Lady Panthers see successful season end with quarterfinal loss
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports February 26, 2020
The most successful season in nearly two decades came to end for the Union Co. Lady Panthers basketball squad Tuesday, Feb. 25, with a 60-58 loss to Early Co. in the Class AA state quarterfinals in Blairsville.
Senior Andelin Hill goes up for two of her 15 points for Union Co. on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
The game and atmosphere were electric as the Region 8-AA champion Lady Panthers (23-7) and Region 1-AA champion Lady Bobcats (26-4) traded massive runs throughout fueled by a raucous crowd on both sides of the floor.
First year head coach Crystal Beach said, while not the end result the team wanted, she’s very happy with how her team performed last night and throughout the season.
Lady Panthers head coach Crystal Beach.
“I’m very proud of entire program’s effort and dedication,” Beach said. “We have the saying to get one percent better each day and every opportunity we have to get together on the floor, and they consistently did that throughout the season. A lot of our early battles helped prepare us for this postseason run, and I told the team last night that they have nothing to hang their heads about.”
Facing a 13-point deficit after a 23-8 run by Early Co. through the end of the second quarter and start of the third, the Lady Panthers could have folded.
Instead, they countered with their own 17-3 run to cut the lead to three, 39-36, at the end of three quarters.
Beach said her squad’s refusal to quit on the game exemplified the character the team has shown all season. The coach said that throughout the 2019-20 campaign, the Lady Panthers have had the motto to “go out there to play with intensity and effort, together, for four quarters.”
“I think that was living and breathing proof of our team philosophy when they (made that run),” Beach said. “It was a great thing to see. They could have just let the game keep going by, but instead they took charge.”
Senior Kait McCarter puts up a shot for Union Co. on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
The second-half resurgence was propelled by senior Andelin Hill, who scored all 15 of her points in the second half. Hill added 10 rebounds and three assists to be one of two Lady Panthers to finish the night with a double-double.
Hill scored nine of her points in the fourth quarter alone. That quarter saw two lead changes and a tie in the final two minutes, leading to a last-second play for the Lady Panthers.
Trailing 60-58 with 3.5 seconds remaining, Beach called a timeout and drew up a play for Hill.
The Lady Bobcats were expecting Hill to take the shot, and doubled her off the inbounds, forcing the pass to inside to sophomore Ava Hunter, who’s rushed attempt to get up a shot was blocked to end the game.
Hunter led the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with two steals, an assist, and two blocks.
Senior Brooke Dockrey also scored in double-figures with 14 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Kait McCarter, also a senior, added four points, while freshman Ellie Cook and junior Kyla Locklear added three points each to round out the scoring for Union Co.
Beach said she was very grateful for the community’s support during the game and throughout the season. The gym was virtually standing-room only, and so loud at times you couldn’t hear the referees when they blew the whistle.
“Especially being my first year up here, I can’t say enough for how thankful I am that this community has welcomed me into the family,” Beach said. “People said afterward that this was by far the most people they’ve seen packed in that gym. It was huge. Any time you can get a large crowd in the tournament for a home game, it’s always an advantage.”
For more pictures from the came, click here.
Union Co. boys defeat Putnam Co. to earn third playoff seed
TeamFYNSports, Union County Panthers February 11, 2020
Led by 22 points from senior Sawyer Drake, the Union Co. boys basketball team defeated Putnam Co. 69-49 in the Region 8-AA third-place game Monday,
Senior Sawyer Drake throws down the dunk Monday, Feb. 10.
Feb. 10, at Rabun Co. High in Tiger.
Senior Sawyer Brey goes up for two of his 11 points Monday, Feb. 10.
With the win, the Panthers (15-11) secured the No. 3 seed in the Class AA state playoffs. They will face the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AA, Douglass, Atlanta (19-8) in the first round.
