Four Lady Panthers named to Region 8-AA All-Region Team
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports February 12, 2020Four members of the Union Co. Lady Panthers basketball squad have been named to the Region 8-AA All-Region Team for the 2019-20 season.
Two of the four, senior Andelin Hill and sophomore Ava Hunter, were named to the All-Region First Team for the Region 8-AA Champion Lady Panthers.
Hill averaged 9 pointers, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game through the first 26 games of the season for the Lady Panthers (21-6).
Hunter led the team with 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game through the team’s first 26 games.
Two of the four players were named All-Region Honorable Mention: senior Brooke Dockrey and senior Kait McCarter.
Dockrey, the team’s point guard, averaged 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game through 26 games this season.
McCarter, a starting post player, averaged 5.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1 steal per game through 26 games this season.
As the top seed from Region 8-AA, the Lady Panthers are set to host Therrell (10-10), the No. 4 seed from Region 6, at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 13, in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs in Blairsville.
Union Co. boys defeat Putnam Co. to earn third playoff seed
TeamFYNSports, Union County Panthers February 11, 2020Led 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,
Feb. 10, at Rabun Co. High in Tiger.
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.
Champions! The Lady Panthers win the Region 8-AA title
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports February 11, 2020For the first time since 2009, the Union Co. Lady Panthers are Region 8-AA champions after defeating Banks Co. 37-33 on Monday, Feb. 10, at Rabun Co. High in Tiger.
The Lady Panthers (21-6) were led in scoring by sophomore Ava Hunter’s 11 points, but the highlight of the game came in the final minute as senior Brooke Dockrey answered the bell on defense and sank 3-of-4 clutch free throws to seal the win for Union Co.
Dockrey came up with two steals in the game’s final minute, got fouled on each, and managed to lock up the win.
Head coach Crystal Beach, in her first season at the helm, said she wasn’t surprised by the standout performance of her senior point guard.
“You expect that of your senior commander on the court,” Beach said. “She went out and led the team with her play.”
Dockrey’s final two made free throws, which sealed the win for Union Co., can be seen below.
Things didn’t look like they would go Union Co.’s way heading into the final quarter.
After scoring a season-low 16 points in the first half, the Lady Panthers trailed by five, 31-26, heading into the fourth.
But then the defense took over.
With senior Andelin Hill running the top of a zone full-court press, the Lady Panthers managed to shake the Lady Leopards (14-15) and hold them to just two points in the final frame.
Hill scored twice, senior Kait McCarter once, and Hunter managed to score her final two points of the game as part of an 8-2 run to start the period.
“We’ve talked all season about focus, about paying attention to the small details, and that’s what you have to do to beat a great program like Banks Co.,” Beach said. “We knew they would go on a run at some point, and they did, but we can’t control that. We can only control ourselves.”
During the fourth-quarter run by the Lady Panthers, Hill managed to use her height and athletic ability to slap several passes back where they came from at the top of the zone press.
Beach said she expected nothing less from another senior leader on the team.
“She’s a senior, and they’ve been in tough situations before, so she and the rest of the team didn’t get rattled,” Beach said of Hill and the rest of her champions.
As to what it means to be region champions in her first year as head coach, Beach said, “I’m just so proud of my girls and the way they battled. This has been a special season with the whole community behind us.”
Dockrey, McCarter, and Hill each finished with eight points, while freshman Ellie Cook added a pair of made free throws to round out the scoring for Union Co.
The Lady Panthers will face the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AA, Therrell (10-10), in the first round of the state playoffs.
Beach said she has requested that game by held at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 14, but hasn’t received confirmation.
No matter what day or time the game occurs, it will happen in Blairsville. As region champions, they are the No. 1 seed and will host the first round.
The 21 wins by the Lady Panthers this season are the most since the school’s state runner-up team in 2001 managed 23 wins.
Union Co. has never won a state championship in girls basketball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RCoLIBUWXM
Lady Panthers end drought, punch ticket back to state
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports February 5, 2020The Union Co. Lady Panthers basketball squad is back in the state playoffs.
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.”
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.
Panthers lose battle of cats to Leopards in Blairsville
TeamFYNSports, Union County Panthers January 29, 2020Trailing by as many as 12 in the first half, the Union Co. boys basketball team closed the gap to one point in the third quarter but couldn’t come all the way back in a 49-39 loss to Banks Co. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, in Blairsville.
