Panthers fall to Leopards 77-42 @ Banks County
Sports, TeamFYNSports, Union County Panthers January 28, 2021
Homer, Georgia- The Union County Panthers (0-6) traveled to Homer, Georgia to take on The Banks County Leopards (14-7). The Panthers would be without Coach Corey Garrett due to being ejected in the previous game. The Panthers would also be without their only senior, Kaston Hemphill, due to a leg injury he suffered in the previous game.
First Quarter
Both teams started the game with back to back turnovers but Banks County got on the board first after a steal. Nothing went right for the Panthers as they piled up 10 first quarter turnovers as the Leopards went on a 20-0 run. The Panthers trailed 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
To begin the second quarter, the Panthers picked up a good stop on defense, but were only able to score 1 point as Junior Landon Kight made 1/2 free throws. The turnovers continued for the Panthers to begin the second quarter. Sophomore Eli Underwood hoped to get the Panthers offense rolling as he hit a deep three pointer. The Leopards responded with another 3 pointer to extend their lead. The Panthers offense was scoring here and there but the Leopards offense kept on rolling as they were scorching hot. The Panthers had another quiet quarter offensively as they trailed 36-8 at halftime. The Panthers finished with 15 turnovers in the first half.
Third Quarter
Underwood got the Panthers on the board first with a nice put back. The Leopards were still scorching hot on offense as the Panthers still had no answers. The turnovers kept piling up for the Panthers as the 3 pointers were piling up for the Leopards. Kight responded with a 3 after the Leopards knocked down two 3’s in a row. Junior Daniel Snow also knocked down a 3 as the Panthers offense was looking a lot better in the second half but the defensive struggles continued. The Panthers offense responded well in the second half, scoring 16 points but the Leopards offense kept their foot on the gas. The Panthers still trailed 63-24. 
Fourth Quarter
Junior Lake Hughes started off the quarter with a steal and a layup. The Panthers offense kept attacking the basket but the defense just couldn’t get enough stops as the game was already out of reach. The Panthers fall to the Leopards 77-42. The Panthers fall to 0-2 in region play.The Panthers travel to Elbert County on Friday to face the Blue Devils in a region matchup. The game will start at 7:30.
Panthers late comeback falls short, fall to Indians 56-54
Featured Stories, Sports, Team FYN Sports, Union County Panthers January 26, 2021
Dahlonega, Georgia- The Union County Panthers traveled to Dahlonega to face the Lumpkin County Indians in a non region matchup. The Panthers are coming off a loss to Rabun County as it was their first game since December.
First Quarter
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively. The Indians got on the board first with a nice put back. Senior Chandler Pulley made hist first of many 3’s to put the Indians up 5-0 to start the game. Senior Kaston Hemphill made a deep 2 to get the Panthers on the board. Sophomore Eli Underwood would make a lay up to cut the lead 50 1, 5-4. The Panther defense was doing their job, but had a very tough time stopping Pulley from making 3’s. Senior Kaston Hemphill suffered to what looked to be a serious injury, and missed the rest of the game. Pulley made another 3 pointer to extend the lead to 7. The Indians made a layup as time expired to extend their lead to 9. The Panthers trailed 15-6 at the end of the 1st quarter.
Second Quarter
To begin the second quarter, the Panthers had a good defensive possession and Underwood made a contested layup to cut the lead to 7. Junior Landon Kight had a steal and ran the court and made a contested layup to cut the lead to 5. Pulley came down and answered with another 3. The Panthers turned the ball over and the Indians answered quickly with a midrange jumper. The turnovers started to stack up for the Panthers as the Indians offense was capitalizing on them. The Panthers offense scored 4 quick points. Junior Eli Peugh made a nice full court pass to Freshman Caiden Tanner as he scored on a quick layup. The Indians extended their lead with another Pulley 3, his 5th of the game. After Underwood free throws, Pulley made another 3 to extend the Indian lead. The Panthers trailed the Indians 30-17 at halftime.