While Union Co. started Monday’s game against Putnam Co. on a 12-0 run, the War Eagles (9-19) battled back with a 14-5 run of their own to cut the Panthers’ lead to 17-14 at the end of the first.
Union Co. blew the game open in the second, sparked by a dunk from Drake and five made free throw from sophomore Logan Helcher. Drake was fouled on his dunk and made the free throw. The senior hit another shot with 7.2 seconds left in the first half to put Union CO. up 36-27 at the break.
The Panthers got into the bonus early in both halves and ended the night going 27-37 from the free-throw line in the win.
The third quarter was all Union Co. as the Panthers went on a 15-5 run in the frame to put the lead at 51-32.
The fourth quarter was much the same as Drake score seven points before exiting the game with a little less than four minutes left.
Senior Sawyer Brey finished with 11 points, fellow senior Kyle Morlock scored eight, and Pierson Allison, also a senior, scored seven.
Senior Cayden Rich and Helcher scored five each, sophomore Landon Kight scored four, junior Kaston Hemphill added three, and both senior Bryson Lariscy and sophomore Landon Cox added two to round out the scoring for Union Co.
The day and time of the Panthers first-round matchup with Douglass has yet to be determined, but the game will take place in Atlanta.
Panthers earn second-straight state playoff berth
TeamFYNSports, Union County Panthers February 5, 2020
For the second consecutive year and the fifth time in seven years, the Union Co. Panthers are headed to the Class AA state basketball playoffs.
Senior Sawyer Brey goes up for two points Tuesday night.
Sophomore Logan Helcher drives into the lane for the Panthers.
Union Co. (14-10) defeated Elbert Co. (9-18) on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the quarterfinals of the Region 8-AA tournament in Blairsville, 66-49.
The win earns the third-seeded Panthers a back-to-back visit to the state playoffs and a date with the second seed, Social Circle (19-6), on Thursday, at 5:30 p.m., at Rabun Co. High in Tiger.
While the game was close early, senior Pierson Allison made shot inside with 2:24 left in the first quarter gave the Panthers a 12-11 lead and they never trailed again on the way to the win.
Allison finished with game-high 23 points to lead the way for the Panthers.
While Allison was dominant early, fellow senior Sawyer Drake took over late.
Drake scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Panthers ran away with the big win.
Union Co. dominated in the paint, with Allison and Drake getting to the glass at will, and senior Kyle Morlock scoring nine points from the post.
After trailing 11-10 with 2:36 left in the first quarter, the Panthers ended the first half on a 23-9 run to take a 33-20 lead into the break.
The Blue Devils never threatened in the second half as Union Co. ran away with the victory.
Sophomore Logan Helcher scored five points, sophomore Landon Kight scored four, senior Sawyer Brey scored three, and junior Kaston Hemphill added two to round out the scoring for the Panthers.
Now Union Co. will play for the opportunity to host a state playoff game.
Union Co. has lost twice this season to Social Circle, but both losses were by a combined 10 points. The Panthers fell 45-40 on Dec. 17 in Social Circle, before losing 54-49 on Jan. 21 in Blairsville.
Lady Panthers end drought, punch ticket back to state
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports February 5, 2020
The Union Co. Lady Panthers basketball squad is back in the state playoffs.
Freshman Ellie Cook goes up for two of her eight points Tuesday night.
Sophomore Riley Allison goes up for two Tuesday night in Blairsville.
After reaching the playoffs for six straight years, the Lady Panthers last saw state competition in the second round of the 2016 postseason.
That all changed last night, Tuesday, Feb. 4, as Union Co. (19-6) defeated Social Circle (3-12), 55-23, in the quarterfinals of the Region 8-AA region tournament in Blairsville.
“Obviously, it’s a huge accomplishment,” head coach Crystal Beach said of getting the team back to the state playoffs in her first year at helm of the program. “I’ve always said, teams dream of the opportunity to play for a state title, and I’m just so proud of the hard work, day-in and day-out, that these young women have poured into this program.”