After the Panthers (13-10, 8-5 Region 8-AA) started the game on a 6-2 run, the Leopards (20-4, 11-2) responded with a 12-2 run of their own to take an 18-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Led by senior Pierson Allison’s 11 points in the period, including three-straight made shots from beyond the arc, the Panthers closed the gap to seven to end the first half, 29-22.
The injury bug bit Union Co. toward the end of the second, as senior Cayden Rich injured his ankle and senior Sawyer Brey left with an apparent neck injury.
While Brey returned to play in the fourth, Rich remained out the remainder of the game.
A 6-1 run to start the third quarter drew the Panthers within one at 31-30, before the teams traded baskets to end the frame with Banks Co. leading 36-32.
Junior Kaston Hemphill scored five straight for the Panthers in the fourth, and sophomore Landon Kight added a basket, but Banks Co. went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in period on the way to the win.
Allison finished with a team-high 14 points, while Hemphill added seven in the loss.
Senior Kyle Morlock and Kight both finished with four, while seniors Sawyer Drake, Brey, and Rich each scored two.
Sophomore Landon Cox added a made free throw to round out the scoring for Union Co.
Despite the loss, the Panthers will remain the No. 3 seed headed into the Region 8-AA tournament. They will host the first round on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Union Co. plays the final game of the regular season beginning at 7:30 p.m., Friday, against Oglethorpe Co. (4-19, 1-11) in Lexington.
Lady Panthers bounce back, earn win against Banks Co.
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports January 29, 2020With seven minutes to go in the first half Tuesday, Jan. 28, senior Brooke Dockrey hit a pair of free throws to give Union Co. a one-point lead and the Lady Panthers never trailed again during a 55-47 region win against Banks Co. in Blairsville.
The win put the brakes on a two-game losing streak and got Union Co. back in the win column.
The Lady Panthers (18-6, 9-4 Region 8-AA) were led by sophomore Ava Hunter’s 20 points in the final regular-season home game.
Freshman Ellie Cook had one of her strongest games of the season, finishing with 11 points, including hitting a shot from beyond the arc right after Dockrey’s free throws to give Union Co. a 19-15 advantage on the Lady Leopards (10-14, 6-7).
Cook’s shot was part of a 12-1 run that blew the game open in the second quarter and led to a 26-16 Union Co. advantage at the half.
The third quarter was much the same as Union Co. opened on a 14-7 run before five-straight points from senior Andelin Hill gave the Lady Panthers a 45-23 lead.
Banks Co. managed to close the gap with eight straight points to end the third and start the fourth before senior Kait McCarter’s inside shot managed to stop the run and put the score at 47-31.
After six-straight points from Hunter, the Lady Panthers led 55-41 with 1:40 to go and head coach Crystal Beach sent in her reserve players.
The Lady Leopards continued to press in the fourth, outscoring Union Co. 11-0 during the final 3:48 to close the gap to eight before time expired.
Hill finished the night with 10 points, including two made 3-pointers. McCarter and junior Kyla Locklear each scored five points, and Dockrey finished with four to round out the scoring for Union Co.
The Lady Panthers will play the last game of the regular season Friday, Jan. 31, against Oglethorpe Co. (2-17, 0-12) in Lexington. That game is set to tip-off at 6 p.m.Banks Co.
Despite the loss to Banks Co., the Lady Panthers will remain the No. 3 seed in the Region 8-AA tournament. They will host the first round Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Panthers sweep the week, move into third in Region 8-AA
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports January 19, 2020The Union Co. boys basketball team went 3-0 in region games last week to move into third place in Region 8-AA with a chance to move even higher during the coming week.
The Panthers (11-8, 6-3) started the week with a very important win on the road at Elbert Co. (7-13, 4-5) by a 64-52 margin. The Blue Devils currently sit in fourth place in the region.
Senior Pierson Allison led all scorers with 17 for the Panthers, followed by fellow senior Sawyer Brey with 12, and Sawyer Drake, also a senior, with 11.
Cayden Rich, another senior, scored nine, while junior Kaston Hemphill put up six.