Third Quarter
The Panthers started the second half with back to back turnovers right out of the gate. Pullley made his 7th 3 to extend the Indian lead. Junior Lake Hughes responded with a deep 3. Junior Caleb John scored on his first points of the game as he picked up 2 quick fouls to begin the game. The Panthers made the adjustment to face guard Pulley to limit his ability to shoot or get open. Hughes responded with another 3 after an Indian turnover. Pulley found a way to get open and responded with his 8th 3 pointer of the game. Hughes responded with another 3 to cut the lead back to 8. Kight found Payne on a nice backdoor cut as he made the layup to cut the lead to 6. After a Panther timeout, John hit a 3 pointer to cut the lead to 4. John picked up 2 quick fouls after his made 3. After another Indian turnover, Underwood responded with a nice layup to cut the lead to 2. The Panthers trailed 39-35 to end the 3rd quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The Panthers began the fourth quarter with a mixup of Kight and Peugh and turned the ball over. Peugh got the rebound on a Indian miss and threw a great pass down to Underwood as he scored. Pulley quickly responded with a great layup. Another Panther turnover ended up as 2 more Indian points. Both teams turned the ball over twice but the Indians offense calmed down and scored another 3. As Junior Daniel Snow went up for a layup, the officials missed an obvious foul and Head Coach Corey Garrett let the officials know it as he was trying to protect his players. The official gave him 2 technicals and ejected him from the game with 4:31 left in the game. After the ejection, the officials called 2 quick fouls on the Indians. The Indians scored 4 quick points to extend their lead to 11. The Panthers picked up 6 quick points as they put pressure on the Indians and cut the lead to 3 with 18 seconds left. The Panthers ended the game with a Kight layup as tie ran out. The Panthers fall 56-54. The Panthers will be without Head Coach Corey Garrett for the next 2 games after being ejected. The Panthers travel to Banks County on Tuesday January 26th to face the Leopards @ 7:30
Panthers fall to Rebels after huge early lead, 50-49
Team FYN Sports, Union County Panthers December 13, 2020
Blue Ridge, Georgia- The Union County Panthers (0-3) traveled to Blue Ridge to face the Fannin County Rebels (2-2) on Saturday. The last 2 games for the Panthers were canceled due to the visiting teams having COVID issues.
First Half
To begin the game, everything was going the Panthers way, going up 19-0 very very quickly, led by Junior Landon Kight, Senior Kaston Hemphill and Junior Lake Hughes. Before you knew it, the Rebels came storming back and cut the lead to 6 to end the first quarter with almost each player on the court for Fannin scoring during the 14-1 scoring run by the Rebels. The Panthers led 20-14 to end the first quarter. To begin the 2nd quarter, the Rebels would quickly tie the game at 20 within the first minute of the half. The Panthers were turning the ball over, forcing passes and playing a little anxious once the Rebels stormed back to tie the game. Both teams were playing strong defense throughout the quarter and the Panthers were starting to turn the ball over more. The Panthers were doing a great job at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. Even as the Panthers fell behind as the Rebels were scoring quickly, the Panthers kept battling. Lake Hughes and Landon Cox made some huge shots to take the lead before the end of the half. The Panthers led 30-28 at the break.
Second Half
To begin the second half, the Panthers struggled on offense due to turnovers and some costly fouls. The Panthers hit some huge threes by Sophomore Eli Underwood and Junior Austin Taylor. The whole second half was extremely physical, as it was close the whole entire half. Hughes would hit another huge three to put the Panthers ahead late in the 3rd quarter. To end the 3rd quarter the Panthers led 42-40. To begin the 4th, Junior Landon Cox had a huge steal and score. The whole fourth quarter was a defensive battle as each team knows each other very well and they all battled to the end. The Rebels took a 2 point lead with 3 minutes left to go in the 4th quarter. After both teams played great defense, the Rebels led by 1 with less than a minute remaining. The Panthers were forced to foul to make the Rebels go to the free throw line and have a chance to get the ball back and win the game. The Rebels would miss the free throw and the Panthers would call timeout at half court to draw up a play with 3 seconds remaining. Junior Caleb John would pass it to Junior Daniel Snow at the top of the paint and he would miss the game winning shot. He had it made if he just put a little bit more muscle into the shot. The Panthers fall to the Rebels 50-49 as the Panthers fall to 0-4. This was an all out battle for this young Panthers team and something they will learn from as they have played some very talented teams to start the season.
Lady Panthers fall to Lady Rebels, 58-47 on Saturday
Lady Panthers, Sports, TeamFYNSports December 13, 2020
Blue Ridge, Georgia- The Lady Panthers (1-2) traveled to Fannin County to face the Lady Rebels (5-2) on Saturday. The Lady Panthers had 2 games scheduled during the week but were both canceled due to COVID issues on the visiting teams.
First Half
The Lady Panthers got off to a slow start to begin the game, having a tough time stopping Junior Becca Ledford. The Lady Panthers also had a hard time getting any rhythm on offense as they turned the ball over multiple times and had a tough time breaking the half court press. A quick 13-4 start by the Lady Rebels forced the Lady Panthers to call a timeout and switch things up. Courtney Davis, who is a rising freshman for the Lady Rebels was making huge shots throughout the game, forcing the Lady Panthers to stop both Ledford and Davis, which is a hard task to do. The odds just weren’t in favor of the Lady Panthers as the easy shots that the usually go in, weren’t as the struggles on offense continued. It was all Lady Rebels to end the first quarter, up 20-8. To begin the second half, the Lady Panthers tried to get Junior Ava Hunter going on offense but it was tough as she was triple teamed in the paint. The Lady Panthers scored 8 straight to cut the lead to 4. The Panthers later tied the game as the defense really stepped up. Both teams were struggling to make shots but both teams were playing great defense, forcing up bad shots by both teams. To end the half, the Lady Rebels led 23-22.