The third-seeded Lady Panthers started the game on a 13-0 run and never trailed in a victory that was dominated by their overpowering full-court defense.
The Lady Panthers will now face second-seeded Putnam Co. (21-3) on Thursday, at 4 p.m., at Rabun Co. High in Tiger.
The Lady War Eagles, currently ranked fourth in Class AA, defeated Union Co. twice this season. On Jan. 18 in Eatonton, Putnam Co. won 61-45. In Blairsville on Jan. 25, Union Co. fell 58-47.
Beach said her squad must play a complete game to take down Putnam Co. and earn a home playoff game.
“They are a tough squad, and we have to play a solid four quarters,” Beach said. “I know that we are capable of beating them, but we have to be dependable for four quarters to do that.”
Senior Brooke Dockrey scored two of her 10 points Tuesday night in Blairsville.
The defense of Union Co. was the story of the game Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
The Lady Panthers held the Lady Redskins scoreless until less than 18 seconds remained in the first quarter when Social Circle finally got on the board with a pair of free throws.
That period ended with a 15-2 Union Co. advantage, and the home team continued to press. The Lady Panthers took a 41-6 lead into halftime and never looked back in the win.
Sophomore Ava Hunter scored a team-high 11 points.
Seniors Andelin Hill and Brooke Dockrey each scored 10. Freshman Ellie Cook scored eight, sophomore Riley Allison scored five, and sophomore Rebekah Chambers scored four.
Senior Kait McCarter scored three, and junior Kyla Locklear and freshman Corinne Hill each added two to round out the scoring for the Lady Panthers.
Hunter, Hill, Dockrey, Cook, and McCarter, the team’s starters, did not play in the fourth. Nor did Allison, who has played herself into being the first player off the bench for the Lady Panthers late in the season.
Historic season comes to end for Panthers
TeamFYNSports, Union County Panthers November 25, 2019
The most historic football season in Union Co. High history came to an end Friday night as the Panthers fell in the second round of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AA state playoffs.
The Panthers (10-2) lost 14-7 on the road at Metter, the No. 1 seed out of Region 2-AA.
Senior wideout Sawyer Drake goes up for a catch against Metter. Drake had a team high in catches in the loss.
And while the end result was disappointing, the 2019 season has been nothing short of historic for the program.
For the first time since the school began playing football in 1957, the Panthers won a GHSA state playoff game when they took down visiting South Atlanta 19-15 on Nov. 15 in Blairsville.
The win was one Union Co. had waited a long time for, especially head coach Brian Allison.
Allison played four years for the Panthers, and has been their head coach for 17 seasons so far.
Not once in those first 20 seasons did Allison experience a playoff win with the Panthers.
Junior Jonah Daniel carries the ball against Metter. Daniel scored the lone Union Co. touchdown Friday night.
The historic game against South Atlanta changed all that.
As to the game Friday night at Metter, which lies nearly an hour West of Savannah, the Panthers played hard-nosed, stubborn, defensive football all night, giving the Tiger’s triple-option running attack all that it could handle.
The defense was led, as it has been all season, by a pair of seniors. Defensive back John Mancuso and middle linebacker Sloan Sutton set the tone for the Panthers defense all night. Juniors Kaston Hemphill and Clayton Lester also played well, making tackles everywhere and helping slow down the Tigers’ attack.
Senior linebacker Sloan Sutton brings down Metter’s Aaron Collins on Friday night.
As a unit, the defense forced two punts and a turnover-on-downs, while giving up two scores to account for all five meaningful Metter drives on the night.
But on offense, Union Co. just couldn’t get the passing game going against a fast, athletic Metter defense that had three takeaways, one of them to seal the game as the Panthers were driving to tie things up.
Trailing 14-0 midway through the fourth quarter, the Panthers put together their best drive of the night after the defense stopped the Tigers on fourth down.
With first-and-10 from their own 17 and 5:41 left to go in the game, the offense finally started clicking.
