Senior Night Success! Panthers Defeat Rebels 37-14
UCHS Football October 30, 2017
Union County Panthers vs Fannin County Rebels
Varsity Football
October 27, 2017
Location: Blairsville, GA
Cheers echoed across the field as the Panthers 2017 Seniors marched down the field with their proud families and a plaque in hand. The players’ names and jersey numbers were called from the announcer’s booth igniting a beaming smile from the seniors as they made their way down the field for the last time.
To emphasize the special occasion, Head Coach Brian Allison chose the entire Senior class to represent the Panthers as captains; however, only 2 of them participated in the coin toss (#8 Cole Wright and #11 RJ Banton).
With the home field advantage and also receiving at kickoff, the Panthers scored first. In an unsuccessful attempt for a pass into the end zone, the Panthers were forced to score first using their kicker #36 Brian Smith. The 17-yd field goal was good and that made the score 3-0 Panthers in the first quarter.
Forced to punt due to their lack of gained yardage, the Rebels were shorty back on defense.
5 rushing plays and 1 pass passing play later the Panthers scored again! After fighting his way upfield for an impressive rush and then digging his way into the end zone on 2 additional plays, Senior #15 Cole Dockery scored off a 1-yd rush. 10-0 Panthers with 4:16 left in the first quarter.
Both teams were forced to punt on their last possessions of the first quarter.
Rebels stuck at the 44-yd line, finally put it in gear and rush upfield to the 9-yd line where they then try for a touchdown and succeed. A Rebels receiver rushes on the left hand side and flies sideways into the end zone increasing the score to 10-7 Panthers with 10:46 left in the second quarter.
A series of passing, rushing, and a 15-yd penalty later put the Panthers in scoring position once more. Senior #8 Cole Wright zig zagged his way through the pack of Rebels and found his way into the end zone being pulled by his jersey. The kick was good once more, increasing the score 17-7 Panthers with 8:28 left in the half.
Rebels unable to get passed the Panthers defense and their quarterback being tackled in the backfield, gave up possession at the 38-yd line.
Panthers passed their way upfield this time and put Senior #24 Chad Buzzard in scoring position! Buzzard rushed up the gut and into the end zone over a pack of Rebels for a touchdown! 24-7 Panthers with 1:22 left in the half.
Possession changed hands a few times before the next touchdown was scored .. then #8 Cole Wright found #4 Kanon Hemphill wide open, hit him with a beautiful spiral, and Hemphill took off upfield for a 60-yd touchdown! 31-7 Panthers with 11:50 left in the third quarter.
Rebels, unhappy with the outcome of the game, dug in and after 10 rushing plays scored once more of a 1-yd rush up the right hand side. This would be their last touchdown of the game. 31-14 Panthers with 7:23 left in the fourth quarter.
The final touchdown of the game was one made by Panthers Senior #15 Cole Dockery – his best game of the season! Dockery ran for a 62-yd touchdown up the right hand side of the field and made it untouched into the end zone with the Rebels crying after him! Ha.Ha.
Final Score: Panthers 37 Rebels 14
Next, the Panthers travel over the mountain to Lumpkin County to face the Indians. The Indians are now 1-8 overall for the season – should be an easy win! Game time is set for 7:30 PM! As always, we appreciate your support Panther fans!
The JV season is officially over; thank you for your support this season!
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 251 yards PASSING – 236 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 19-145 (1 TD); #15 C. Dockery 11-88 (2 TDs; #24 C. Buzzard 8-18 (1 TD) Total: 251 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 17/27; 236 (1 TD) Total: 236 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #4 K. Hemphill 5-100 (1 TD); #21 S. Drake 4-55; #15 C. Dockery 2-28; #22 A. Pattee 3-20; #84 K. Morlock 1-19; #24 C. Buzzard 2-14
GAC Took it Home on Homecoming 47-7
UCHS Football September 25, 2017
Union County Panthers vs Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans
Varsity Football
September 22, 2017
Location: Blairsville, GA
With the threat of rain approaching at the start of the Homecoming festivities on Friday night, the atmosphere was slightly sound. Parents, friends and teachers arrived several hours before kickoff to support the court and take pictures. Colorful dresses and flashes of camera lights filled up the Panthers endzone. The guys went on to complete their normal pre-game warmups and prepare for the challenge that was ahead.