Second Half
To begin the second half, the Lady panthers forced 3 quick turnovers and took a 2 point lead. After the Lady Panthers took the lead, the Lady Rebels went back to the half court press, which is what the Lady Panthers were struggling to break. The Lady Panthers turned the ball over 2 straight times after the Lady Rebels went back to the half court press. The Lady Panthers were turning the ball over time and time again. They were also struggling getting the ball in and getting it past half court due to the press. As the Lady Panthers were turning the ball over, the Lady Rebels were scoring each time. Once a close game, the Lady Rebels quickly extended their lead to 8. To end the 3rd quarter, the Lady Rebels led 42-35. To begin the 4th quarter, the Lady Panthers kept things close but went back to turning the ball over and the Lady Rebels capitalizing each time. The Lady Rebels quickly extended their lead to 11 with 4 minutes left in the game. The Lady Panthers would not be able to come back as they fall 58-47 to the Lady Rebels. Junior Ava Hunter and Junior Rebecca Chambers led the Lady Panthers. Junior Becca Ledford and Freshman Courtney Davis led the Lady Rebels. The Lady Panthers fall to 1-3.
Panthers fall to Indians 78-57 on Saturday
Sports, Team FYN Sports December 7, 2020
Toccoa, Georgia– The Union County Panthers (0-2) traveled to Toccoa, Georgia to face the Stephens County Indians (2-2).
The Panthers are looking for their first win of the season and catch a rhythm, as they are a young team with only one senior. The Indians are coming off back to back wins against Rabun County and Habersham Central.
To start the game, the Panthers were missing some easy shots in the paint. The Indians were getting a lot of second chance points to start the game and scoring on Panther turnovers. The Indians quickly went on an 13-2 run to start the game.The Panther offense wasn’t hitting any shots and turning the ball over a lot in the first quarter leading the Indians to have a big lead. To end the first quarter, the Panthers were down 19-6 as the Indians were firing on all cylinders. The Indians were scoring on almost every Panther turnover. The Panthers defense was just having a tough time stopping the Indian offense as they could shoot from all around and were scoring on a lot of the Panthers turnovers. The Indians went on a 16-3 run forcing the Panthers to call a timeout. The Panthers would gain some momentum as Junior Landon Kight would lead the team and score 7 quick points. The Panthers would go into halftime down, 40-20 at the half. Junior Lake Hughes would get the Panthers started on offense with a quick 3 to begin the half and another 3 a few possessions later. The Indians defense was still attacking and the Panthers were still having trouble stopping it, but the Panthers offense was finally getting started, which helped the Panthers on the defensive side. The Panthers were down 59-43 to end the 3rd quarter but were gaining confidence offensively after a slow start. To begin the 4th quarter, Junior Daniel Snow hit a big three after an Indian turnover but the Panthers defense just couldn’t get a key stop. The Panthers would fall to the Indians 78-57. The Panthers fall to 0-3. 
The Panthers were led by Junior Landon Kight and Junior Caleb John. The Indians were led by Senior Kenny Colwell and Junior Darryl Hampton Jr. The Panthers host Tallulah Falls on Tuesday, December 8th @ 7:30.
Lady Panthers fall to Lady Indians 64-44, on Saturday
Lady Panthers, Sports, TeamFYNSports, Union County Panthers December 7, 2020
Toccoa, Georgia- The Lady Panthers (1-2) traveled to Toccoa, Georgia to face the Stephens County Indians (4-1). The Lady Indians are coming off a big season last year and returning a lot of seniors. The Lady Panthers are still young and trying to find a rhythm to start the season.
The Lady Panthers got off to a rough start, having a shot blocked and turning the ball over to start the game’s first two possessions. Junior Ava Hunter got the Panthers on the board as she would draw some fouls and get to the line multiple times in the first quarter. The Lady Panthers’ defense was having a hard time stopping the Lady Indians, who could shoot from all over. The Panthers weren’t doing themselves any favors, turning the ball over as the Indians would score on most those turnovers. To end the first quarter, the Lady Panthers were down 17-13. To start the second quarter, the same issues were happening for the Lady Panthers, turning the ball over and giving the Indians chances for a lot of 3 point plays due to fouling on layups or midrange shots. To close the half, the Panthers were starting to score and cut the lead to 5, as the Indians were turning the ball over a lot towards the end of the quarter. The Panthers cut the lead to 30-25 at halftime. The Panthers got off to a great start in the second half, getting a turnover and getting 2 quick points from Freshman Lara Turner. The Lady Panthers would go back to turning the ball over, turning it over 3 times in back to back to back possessions. The Indians would go on a quick 10-0 run, forcing the Lady Panthers to call timeout. The Indians would keep scoring and keep their foot on the gas, pushing their lead to 11, up 46-35 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Indians would go on a 13-3 run to start the 4th quarter. The Lady Panthers would fall to the Indians, 64-44. The Lady Panthers were led by Junior Ava Hunter and Sophomore Ellie Cook. The Lady Indians were led by Senior Tynajiah Eades ands Senior Ranajah Verdell.