Completions to seniors Kyle Morlock and Sawyer Drake, a huge third-down catch from junior Mason McCombs, and a big run by junior Jonah Daniel all led to a first-and-10 from the Metter 12-yard line.
Daniel did what he did all season, taking the handoff and finding his way into the end zone to give Union Co. their first score of the night and close the game to 14-7.
After a failed onside-kick attempt, the defense forced the second Metter punt of the night. The kick was perfect and pinned the Panthers’ offense on its own 5-yard line with less than 3 minutes remaining.
After three unsuccessful passes, Union Co. faced fourth-and-10 from their own 5-yard line with less than two minutes to go and no timeouts.
Senior quarterback Pierson Allison attempted to hit fellow senior Kyle Morlock with a pass, but the ball fell incomplete.
But a defensive pass interference call gave the Panthers new life and a first down on their own 21-yard line.
Three plays later, Union Co. had fourth-and-two from the 29 with 1:20 to go. A catch by senior Cayden Rich kept the drive, and the Panthers’ season, alive for at least a few more seconds. The play resulted in a first down at the Union Co. 33 with less than a minute to go.
But it wasn’t to be for the Panthers. Two plays later Allison threw the last of his three interceptions to effectively end the game.
With the loss, Union Co.’s historic season is at an end.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Union to visit Metter in second round
TeamFYNSports, UCHS Football November 20, 2019
Union Co. made history last week in their first-round state playoff win against South Atlanta. The post-season victory was the first state playoff win for the Panthers since the school began playing football in 1957.
Senior quarterback Pierson Allison has more than 2,800 yards passing and 28 touchdowns this season.
If they want to keep the momentum going, and continue to make even more school history, they’ll have to do it Friday night against a strong Metter team from Region 2-AA.
The Tigers (10-1) come in as a region champion that defeated Screven Co. 27-19 in the first round last Friday.
The Metter offense is an in-your-face, power running option, with a stable of strong and quick running backs able to take off for big gains at any moment.
Last week against Screven, the Tigers were led by Ahmod Collins who had 147 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, including runs of 61 and 41 yards.
Antwan Coney netted 102 yards and two scores on just seven carries, one of them a 64-yard touchdown run.
Aaron Collins had 83 yards on 16 carries, while Kaliq Collins added a 55-yard run out of the back field.
The Tigers regularly set up with three backs in the backfield under the direction of junior quarterback Taj Hobbs.
Senior Sawyer Drake leads the team with 1,184 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
The playoff win was the first for the school since 2003.
The Tigers won their first game of the season by forfeit. Excluding that game, the team is scoring slightly less than 27 points per game, while the defense is giving up just 8.6 points per game.
But if anyone in the state has the defense to stop such a potent running attack, it’s Union Co.
The Panthers (10-1) are led on defense by a pair of seniors: defensive back John Mancuso and middle linebacker Sloan Sutton.
Mancuso has a team-high 117 tackles this season to go along with two sacks. Sutton is right behind him with 104 total tackles, two sacks, and an interception.
Union Co. has playmakers all over the defense, including juniors Noah Underwood (80 tackles) and Kaston Hemphill (78 tackles).
Senior Sloan Sutton has 104 tackles this season from his middle linebacker position.
The defense will also get a boost from star offensive players Pierson Allison, Sawyer Drake, and Jonah Daniel, who have begun playing both ways for head coach Brian Allison.
Last week, senior quarterback Pierson Allison threw for 218 yards and a touchdown. He’s got 2,804 yards and 28 touchdowns so far this season.
Daniel, junior running back, has 1,470 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground this season. He clinched the game last week with a 22-yard touchdown run on the second play of the fourth quarter that proved to be the game winner for Union Co. He finished the game with 95 yards and a score on 21 carries, which is tied with most time he’s carried the ball in a game this season.