Greater Atlanta Christian, also known as GAC is now ranked #1 in the AAA Region 7 standings and #6 in the Georgia AAA Region. GAC’s football program is responsible for producing 3 D1 commits this season alone: CB/RB #2 Kyler McMichael (Clemson), CB/WR #4 Trey Morrison (UNC), DE #74 Chris Hinton (Michigan).
As the clock struck 7:30pm, so did the lightning. The game was delayed for exactly one hour before the matchup could begin. After a series of heavy rain, thunder and lightning, the weather finally subsided and the teams took the field. The UC captains for the game were: #8 Cole Wright, #11 RJ Banton, #14 Riley Barrett, and #62 Del Ruff. GAC won the coin toss but allowed Union to receive the ball first.
Panthers, with an unintentional error, threw an interception at the 33-yd line for the first play of the game. It took GAC all of 45 seconds and 2 plays to score against the Panthers making it 7-0.
In the middle of play, the entire stadium lights went out! WOAH. The only lights that remained on for a duration of 30 minutes were those in the press box and those on the scoreboard. To add humor to the evening, fans began to pull out their phones with their flashlights on and wave them in their air like they were at a concert. It was pretty neat! 
With all of the weather and technical difficulties out of the way for the evening, play resumed.
GAC scored once again with 5:18 left in the first off a 5-yd run up the middle. With a nasty onside kick, the Spartans tricked the Panthers and regained possession at their own 45-yd line. It took the Spartans 17 seconds, a 44-yd pass and a 1-yd rush to score the 3rd touchdown. 21-0 GAC.
Panthers with possession, paw upfield for a 1st and 10 at the 31-yd line. Yet, unfortunately, fumble the ball and do not recover. A few plays later, GAC scores again. 28-0 with 3:22 left in the first.
#17 Pierson Allison had to replace #8 Cole Wright halfway through the 1st due to a foot injury.
Panthers determined to change the score, work their way from the Spartans 20-yd line all the way to their endzone. At the 10-yd line #17 Pierson Allison dances around the backfield and bounces off some Spartans before finding #84 Kyle Morlock on the left hand side!! #36 Brian Smith puts it clean between the posts! 28-7 Spartans with 55 seconds left in the 1st.
GAC went on to score 2 more touchdowns against the Panthers before the end of the half. 41-7 Spartans.
The fans stuck around and were anxiously awaiting the halftime show. Homecoming 2017. Union County does their homecoming slightly different than most schools; each grade has a different number of representatives. Freshman elect 2, Sophomores elect 3, Juniors elect 4, and Seniors elect 5.
The members of the 2017 Homecoming Court are as followed: Freshman: Hannah Todd & Chloe Truex. Sophomore: Megan Bright, Caroline Collins, & Cydney Rich. Junior: Aladriel Arnold, Allison Fair, Maddie Sutton, & Carolyne Stone. Senior: Claudia Ledezma, Hannah Lickey, Jessica Palomo, Emily Rittenhouse, & Baylee Young.
The 2017 Homecoming Queen was awarded to Senior JESSICA PALOMO! The first runner up was awarded to Senior Claudia Ledezma & the second runner up was awarded to Senior Baylee Young. Congratulations ladies!!
The Spartans put up one final touchdown in the 4th quarter, ending the game at 47-7 with the Panthers first loss of the season.
The Panthers look forward to facing East Hall in Gainesville, GA for their second conference game of the season on September 29, 2017 at 7:30PM. The Panthers are now 4-1 overall for the season and 0-1 for Region! We need your support Panther fans!
Also, support the Panthers JV team this Thursday, September 28, 2017 as they face the Dawson County Tigers at home at 5:30PM! The JV Panthers are 2-0 currently!