The Lady Panthers fall to 1-3. The Lady Panthers host Tallulah Falls on Tuesday, December 7 @ 6:00.
Panthers fall 31-28 as season comes to an end at Heard County
Featured Stories, Sports, Team FYN Sports, Union County High School, Union County Panthers November 30, 2020
Franklin, Georgia- The Union County Panthers (4-6) traveled to Franklin, Georgia to face the Heard County Braves (7-4) in the first round of the GHSA AA State Playoffs.
The Panthers had a tough task ahead as Heard had a lot of speed and Chief Borders, a 6’3, 230 LB, 2021 University of Florida commit.
First Quarter
The Panthers started off on defense and the Braves quickly picked up some first downs. The Braves completed a quick 37 yard pass to Senior Ayden Cannon to get them inside the Panthers 20 yard line and scored on the very next play to go up 7-0, early in the first quarter. Jonah Daniel got things going early and woke everyone up with a quick 17 yard reception as he ran over a defender. Carson Walker also got things going early with a quick carry for another first down. The Panthers had the ground game going on the first drive as 3 of their first downs were on rushing plays. Kaston Hemphill completed a 25 yard pass to Junior Keyton Chitwood to put the Panthers inside the Braves 20 yard line. Daniel almost scored and put the Panthers inside the 2 yard line and on the next play, Junior Carson Walker would score on a 2 yard run to tie it at 7. The Braves were moving the ball with ease as the Panthers were missing easy tackles due to the quickness of Senior Running-back Ashton Bonner. Bonner would lead the drive and score on a 1 yard rush to put the Braves ahead 14-7. The Panthers offense wouldn’t get anything going as the Braves defense was sniffing everything out and sacked Hemphill for a big loss. The Braves would quickly get the ball inside Panther territory as Quarterback Maurice Fench completed a 45 yard pass to Junior Receiver Isaiah O’neil. Junior Cornerback Eli Peugh played the pass well, but it was a perfectly placed pass. The Braves would score on a 24 yard pass to Michael Whitten to put the Braves up 21-7. The Panthers offense would punt the ball back to the Braves after a quick 3 yard rush and 2 straight incompletions.
Second Quarter
The Panther defense would get 2 huge tackles on first & second down, with a huge sack by Sophomore Gage Barnes. On the very next play, the Braves called the perfect play at the right time. They ran a bubble screen to Bonner and he took it 79 yards for a touchdown. The Braves led 28-7. The Panthers started moving the ball again on offense with some quick passes for big first downs. Daniel picked up a huge first down to keep the Panthers drive alive. Daniel also hurdled a man as he put the Panthers inside the Braves 10 yard line, giving the Panthers some momentum. Hemphill found Senior Noah Underwood on a 5 yard pass as he bounced off the attempted tackle to make the score 28-14. Just as the Braves were trying to hurry down the field and get some extra points, Hemphill would intercept the pass and take it down to the Braves 37 yard line. Hemphill would find Noah Underwood and Underwood would take it inside the Braves 10 yard line with less than 30 seconds left in the half. The Panthers would run a reverse pass play and throw the short pass to get inside the 2 yard line but would get called for a penalty. The Panthers would kick a field goal and make it 28-17 at halftime.
Third Quarter
The Panthers would start the second half with the ball and quickly pick up some first downs as they were balancing the run and the pass. The Panthers offense would stall around midfield and be forced to punt. The Panthers defense would start playing like they have all season to start the second half. Sophomore Elijah Helton would make a key tackle for loss on 3rd and short to force the Braves to punt. Daniel would pick up a first down on the first play of the drive as he was having the best game he has had all year. The Panthers offense was fighting for any extra yards they could get to keep the ball moving and pick up key first downs. Just as the Panthers offense was gaining the momentum, the Braves brought pressure on 3 straight plays to force the Panthers to try a long field goal. Mason McCombs would nail the 43 yard field goal to make it 28-20. The Panthers special teams made some huge tackles throughout the game to keep the Braves from attempting any big gains on returns. The Braves offense would go back to passing the ball and quickly move deep into Panther territory.