Drake, senior wideout, has 1,184 yards and 10 touchdowns 72 catches this season. Last week he led the team with 146 yards and a touchdown on 12 catches, the most catches he’s had in a game this season.
Fellow senior wideout Kyle Morlock, who was leading the team in receiving yards before being injured more than a month ago, was a full-go for the Panthers last Friday. While he pulled in just two catches for 15 touchdowns, he had several drops that would have normally been catches for him. With another week to shake off the rust, Morlock should have the opportunity this Friday against Metter to show why he has already received multiple Division-I offers.
The Panthers and the Tigers are set to kick-off at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22, in Metter, which is about 65 miles west of Savannah and nearly five hours of travel time away from Blairsville.
For a recap of Union Co.’s playoff win last week, click here.
For information on Metter’s season, click here.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Panthers to host Hornets
Sports, TeamFYNSports, UCHS Football November 14, 2019
If the Union County Panthers want to earn the first state playoff victory in school history this Friday night, Nov. 15, they’re going to have their work cut out for them.
Union County Head Coach Brian Allison is seeking the school’s first playoff win.
This is the second-straight season the Panthers have lost the region title game to Rabun County with both teams coming into the game undefeated.
Union County is the No. 2 seed from Region 8-AA and will have to get over the 49-7 loss to the Wildcats quickly to make it into the second round of the playoff bracket.
South Atlanta (7-3) comes to town as the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA. The Hornets bring with them a whole lot of speed and athleticism.
The South Atlanta offense is putting up 29.3 points per game this season, while giving up just 16.5.
The Hornets are led by a dynamic running attack that features strong athletes all over the field.
On offense, senior swing back Pete Boyd (5-foot-5, 160 pounds) will show the Panthers a little more than they’ve seen so far this season coming out of the backfield. Boyd had a 53-yard run last Friday in a 20-6 win against KIPP Atlanta Collegiate.
On the outside, the Hornets have freshman wideout Ricky Lee, who stands just 5-foot-9, but runs the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds.
Freshman Jontez Adams, always a threat to take off out of the backfield, will run the quarterback position for the Hornets.
Starting running back, junior Quintavious Frazier, also plays middle linebacker and is also an excellent athlete.
On defense, South Atlanta is led by senior cornerback Duane Russell, whose 6-foot, 155-pound frame holds a whole lot of speed and an ability to bawl-hawk.
Senior quarterback Pierson Allison will lead the Panthers against the Hornets this Friday.
But the Panthers (9-1) have weapons of their own.
Senior quarterback Pierson Allison has thrown for more than 2,500 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. He leads an offense that has put up 40.9 points per game so far.
Allison has great options at the wide receiver position, including senior Sawyer Drake. Drake surpassed 1,000 yards receiving on the season last week and has caught nine touchdowns.
Fellow senior Kyle Morlock was leading the team in receiving yards before going out on the first offensive play from scrimmage in the team’s sixth game.
While he dressed for the region championship game against Rabun County last week, Morlock never stepped onto the field.
Head coach Brian Allison said Morlock will be a game-time decision against South Atlanta.
Junior Jonah Daniel carries the ball for Union County.
Seeing the bulk of the carries for Union County will be junior Jonah Daniel.
Daniel has 1,375 yards rushing on 140 carries this season to go along with 14 touchdowns. He’s also proven to be a threat out of the backfield with 211 yards and two touchdowns on 14 receptions.
On defense, the Panthers are led by senior defensive back John Mancuso (108 total tackles) and senior linebacker Sloan Sutton (90 total tackles). Juniors Noah Underwood (73 tackles, three sacks) and Kaston Hemphill (71 tackles, three interceptions) also figure in on a defense that is allowing just 18.3 points per game.
Both Allison and Drake will also see time in the secondary for the Panthers’ defense.
South Atlanta is coached by WB Stephens, who is in his second season at the helm.
The Panthers and Hornets are set to kick off the first round of the Class AA state playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, in Blairsville.