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 112 yards PASSING – 46 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #24 C. Buzzard 20-27; #8 C. Wright 4-15; #17 P. Allison 2-13; #15 C. Dockery 3-5 Total: 46 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #17 P. Allison 14/20, 112; #8 C. Wright 0-3 Total: 112 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #20 C. Rich 5-29; #4 K. Hemphill 3-24; #84 K. Morlock 2-20 (1 TD); #2 C. Schafer 2-14; #21 S. Drake 1-14; #22 A. Pattee 1-11
TACKLES — Panthers: #2 C. Schafer 5; #11 R. Banton 4; #17 P. Allison 3; #34 B. Nelson 3; #14 R. Barrett 2; #53 M. Beise 2; #74 N. Ledford 2; #7 A. Scott 2, etc.
Panthers ‘Trump’ the Wildcats 42-14!
UCHS Football September 11, 2017
Union County Panthers vs Andrews Wildcats
Varsity Football
September 8, 2017
Location: Blairsville, GA
“Make America Great Again, Trump the Wildcats”
It wasn’t just another Friday night for the Panthers – Union County honored its first responders (Firefighters, EMTs, Police Officers, etc) and Deputy/Former Security Guard for UCHS Mitchell Henderson flew in the game ball on a helicopter. The crowd was in awe as the pilot landed the helicopter in the playground just above the field and watched him make his way down to the 50-yd line. This was very special for the hometown of Blairsville; Mitchell was flown out last year when he was involved in a life threatening car crash. His miraculous recovery had nearly everyone at a loss for words and some in tears.
Another interesting touch to the evening; the Panthers Pit Crew (a.k.a. the student section), made an executive decision to honor the first responders & Cole Wright’s offer to West Point by dressing in their ‘Merica gear.’ The banner below says “They Hate U.S. Cuz They Ain’t U.S.”
Upon receiving the ball, the game began and took an unusual twist in the first quarter. Instead of the Panthers norm of exploding and scoring immediately, they threw an interception for their first possession. The 1A SMC Wildcats advanced from the 20-yd line to the end zone for the first touchdown of the night. Womp, womp.
#84 Kyle Morlock
That lit a fuse within the Panthers players. With an impressive left field shift, #8 Cole Wright found #84 Kyle Morlock for a 20-yd spiral into a closing window, leveling the playing field back to 7-7.
With defenses working aggressively against each other, the Panthers offense fought hard and scored one touchdown in the second quarter. Several first-and-tens upfield brought the Panthers to scoring position as #15 Cole Dockery fought his way through for a 1-yd rush, improving the score to 14-7!
#8 Wright pawing his way through the Wildcats for a TD
Then the lights came on for the Panthers in the third quarter – literally. Until this point, the stadium had been darker than usual due to a section of lights being out on the left-hand side of the field.
Assuming Coach Brian Allison and the other coaches said some very encouraging words to the guys in the locker room during halftime, the boys came back out and dominated the Wildcats like they have every team they’ve played so far this season!
Being chased by his shadow, #21 Sawyer Drake
The Panthers pawed their way down the field and scored 4 more touchdowns in the second half of the game!
TD#3: an impressive 43-yd run by QB #8 Cole Wright up the left-hand side through a pack of Cats!
TD#4: a wide open 43-yd run up the right-hand side by Senior #15 Cole Dockery!
TD#5: a beautiful 71-yd spiral straight down the mid-field line to Sophomore #21 Sawyer Drake!
TD#6: a poetic 24-yd run by QB #8 Cole Wright! Wright tried the right-hand side but quickly saw defense closing in, switched back and took it up the left-hand side for a TD!
42-7 PANTHERS!
To reduce the Wildcats suffering, the Panthers allowed them one last 9-yd pass for a touchdown ending the game at 42-14.
Allison ended the game by telling his players, “Thankful for the win but we needed a game like this to prepare us for the rest of our season.”
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 264 yards PASSING – 188 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 7-125 (2 TD); #15 C. Dockery 9-100 (2 TD); #24 C. Buzzard 6-45 Total: 264 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 9/16, 188 Total: 188 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #21 S. Drake 2-77 (1 TD); #18 L. Dyer 1-32; #4 K. Hemphill 2-31 (1 TD); #4 K. Hemphill 3-26; #84 K. Morlock 1-20 (1 TD); #20 C. Rich 1-13; #22 A. Pattee 1-11.