Senior Kyle Morlock chipped in four points, sophomore Landon Kight scored three, and sophomore Landon Cox rounded out the scoring with two.
The Panthers continued their winnings ways Friday, Jan. 17, at home against Monticello (5-14, 3-6). Union Co. fell behind early in the first quarter, 8-2, but put together separate runs of 9-0 and 15-0 to take a 29-17 lead into halftime. The Panthers continued to push in the third quarter to go up by more than 20 before closing the game for a 19-point victory, 67-48.
Drake finished as the game’s high scorer with 19 points, followed by Allison with 12, and Morlock with 10. Brey scored seven, sophomore Lake Hughes added five, Hemphill and Cox each scored four, Kight scored three, Rich put up two, and Lariscy added one in the victory.
The Panthers closed the week by putting away Putnam Co. (4-15, 3-6) by eight points, 46-38, on Saturday, Jan. 18, in Eatonton.
Heading into this coming week, Union Co. has a chance to make a big move in the region with three important conference games.
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Panthers have a chance to avenge a 45-40 loss to region-leading Social Circle (15-5, 8-1) that occurred on the road Dec. 17. That games is in Blairsville.
Union Co. then travels to Tiger on Friday, Jan. 24, to take on Rabun Co. (6-13, 4-5), which the Panthers defeated Jan. 3, 63-48, in Blairsville.
The team ends the week with a rematch at home against Putnam Co. on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Union Co. Lady Panthers go 2-1 in region games
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports January 19, 2020With two Region 8-AA wins last week, the Union Co. girls basketball team kept pace in the region standings and set up two big showdowns in the coming week that should all but determine the seedings heading into the region tournament.
The Lady Panthers (16-4, 7-2) went on the road to take down Elbert Co. (13-7, 5-4) on Tuesday, Jan. 14, by a narrow, four-point margin, 49-45.
Union Co. opened that game on a 25-12 run to get to halftime, and maintained that 13-point lead through the end of the third. The Lady Blue Devils proved why they have moved into fourth in the region standings this season after finishing near the bottom last season by putting on a late run to close the gap before finally falling by four.
Sophomore Ava Hunter led the Lady Panthers with 22 points in the win.
Union Co. followed the victory with their most well-rounded game of the season in a 62-38 rout of Monticello (3-15, 2-7) on Friday, Jan. 17, in Blairsville, that wasn’t as close as the final score.
The Lady Panthers opened that game on a 25-0 run, allowing first-year head coach Crystal Beach to go to her bench early and often.
Nine players scored in the game for Union Co., with only Hunter in double-figures with 10.
Freshman Ellie Cook scored nine, junior Kyla Locklear scored eight, senior Andelin Hill scored seven, and fellow senior Brooke Dockrey scored six.
Freshman Corinne Hill put up five, along with sophomore Riley Allison, who also had five.
Senior Kait McCarter and sophomore Rebekah Chambers each added four.
The starters – Hunter, Andelin Hill, Dockrey, McCarter, and Cook – played sparingly after the 25-0 start, allowing Beach to get her younger players a lot of time of the floor.
Union Co. stumbled to end the week, losing 61-45 to Putnam Co. (17-2, 8-1) on Saturday, Jan. 18, in Eatonton.
The Lady War Eagles currently sit atop the region standings, along with Rabun Co. (18-1, 8-1).
Rabun Co.’s only loss of the season came to Putnam Co. 58-54 on Jan. 10.
Putnam Co’s only region loss came to Banks Co. (8-12, 4-5) on Dec. 13 by a 37-30 margin.
Union Co. currently sits in third place in the region. The Lady Panthers’ two region losses have come to Rabun Co. (50-46 on Jan. 3 in Blairsville) and Saturday’s loss to Putnam Co.
The Lady Panthers will have plenty of opportunity to make a move into first place in the region this week.
Union Co. starts the week at home against Social Circle (5-13, 2-7) on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in Blairsville. The Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Redskins 56-24 on Dec. 17 on the road.
Union Co. then takes on Rabun Co. on Friday, Jan. 24, in Tiger, before hosting Putnam Co. on Saturday, Jan. 25, in Blairsville.
Four Lady Panthers make all-region volleyball squad
Sports, TeamFYNSports November 14, 2019Four Union County High volleyball players – seniors Kait McCarter, Adelia Pyle, and Izzy Zamora, and sophomore Riley Allison – have been named to the Region 8-AA All-Region Team.