Fourth Quarter
The Braves would get inside the Panther 5 yard line but be pushed all the way back to the 30 yard line due to penalties. The Panthers defense did a great job of holding the Braves out of the end zone and hold them to a field goal. The Field Goal was good and the Braves extended their lead to 31-20. Hemphill would attempt a deep pass on first down and it would be intercepted, but as Bonner would attempt to run it back, Junior Trace Wright would strip the ball and the Panthers would recover and regain possession. The Panthers would pick up a huge first down to keep the drive alive around the Braves 45 yard line as Noah Underwood would fight for extra yards. On the next play, Hemphill would find Chitwood on a 34 yard pass to put the Panthers inside the Braves 15 yard line. On second down, Walker would score on a 6 yard rush to make it 31-26. The Panthers went for a 2 point conversion and would be successful, to make the score 31-28 with 4 minutes remaining. The Panthers would get a key stop on second down as Bonner was forced out of bounds but Noah Underwood was called for a late hit, which gave the Braves an automatic first down. The Panthers were going to have to use the rest of their timeouts and stop the Braves to give their offense a chance to get back on the field to tie or win the game. The Braves would pick up a first down and run the clock out and go on to win the game 31-28. After a hard fought game, the Panthers season comes to and end. The Panthers have a lot to be proud of as they fought back hard and had a chance to win the game against a very talented Heard County Team.
Panthers fall to Indians 63-37 in first game of season
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports November 30, 2020
Blairsville, Georgia- On Tuesday night, the Union County Panthers hosted the Towns County Indians for both teams’ first game of the season. The Panthers lost a lot of key seniors but have a lot of younger players that have a lot of experience from last year. The Indians have gained some additional players due to North Carolina canceling fall sports. Expect to see the Indians do some big things this year.
To begin the game, both teams turned the ball over twice. Union got on the board first with Junior Landon Kight making both free throws. Towns came right back down the court and tied it with a layup and took the lead with the and-1 free-throw by Junior Jake McTaggert. Towns would stay attacking the basket but miss their next few shots. Kight made a nice move in the post to get the and-1 layup to put the Panthers up 5-3. On the next possession, McTaggert would block a layup and on a fast break, Junior Caleb John would have a huge block on the other end. McTaggert would score on the inbound play to tie it 5-5. The Indians would go up 8-5 and just as the buzzer went off, John would hit a huge 3 to tie things at 8 a piece to end the first quarter. It was a huge defensive battle with each team only allowing 8 points through the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Panthers kept things close during the beginning of the quarter but the Indians would slowly pull away, led by Senior Kabe Ellis and Senior Colton Day, with Ellis scoring 11 points and Day scoring 6. The Indians went on an 11-0 run to end the half. The Indians were up at the half 31-20. To start the 3rd quarter, the Indians would come out firing scoring 4 quick points and going up 16 points quick. The Indians would end up outscoring the Panthers 15-10 in the 3rd. The same would happen in the fourth, the Indians would keep their foot on the gas and go onto win 63-37. The Panthers fall to 0-1. The Panthers were led by Junior Caleb John and Junior Landon Kight.
The Panthers will host Gilmer County on Tuesday, December 1st.
Panthers fall to Indians 63-37 in first game of season
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports November 25, 2020
Blairsville, Georgia- On Tuesday night, the Union County Panthers hosted the Towns County Indians for both teams’ first game of the season. The Panthers lost a lot of key seniors but have a lot of younger players that have a lot of experience from last year. The Indians have gained some additional players due to North Carolina canceling fall sports. Expect to see the Indians do some big things this year.
To begin the game, both teams turned the ball over twice. Union got on the board first with Junior Landon Kight making both free throws. Towns came right back down the court and tied it with a layup and took the lead with the and-1 free-throw by Junior Jake McTaggert. Towns would stay attacking the basket but miss their next few shots. Kight made a nice move in the post to get the and-1 layup to put the Panthers up 5-3. On the next possession, McTaggert would block a layup and on a fast break, Junior Caleb John would have a huge block on the other end. McTaggert would score on the inbound play to tie it 5-5. The Indians would go up 8-5 and just as the buzzer went off, John would hit a huge 3 to tie things at 8 a piece to end the first quarter. It was a huge defensive battle with each team only allowing 8 points through the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Panthers kept things close during the beginning of the quarter but the Indians would slowly pull away, led by Senior Kabe Ellis and Senior Colton Day, with Ellis scoring 11 points and Day scoring 6. The Indians went on an 11-0 run to end the half. The Indians were up at the half 31-20. To start the 3rd quarter, the Indians would come out firing scoring 4 quick points and going up 16 points quick. The Indians would end up outscoring the Panthers 15-10 in the 3rd. The same would happen in the fourth, the Indians would keep their foot on the gas and go onto win 63-37. The Panthers fall to 0-1. The Panthers were led by Junior Caleb John and Junior Landon Kight.
