Elberton, Georgia- The Union County Panthers football team traveled to Elberton, Georgia to face Elbert County Blue Devils in the Panthers third region matchup of the year.

First Quarter

The Panthers started the game off with the ball but went 3 & out and punted the ball to the Blue Devils. The Panther defense held up nicely on first and second down but gave up a 65 yard touchdown on 3rd down. The Panthers trailed 7-0 very early into the first quarter. The Panther offense was forced to punt again after failing to pick up a first down. The Panther defense held the Blue Devils to a punt on their second drive of the game but the Panthers had another 3 & out and punted the ball right back to the Blue Devils. The Blue Devils picked up a quick first down with an 11 yard run. After an offsides penalty on the Panthers, Senior Eli Peugh made a great play on an attempted screen pass for a loss of 3. The Panthers made 2 big stops but on 3rd and long, the Blue Devils scored on a 45 yard run. The Panthers trailed 14-0. On the kickoff, Peugh fumbled inside their own 15 yard line and the Blue Devils recovered. The Blue Devils picked up a first down to make it 1st and goal to end the first quarter. The Panthers trailed 14-0.

Second Quarter

The Blue Devils passed the ball to begin the quarter on the goal line but Junior Sam Page made a great play to knock the ball loose while the Blue Devil receiver was bobbling the ball. Senior Trace Wright made a huge tackle for a loss to back the Blue Devils up behind the 10 yard line. On 3rd and goal, Junior Elijah Helton and Trace Wright made a great play to stop the Blue Devils and hold them to a field goal. The Blue Devils made the field goal and extended their lead to 17-0. The Panthers ran the ball for 1 yard, had a dropped pass, and another dropped pass on an attempted double pass and were forced to punt again. The Panthers offense just couldn’t find a rhythm to start the game. The Blue Devils picked up a quick first down and on the next play, scored on a 40 yard pass. The Panthers trailed 24-0. The Panthers picked up a first down and were moving the ball the best they have all game. On 3rd down around midfield, Logan Helcher found receiver Keyton Chitwood to pick up the first down. On 4th down, Helcher found receiver Griffin Young for a first down to put the Panthers inside the Blue Devil 20 yard line. Helcher found Chitwood for a touchdown to put the Panthers on the board. The Panthers still trailed 24-7. The Blue Devils picked up 2 quick first downs and would drive all the way down the field and score to extend their lead to 31-7. On the Panthers next drive, Chitwood would have 2 straight dropped passes. On 3rd down, Chitwood and Helcher weren’t on the same page and the pass would fall incomplete. Senior Kyler Robbins punt would roll inside the 5 yard line but the Blue Devils would knee the ball to run the clock out. The Panthers trailed 31-7 at halftime.

Third Quarter

The Panthers would recover the great onside kick by Robbins to begin the half but the Panthers would fail to capitalize on it. Helcher was sacked on 4th and short. Peugh would blow up another screen play on 2nd down. The Blue Devils would pick up the first down on the following play. The Blue Devils would run a QB draw and run it all the way down inside the Panthers 5 yard line. The Blue Devils would score on the following play. The Panthers trailed 38-7. The Panthers would pick up 2 quick first downs and were moving the ball very well. Helcher found Peugh for a huge gain to put the Panthers into Blue Devil territory. Peugh dropped the 3rd down pass in the end zone as he mistimed his jump. Freshman Connor Schutnecht picked up the first down on 4th down to keep the drive alive. The Panthers scored on 3rd down as Helcher found Wright in the end zone. The Panthers still trailed 38-14. The Panther defense made 2 big plays forced the Blue Devils to punt and the Blue Devil punt went 7 yards. The Panthers started the drive inside Blue Devil territory. On 3rd down, Helcher found Young for a 30 yard touchdown. The Panthers trailed 38-22 after a successful 2 point conversion as Helcher found Peugh. The Panthers had all the momentum but that momentum was lost as the Blue Devils returned the kickoff back for a touchdown. The Panthers trailed 45-22. Helcher found Peugh for a quick first down on first down to end the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

To begin the quarter, Peugh was short of the first down on 3rd down. The Panthers went for it on 4th down but due to a questionable spot, the Panthers failed to pick up the first down. On the following drive by the Blue Devils, Junior Wilson Walker intercepted the ball around midfield. Helcher found Wright on a screen pass to pick up a quick first down. Helcher found Sophomore Kooper Ashcraft for another first down and found Peugh for a first down on the following play. On 3rd down, Helcher found Peugh for a touchdown. The Panthers still trailed 45-29. After a failed onside kick, the Blue Devils drove the ball all the way and scored again to extend their lead to 52-29. The Panthers fall to Elbert County 59-29. The Panthers fall to 2-5 on the year and 2-1 in region play. The Panthers have a bye week and play Rabun County @ home on October 29.