With another win under their belt, the Panthers look forward to hosting Banks County for another non-conference game on September 15, 2017 at 7:30PM. The Panthers are now 3-0 for the season!
Also, support the Panthers JV team this Thursday, September 14, 2017 as they face the White County Warriors on the road at 5:30PM! The JV Panthers opened up their season last week with a victory over the Fannin County Rebels, making their record 1-0!
(Pictures by: Jenni Dixon)
Union County Panthers Now 4-3 After Loss by Dawson County
UCHS Football October 9, 2017
Union County Panthers vs Dawson County Tigers
Varsity Football
October 6, 2017
Location: Blairsville, GA
Back in ‘the Mike’ Friday evening, the Panthers were excited about one of the biggest games of the season! Not only was it a night to celebrate all of the Union County Hall of Famers, it was also a night to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness! With the Tigers being another region game, it was not to be taken lightly. With trash talking subsided, the Panthers and the Tigers took the field as the clock struck 7:30PM.
The UC captains were announced: #4 Kanon Hemphill, #8 Cole Wright, #11 RJ Banton and #52 Buddy Viera. Union lost the coin toss but received the ball at kickoff. As the Tigers lined up in an odd setup and fell inline to kick the ball, the Panthers returned it for two first-and-tens.
After one Tigers possession later, the Panthers received the ball again off a rugby style punt. #15 Cole Dockery found himself at the right place at the right time for an interception! He advanced the ball to the 12-yd line and then to the 3-yd line on a rush. Next play the Panthers score! With a swift fake rush to the left hand side, QB #8 Cole Wright found #21 Sawyer Drake wide open in the endzone for the first touchdown of the game! 7-0 Panthers with 3:06 left in the first quarter!
The Tigers battled back; with a 25-yd rush up the left side to end the first quarter. The Tigers attempt to score twice from the 4-yd line but then give up and decide to kick a field goal after being pushed back. 7-3 Panthers with 10:55 left in the second quarter.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Tigers were exceptionally good at passing the ball and at defense. They were able to score 7 additional touchdowns, making the score 52-7.
With pure determination, Panthers #8 Wright throws a 30-yd pass upfield to gain yardage. The next play they find themselves on the 7-yd line with a 1st-and-ten. #8 Wright finds #4 Kanon Hemphill just in time as he dives through the air in the back of the endzone to increase the score by 7. 52-14 Tigers with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter.
The final touchdown of the game was also made by the Panthers! Sophomore QB #17 Pierson Allison finds #21 Sawyer Drake open on the left hand side and Drake sprints upfield for a 48-yd touchdown!!
Final Score: 52 – 21 Tigers.
Up next, the Panthers face North Hall on the road. North Hall is currently ranked #3 in the 7-AAA Region! The Panthers are now 4-3 overall for the season and 0-3 for Region. We need your support Panther fans!
Also, support the Panthers JV team this Thursday, October 12, 2017 as they face Lumpkin County at home at 5:30PM! The JV Panthers are 3-1 currently!
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 74 yards PASSING – 184 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 10-69; #24 C. Buzzard 13-13; #2 C. Schafer 1-7 Total: 74 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 13-29; 134; #17 P. Allison 1-1; 50 Total: 184 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #21 S. Drake 6-91 (2 TDs); #2 C. Schafer 1-43; #4 K. Hemphill 3-23 (1 TD); #22 A. Pattee 2-22; #18 L. Dyer 1-5; #24 C. Buzzard 1–
TeamFYNSports Writer Player of the Week: Pierson Allison
Player of the Week, TeamFYNSports September 25, 2017
This week’s #TeamFYNSports Sports Writer Player Of The Week is QB #17 Pierson Allison.
The Sophomore stepped in and did an exceptional job of filling the large shoes of the Panthers Senior QB Cole Wright on Friday, September 22, against the GAC Spartans. Allison, son of Head Coach Brian Allison, rushed for 13 yds off 2 attempts and threw 112 yds off 14 passes. You can catch Mr. Allison and the rest of the Panthers on the road on September 29th, when they take on East Hall in Gainesville, GA at 7:30PM!
Panthers ‘Light Up’ Banks County 38-6!