The Panthers will host Gilmer County on Tuesday, December 1st.
Lady Panthers fall in double OT to Lady Indians in first game of season.
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports November 25, 2020
Blairsville, Georgia- Tuesday night, The Lady Panthers hosted the Towns County Indians for both teams’ first game of the season. Union is starting the season starting a lot of young players after losing a lot of key seniors from last year. The Lady Panthers are looking to keep the winning streak going against the Lady Indians as they won both matchups last year.
Both teams started the game fouling. After that, both teams settled in with Union scoring first on a corner 3 by Sophomore Ellie Cook. Towns matched that with a 3 by Kennedi Henson on the next possession and another 3 by Sarah Shook. Throughout the first quarter, the scoring was back and forth but Union led by 1, 11-10 at the end of the first. Union started the second quarter with 2 quick fouls. The scoring was again, back and forth but it was a low scoring second quarter. Neither team could get any points on the board. At the half, Union led 16-13.
To begin the third quarter, the scoring was again back and forth. The Lady Indians were spreading the ball around and multiple players were scoring. The Lady Indians held Junior Ava Hunter to 4 points through 3 quarters. The fourth quarter was very close, each team being very aggressive with the scoring going back and forth. Throughout the game, no one had a lead bigger than 3. Early in the fourth quarter, Cook fouled out, which hurt the Lady Panthers offensively and defensively. That made Junior Ava Hunter have to step up. She stepped up big, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Corinne Hill had a key steal that put the Lady Panthers up by 1 late in the fourth. Late in the fourth both teams had a chance to score and win the game. Tied 36-36 coming out of a Towns timeout with 25 seconds left, the Lady Panthers defense held strong and stole the ball but couldn’t handle the ball enough to get a good shot off. The led us to the first overtime.
In the first overtime, it was very close and the Lady Panthers were led by sophomore Corinne Hill, scoring 4 points. The Lady Indians stole the ball late, forcing a jump ball and the Lady Indians gained possession. The Lady Indians had a chance to win but missed the shot as time ran out. In the second overtime, the Lady Panthers just held the ball to find a good shot and run time off the clock. The Indians would steal the ball away but due to great hustle by Junior Ansley Collins, she hit the ball out of bounds before the Lady Indians could get a shot up. Late in the second overtime, Junior Rebekha Chambers scores but is called for a charging foul so the basket doesn’t count. Still tied, Hunter is fouled and takes 1-2 free throws to give the Panthers the lead 41-40. She is fouled again and makes 1-2 again to extend the lead 42-40. The Lady Indians, Senior Vanessa Floyd quickly scores and ties it at 42. Union ends up fouling with 23 seconds left and Floyd makes 1-2 free throws to make it 43-42 Towns, Union rebounds the ball with 9 seconds left and misses the game winning shot.
The Lady Panthers lose their first game of the season, 43-42. Junior Ava Hunter led the Lady Panthers in scoring, scoring 15 points. The Lady Panthers host Gilmer County on Tuesday, December 1.
Panthers back in win column, beat Gilmer 7-0 on Thursday Night
Featured Stories, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports November 20, 2020
Ellijay, GA– The Union County Panthers(3-5) travelled to Gilmer County(3-5), home of the Bobcats. The Panthers heading into this game hoping to get a win and to gain momentum before heading into the playoffs.
The Panthers are getting back Starting Quarterback Logan Helcher and Running-back Jonah Daniel. The Bobcats are led by Junior Running-back Kobe Stonecipher and Senior Linebacker Ashton White.
First Quarter
The Bobcats would get the ball to start the game and would move the ball down the field very slowly. They would keep the ball for about 9 minutes in the 1st quarter. The Bobcats would take the ball all the way to the Panthers 25 yard line and fail to convert on 4th down. The Panthers would start the drive off with an 8 yard run by Helcher but fail to get anything else going after a holding penalty on 2nd down. The Bobcats would run one play to end the very quick 1st quarter.
