebels Fight in Region Tournament

Team FYN Sports

On 9/29, the Lady Rebels softball team traveled to Dawson County to kick off the region tournament. The teams would be playing a double header that day to determine who would move on to the playoffs. The steaks were high and both teams came ready to play.

For the first game of the day, Fannin started off batting. Dawson came out and got an early lead over Fannin where they put one run on the board just for the Rebels to tie it up in the second. It was an even game until the sixth inning where Fannin started to put the ball into action and added four runs to their score. Fannin had a great offensive game where they earned ten hits while Dawson earned seven. Senior, Macy Galloway, led Fannin in hits for the night with three over seven innings. Galloway was followed by seniors, Maleah Stepp and Alicia Jones who each had two hits for the game. All three of the seniors had an RBI for the game. Senior pitcher, Amelia Sneed, earned two strikeouts throughout the game and claimed the 6-3 victory over the Lady Tigers.

After a short break, the teams were ready to take on their second game of the day. This go around, Fannin would take the place as the home team and hit the field first. Both teams put up a fight on defense for three innings until Dawson was able to score one run in the fourth. The Tigers continued to score and Fannin responded in the bottom of the fifth with two runs. Rebel junior, Emily Waldrep, was the big hitter for the game with her two hits. Senior, Maleah Stepp, earned two RBI’s for Fannin and contributed to the score. Although Fannin out hit Dawson 8 to 7, the Lady Tigers walked away with a 4-2 victory over the Lady Rebels. With both teams winning one and losing one, they were matched up to compete at Dawson again the next Monday.

On 10/01, Fannin traveled back to Dawson County for their final game. The winner would be moving on into playoffs while this would be the losers last game. The coin toss before the game determined that Fannin would once again take the spot as the home team and take the field first. Fannin was ready for a game like the last when Dawson’s hitting came alive. After so many games against the same pitching, both teams started to adjust at the plate and made things happen. The Lady Tigers were hitting the ball in all of the right places and putting runs on the board while Fannin was still trying to adjust to their offense. The Lady Rebels started to hit in the bottom of the third and managed to get one run on the board before Dawson closed out the inning. Senior, Macy Galloway, earned three RBI’s throughout the game and added to Fannin’s score. Both teams had a perfect defense by not allowing any errors in the field. Amelia Sneed, pitched a great game for Fannin by earning two strikeouts. It was a high hitting game where Dawson County out hit Fannin 15 to 12. Despite both teams hustle and heart, Dawson County walked away with a 7-5 victory over Fannin. The Lady Rebels had a great season where they kept improving from the beginning and finished with an overall record of 11-15.

Indians Run Rule Rebels

Team FYN Sports

On 9/24, the Lumpkin County softball team traveled from Dahlonega to take on the Lady Rebels. Fannin had just come from a win the game prior to the matchup and looked to continue the trend while Lumpkin sought to remain undefeated. It was an important week for the Lady Rebels where they would play three region games that would determine their ranking.

The Lady Indians started off with too much heat for the Rebels to take. They had a strong offensive game by being able to determine where they hit the ball. When they saw that the outfield was deep, they hit short. When the defense was playing up, they would hit it to the fence.

Lumpkin put eight runs on the board before Fannin began to adjust their defense. Amelia Sneed pitched a great game for Fannin, but was throwing right in Lumpkin’s power house. During the first inning, Fannin put in Kaelyn Hensley for a change in speed. When Fannin finally got their three outs, they managed to only get one run on the board to end the inning.

Fannin managed to adjust to the Indians offense for the next few innings. The Rebels scored five more runs while they only allowed the Indians to score one run until the sixth inning.

With the score at 9-6 in the sixth inning, Lumpkin found their second wind. They started hitting like they did in the first inning and added six runs to their score. When Fannin went up to bat in an attempt to make a comeback, Lumpkin earned three outs before the Rebels could score a run. The Lady Indians closed out the game in the sixth inning with a 15-6 victory over Fannin.

Lumpkin out hit Fannin 16-9 over six innings of play. Lady Rebel, Emily Waldrep, played a major role in Fannin’s offensive game for the night where she had three RBI’s. While fannin had six errors on defense, Lumpkin only had one.

The Lady Rebels loss put their overall record at 10-12 and their region record at 3-7. Lumpkin got to keep their undefeated streak, and remained at the number spot in the region.

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