TeamFYNSports, UCHS Football September 19, 2017
Union County Panthers vs Banks County Leopards
Varsity Football
September 15, 2017
Location: Blairsville, GA
Friday night was a very ‘colorful’ night for the Panthers, to say the least! Some fans entered the stadium in bright neon colors and others in their own football jerseys/cheer outfits. It was a Neon Night for the UCHS Student Section and also a night to recognize the Union County Recreation Department football players and cheerleaders.
With the game proceedings beginning, the roar of the crowd became silent when the National Anthem was played and the captains were listed off over the intercom. The UC captains for the game were: #8 Cole Wright, #11 RJ Banton, #76 Clay Carroll, and #34 Bryan Nelson. Banks County won the coin toss and chose to receive the ball first. 
The Panthers, determined to continue to keep their undefeated streak for the season, showed their enthusiasm and scored first off a 1-yd pass from #8 Cole Wright to #22 Austin Pattee. The kick from #36 Brian Smith was good making it 7-0 Panthers with 5:31 left in the first.
Realizing the talent they were up against, the Leopards put it into gear and worked their way down field. On their third attempt at the 2-yd line, the Leopards put up 6 against the Panthers on a rush. The kick was absolutely NO good due to a remarkable diving block by Panthers #2 Chayton Schafer!! 
This would be the only time the Leopards scored against the Panthers for the duration of the game.
With something to prove, Panthers Junior #2 Chayton Schafer decided to show off his wheels and take a kickoff return up field. Literally … up the field. Remarkably, he zig-zagged his way up the right side and nearly to the endzone before he was tripped up by a Leopard player. He fumbled the ball BUT a fellow Panther fell on the ball in the endzone, scoring yet another touchdown! 14-6 Panthers with 1:09 left in the first.
With the Panthers ‘ready to eat,’ they wasted no energy showing mercy to the Leopards. In the second quarter the Panthers scored an additional three more touchdowns! Two of which were made by Senior Quarterback #8 Cole Wright! Wright, remaining completely untouched and headed in the right direction (pun intended), scored his first touchdown of the night off a 39-yd run. 21-6 Panthers with 10:02 remaining in the second!
With an amazing interception by #17 Pierson Allison the Panthers get the ball on the 8-yd line.
#22 Pattee with a complete short pass, made it 3rd down with 3 to go for the Panthers. With incredible feel for the ball, #8 Wright, spotted an opening on the left-hand side and dove through some Leopards into the endzone to increase the score to 28-6 with 3:06 left in the second!
Moving quickly through the end of the first half, Panthers #8 Wright manages to advance upfield after a 17-yd cutback. Panthers kicker #36 Brian Smith places a ball high and through the posts for a 26-yd field goal. 31-6 Panthers to end the half!
#21 Sawyer Drake broke free from his defender and was hit with a beautiful 5-yd spiral in the end zone for the final touchdown of the game with 6:32 left in the fourth. FINAL: 38-6 Panthers!
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – 267 yards PASSING – 163 yards
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 12-162 (2 TD); #24 C. Buzzard 12-61; #15 C. Dockery 9-28; #14 R. Barrett 1-10; #17 P. Allison 1-6 Total: 267 Rushing Yards
PASSING — Panthers: #8 C. Wright 13/23, 163 (2 TD) Total: 163 Passing Yards
RECEIVING — Panthers: #18 L. Dyer 3-48; #22 A. Pattee 6-40 (1 TD); #4 K. Hemphill 1-40; #2 C. Schafer 1-15; #84 K. Morlock 1-15; #21 S. Drake 1-5 (1 TD)
TACKLES — Panthers: #11 R. Banton 6; #32 J. Colwell 5; #12 S. Dobbins 5; #34 B. Nelson 4; #53 M. Beise 3; #2 C. Schafer 2; etc.
With another win under their belt, the Panthers look forward to hosting Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC) for their first conference game of the season on September 22, 2017 at 7:30PM. The Panthers are now 4-0 for the season! Please note that this Friday will also be Homecoming!
Also, support the Panthers JV team this Thursday, September 21, 2017 as they face the White County Warriors on the road at 5:30PM! The JV Panthers are 1-0 currently!