Second Quarter
On the first play of the second quarter, Senior Noah Underwood would force a fumble around the Bobcats 40 yard line and Junior Trace Wright would recover the fumble. The Panthers would put Senior Kaston Hemphill in to give Helcher a breather as he is still recovering from an injury he suffered against Rabun Gap. The Panthers would fail to get a first down and punt the ball back to the Bobcats. The Panthers stuffed the run on the first 2 plays but were called for targeting on the 2nd down play. On the next play, Senior cornerback JJ Littles would intercept a pass at midfield, credit to Senior linebacker Hunter Young for getting his hands on the ball and causing the ball to be tipped and caught. On the first play of the Panthers offensive drive, Helcher suffered, what appeared to be a shoulder injury, which would sideline him for the rest of the game. The Panthers would pick up some quick first downs with some good hard runs by Junior Carson Walker. The Panthers would score on a 4 yard touchdown run by Senior Jonah Daniel and go up 7-0. The Bobcats would pick up a quick 1st down but the Panthers defense would stuff the run again and pick up a key tackle for loss by Senior Noah Underwood & Senior Aaron Helton. The Bobcats would punt pin the Panthers down at their own 5 yard line. The Panthers offense would fail to get a first down. The Bobcats would pick up a quick first down on a reverse play and quickly go deep into Panther territory. Senior JJ Liitles would make a great play to break up the pass at the goal line. The Panthers would hold the Bobcats to a field goal, that was missed with 20 seconds left to go in the half.
Third Quarter
The Panthers would start the second half on offense and would quickly pick up 2 first downs, sticking with the ground game. The Panthers offense would stall after that and would have to punt the ball away again. The Panthers defense would stand strong and sack the end around pass play on 3rd down and force another punt. The Panthers would start their drives in the 2nd half quickly picking up first downs but would quickly stall out. The Panthers had a chance to score on a deep pass to Senior Mason McCombs but McCombs was tripped up near the end zone before catching it. There was a penalty thrown for pass interference but was waved off. The pass was intercepted and the Bobcats took over at their own 15 yard line. The Bobcats would get a good drive going but the Panthers defense would stand strong to end the 3rd quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The Panthers defense would force another punt to start the 4th quarter. The Panthers would pick up a big first down on the first play of the drive by Hemphill on a Quarterback keeper. The Panthers would have to punt again but they would pin the Bobcats inside their own 5 yard line. The Bobcats would run the same play from the same formation about 5 times in a row and catch the Panthers off guard with a QB keeper off the same play and pick up about 34 yards. Eli Peugh would make a huge tackle on 3rd and 10 and force the Bobcats to go for it on 4th down. On 4th down, the Bobcats would try to run a trick play and it was read quickly by Senior Clayton Lester. The Panthers offense finally got a big play and a penalty added to the end of it. The Panthers would drive all the way to the Bobcat 14 yard line but failed to covert on a 4th and 3 with 2:40 left in the 4th quarter. The Bobcats would quickly get to midfield on a 30 yard pass. The Panthers defensive backs had a bunch of opportunities to intercept multiple passes and end the game during this drive. The Panthers would force the Bobcats to go for it on 4th and inches but would pick up the 1st down. On 3rd and 10, JJ Littles would intercept the ball but it would be called back on a questionable pass interference call. The Panther defense would keep the Bobcats out of the end zone and hold on to win, 7-0.
The Panthers will finish 3rd in Region 8-AA and move on to the GHSA State Playoffs. They do not know who they will face yet, but they will matchup with Region 5-AA and face the 2nd place team out of that region. They will play next Friday November 27.
Offense struggles as Panthers fall to Elbert County.
Sports, Team FYN Sports November 1, 2020
BLAIRSVILLE, GA- The Union County Panthers (3-2,1-0) hosted The Elbert County Blue Devils (1-4,0-0) on a chilly night in the mountains.
First Quarter
The Blue Devils offense came out firing, pushing the ball all the way to the Panthers’ 35 yard line. The Panthers defense ended up forcing a punt. The Panthers offense, still trying to find an identity, started the game on the right foot. Huge rushes by Senior Running-back Jonah Daniel led the Panthers on the first drive. The Panthers had the ball on the 8 yard line and fumbled on the 1 as Junior Quarterback Logan Helcher tried to reach for the goal line. The Panthers defense held up strong forcing the Blue Devils to punt from their own end zone.
Second Quarter
The Panthers defense again held the Blue Devils to another punt. The defense had huge tackles for loss by Senior Noah Underwood and Senior Aaron Helton. The Panthers just couldn’t get anything going offensively, failing the 4th down conversion inside the Blue Devils 20 yard line. Both teams could not get anything going offensively, credit to both defenses for not allowing any big plays after both teams’ first drive. The Panthers held the Blue Devils to another punt, which was blocked by Junior Elijah Helton and the Panthers took over from the Blue Devils 45 yard line. On the first play of the drive, the Blue Devils intercepted Quarterback Logan Helcher and returned it for a touchdown. The next drive ended the same way. Logan Helcher’s pass was intercepted on an attempted screen pass. The Panthers defense held the Blue Devils to a field goal to make the score 10-0 late in the second quarter. The Panthers failed to score any points before halftime.