The four Lady Panthers players led the team to a 15-20 record this season. The team reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament before being eliminated.
For Union County this season, Pyle led the team in kills with 112 and digs with 97. She also added 17 aces with an 87.7 serving percentage.
McCarter had 49 kills to go with 43 total blocks, while Zamora, who served as the team’s libero until an injury in the region tournament, added 51 digs and an 88.5 service percentage.
Allison netted 57 kills and 27 digs, while putting in 10 aces and a 90.8 service percentage.
To read about the Lady Panthers earning a spot in the quarterfinals, go here.
Defense leads Panthers to win against Banks
Sports, TeamFYNSports, UCHS Football October 19, 2019HOMER, 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.
Seven Lady Panthers named to softball all-region team
Sports, TeamFYNSports November 13, 2019Seven members of the Union County High varsity softball squad were recently named to the Region 8-AA All-Region team as voted on by the region coaches. The Lady Panthers finished the season in the second round of the state playoffs. Those players honored included:
Union County dominates Social Circle 41-6 to stay unbeaten
Sports, TeamFYNSports, UCHS Football November 2, 2019SOCIAL CIRCLE, GA – If the Union County Panthers had played flat Friday night at Social Circle, it would have been understandable.
If the Panthers, currently ranked eighth in the state, had come out with little-to-no enthusiasm against Region 8-AA’s last-place team, in a game that had no effect on next week’s region championship showdown with Rabun County, no one would have been surprised.
But that’s not what happened.
Union County (9-0, 6-0) came to Social Circle like it was a business trip and the team had a job to accomplish before being allowed to take the three-hour bus ride home.
The Panthers handled that business and finished the job in a 41-6 demolition of the home team Redskins.
Other than a few plays ran before halftime, Union County had six drives in the first half.
They scored touchdowns on all six and the outcome of the game was never in doubt.
Efficiency proved to be the keyword for the Panthers, as senior quarterback Pierson Allison threw just 14 passes for 10 catches and two touchdowns.
Junior running back Jonah Daniel carried the ball just 10 times, but scored three touchdowns and went for more than 100 yards for the seventh time this season. One of those runs, a 48-yarder in the second quarter, was the last score of the game for the Panthers.
That score came with a few minutes remaining in the first half.
Senior Sloan Sutton added a score running the ball, an 8-yard burst that put the Panthers up 34-0 early in the second quarter.
Allison hit four different receivers on the night, with senior Cayden Rich and junior Mason McCombs each catching a touchdown.
The festivities started early for Union County, who kicked off to Social Circle to open the game.
On the Redskins first play from scrimmage, the quarterback muffed the snap and the ball hit the dirt.
Sutton, who starts as the team’s middle linebacker, fell on it, giving the Panthers their first offensive possession of the night.
A few plays later Daniel hit a big hole, rumbling 19 yards untouched into the end zone to give the Panthers the lead for good with 11:04 left in the first frame.
The defense then forced the first of the four punts from Social Circle in the first half.
Allison got into the mix on the ensuing drive, hitting Rich on a straight post route for a 72-yard touchdown to put Union County up 14-0.
The theme continued for the remainder of the first half, as the Panthers were too big, too strong, and simply too talented for the Redskins to keep up with.
Daniel scored his second rushing touchdown of the game with 4:54 left in the first quarter. The point-after attempt went wide right, and Union County led 20-0.
Four minutes later, McCombs made a beautiful, toe-tapping catch in the corner of the end zone to give the Panthers the 27-0 lead.
Junior Noah Underwood continued to play well leading the defense. He recovered a fumble on a kickoff and then recovered another fumble in the early minutes of the third quarter.
The starters for Union County played just one series in the second half, before head coach Brian Allison sent the junior varsity on the field for some much-needed game experience.
With the score at 41-6 to start the half, the referees went with a running clock and the score remained the same as the junior varsity squads went at it.
Union County faces No. 4 Rabun County, who is also undefeated, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, in Blairsville. The winner will be the No. 1 seed from Region 8-AA headed into the state playoffs.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Panthers to host Hornets
Sports, TeamFYNSports, UCHS Football November 14, 2019If 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.
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.
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.
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.