HOMER, GA – Defense was the story of the night as the Union County Panthers managed to do just enough on offense to win a hard-fought, 14-7, victory against Banks County on Friday night in Homer.

With the win, Union County (7-0, 4-0 Region 8-AA) stayed tied atop the region standings with Rabun County (7-0, 4-0). The Wildcats took down Elbert County, 52-14, last night in Elberton.

With star senior quarterback Pierson Allison suspended for the game due to violating the school’s Athletic Code of Conduct, sophomore Logan Helcher took the reins for the Panthers.

Helcher started hot on the first drive, hitting senior John Mancuso with a 47-yard, check-down pass that put the Panthers up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

Despite the big first drive, the offense struggled all night. With senior Kyle Morlock, one of the team’s leading receivers, out with an injury, and the team’s third receiver, junior Mason McCombs, out due to the same suspension as Allison, someone had to step up at the receiver position.

That person was Mancuso, who caught both touchdown passes from Helcher that gave Union County just enough points to win.

Helcher’s second touchdown pass – three yards to Mancuso – capped off an 80-yard drive in the third quarter and proved to be the difference in the game.

But it was Mancuso and the defense that really told the story for the Panthers.

Senior linebacker Sloan Sutton recovered a fumble, junior Aaron Helton forced a fumble, and junior JJ Littles provided a late-game interception for the defense.

Despite the defensive effort from the Panthers, the Leopards had two chances to tie the game late. The first came with 2:25 left on the clock as they took over on their own 12-yard line.

The Panthers gave up a first down, but held strong from there to get the ball back.

The chance came after Banks managed to finally get on the board with 8:51 left in the game to cut the lead to 14-7.

The Leopards managed to recover an onside kick after the score but Littles got the ball back a few plays later with the interception. The offense couldn’t do anything with it and gave the Leopards their last few chances.

After stopping the Leopards on their next-to-last possession, the Union County offense stalled.

Banks County then took over near midfield with six seconds left.

The Panthers defense stood up again, forcing the Leopards into a last-ditch lateral attempt from the 48-yard line that failed as time expired.

Banks County had three turnovers on the night, two in Union County territory, which really proved to be the difference.

The Union County offense struggled in the absence of so many key players, managing to score 36 points less than the team’s average this season.

Union County hosts Oglethorpe County (2-5, 1-3) next Friday, Oct. 25, before visiting Social Circle (2-5, 0-4) on Nov. 1. Should the Panthers hold serve and win both games, they should face Rabun County with the region championship on the line Nov. 8 in Blairsville. Rabun County also faces Social Circle and Oglethorpe County before the matchup with Union County.

With Friday night’s victory, Union County has virtually guaranteed a place in the Class AA state playoffs.