Third Quarter
To start the second half, the Panthers came out moving the ball down the field. Getting the ball down to the Blue Devils 12 yard line after the Blue Devils committed a pass interference on a deep pass intended for Kaston Hemphill. The Panthers would have to settle for a field goal which made the score 10-3. The Panthers defense forced a much needed turnover. Noah Underwood sacked the QB and picked up the fumble near midfield. On the first play of the Panthers offensive drive, Quarterback Logan Helcher evaded tackles and found Noah Underwood for a 40 yard touchdown to tie the game at 10 a piece. The Blue Devils started to move the ball well on offense, taking the ball all the way to the Panthers 35 yard line, but the Panthers defense stopped the drive there. The Blue Devils would again, intercept another pass and return it all the way to the 5 yard line and score on a 7 yard pass after a penalty, to take the lead, 17-10. The Panthers would get the ball moving well again offensively heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
On the first play of the fourth quarter, The Blue Devils would intercept another pass as Quarterback Logan Helcher would try to get rid of the ball while getting hit. The Blue Devils would return it for a touchdown to extend their lead to 24-10. The Panthers offense couldn’t get going on the next drive and failed to convert on 4th down inside their own 30 yard line after a mistimed snap. The Panthers defense didn’t allow any points on that drive and forced another punt. The Panthers were forced to punt on their next offensive drive. The Blue Devils would quickly score on their next drive on a 47 yard touchdown run, extending their lead to 31-10. The Blue Devils would hold the ball until the clock ran out to end the game.
The Panthers fall to the Blue Devils, 31-10. That gives the Panthers their first region loss of the year.
The Panthers will host Rabun Gap on Thursday, November 6 @ 6:30.
Defense leads the way for the Panthers first region win against Banks
Featured Stories, Sports, Team FYN Sports October 25, 2020
HOMER, GA- The defense was key for the Panthers as they hold on to beat Banks County 19-7. The Panthers struggled on offense but made the right plays at the right time to seal the victory.
This was the first region matchup for both Union County (3-2,1-0) & Banks County (1-6,0-1). Union had not played a game in 2 weeks due to one of their games being cancelled because of COVID-19 and then one week was their bye week. Banks County had lost to Haralson County last week, 44-0. Both teams have played Commerce & Fannin County and had both lost to each team.
1st Quarter
The Panthers got off to a great start defensively led by senior Aaron Helton who had a big tackle for loss on the first drive and a sack on the second drive. (0:00-17:00) The Panthers struggled to move the ball most of the first quarter, mostly due to not playing the last 2 weeks. The Panthers defense held their ground all of the first quarter, not giving the Leopards a chance to get anything going offensively.
2nd Quarter
The Panthers had 2 quick turnovers, each happening on the first play of each drive, giving the Leopards great field position after each turnover. The Panthers did get the ball right back after the second turnover, the Leopards also fumbled on the first play of their drive. (18:00-29:00) That really lit a spark for the Panthers offense knowing that they can play better and getting a chance to prove it on this drive. On the second play of the drive, Junior Quarterback Logan Helcher ran a read option play and kept the ball and taking it 66 yards to the house. (30:00-49:00) The Panthers missed the PAT to maker it 6-0. After that, give credit to the Panthers defense, forcing the Leopards into some mistakes and forced another punt. The Panthers offense stalled out again going into halftime up 6-0.
3rd Quarter
The Panthers got the ball to start the second half and got off to a hot start running the hurry up offense. Gaining lots of yards each play and spreading the ball all around the field. Junior Quarterback Logan Helcher running for a gain of 30+ yards (0:50-1:01) and throwing a long pass to Junior Wide Receiver Keaton Chitwood.(1:02-1:13) The Panthers capped off the drive with a 1 yard touchdown by Senior Running back Jonah Daniel, his first of the season, in his first game back after breaking his ankle in week 1 against Fannin County. (1:14-1:26) Union County missed yet another PAT but still held the lead, 12-0. Again, the Panthers defense held the Leopards to a punt after letting up a few first downs. The Panthers drive ended on another turnover as Quarterback Logan Helcher threw his second interception of the game.
4th Quarter
The Leopards gave the ball right back to the Panthers, bobbling a handoff that was recovered by Senior Kaston Hemphill. (1:28-1:39) The Leopards would get the ball back after a 3 and out by The Panthers and finally get the ball rolling on offense. The Leopards stuck with the run game and caught the Panthers by surprise with a counter play on a 36 yard touchdown. The Panthers had another 3 and out on the next drive and the Leopards had the ball mid 4th quarter with the chance to take to the lead. The Panthers defense held strong and forced the Leopards to go for it on 4th down. On 4th down Senior JJ Littles made a great defensive play, breaking up the double-pass. (1:40-1:53) The Panthers took over deep in Leopard territory and scored on a 24 yard screen play to senior Jonah Daniel on 4th down with 1:36 left to seal the victory for the Panthers. (1:54-2:14)
Union County hosts Elbert County next Friday, Oct 30, which is their second region matchup of the season.