Defense leads the way to big Panthers home win

BLAIRSVILLE, GA – A suffocating defense and a high-scoring offensive performance pushed eighth-ranked Union County to a 43-0 win against Oglethorpe County on Friday, Oct. 25, in Blairsville.

With the win, Union County (8-0, 5-0 Region 8-AA) secured home field advantage in the first round of the state playoffs.

The Panthers offense scored on its first possession – thanks to an 18-yard scramble score from senior quarterback Pierson Allison – but then seemed out-of-sync across their next three possessions.

Also during that first possession, senior running back Jonah Daniel busted off a big run to put his season total yardage over the 1,000-yard mark, making him the first Union County player with more than 1,000 yards since 2003.

With Allison missing last week’s game at Banks County, it seemed to take the offense a few possessions to get on track.

A punt and two turnovers followed the score, which would normally have put the visiting Patriots in position to tie the game and possibly take a lead.

If only it weren’t for that pesky, powerful Panthers defense.

Oglethorpe Co. managed one first down during their opening drive, but ended up punting the ball. Their next two possessions were three-and-out punts, followed by a turnover-on-downs.

In all, the Patriots had just one first down on the night to go with -8 yards rushing and 0 passing yards.

After Daniel, who played some linebacker in the game, sacked the Patriots quarterback in the end zone for a safety to put the Panthers up 8-0 with 8:15 to go in the second quarter, the Union County offense finally went to work.

Allison hit senior Cayden Rich with a 5-yard touchdown strike on the ensuing possession. The quarterback then found senior Sawyer Drake for a 9-yard pass in the back of the end zone as time expired in the half to give the Panthers a 23-0 lead at the break.

The second half saw much of the same as senior running back Sloan Sutton punched in a pair of scores and junior Mason McCombs hit a pair of field goals.

Sutton’s second touchdown, a 15-yard burst with 2:30 left, put the game on a running clock and effectively ended things.

In all, the Panthers defense forced seven punts, two turnovers-on-downs, a safety, and six three-and-outs.

Union County will travel to the region’s last place team, Social Circle, next Friday, before hosting fourth-ranked Rabun County the following week.