Wildcats surge past Dodge County with 42 unanswered to reach Sweet 16! [VIDEO]

Rabun County used a second half surge, putting up 42 straight points spanning from the second through fourth, as the Wildcats (9-2) throttled Dodge County (7-4) 56-21. The win pushes Rabun back into the second round for the first time in two years, after winning their first home playoff game since 2022.

A tight game early on began to unravel for the Indians, who had two turnover on downs and three other turnovers on the night. 

The Wildcats got on the board quickly, as Ty Truelove orchestrated a drive that was capped with a 1-yd TD by Lake Evans. Dodge County countered with a scoring drive, as Kain Mincey hooked up with Jauriel Bray on a 9-yd strike to knot the game up. 

Just before the end of the first, the Wildcats forced a turnover on downs, and Truelove immediately connected with Reed LaFevers for a 70-yd TD that put Rabun back in front. It didn’t last long at all, as Mincey and Bray led off the second quarter with a 52-yd game-tying score. 

Rabun got a big swing in momentum, and the defense created it. JK Fruster blocked a punt and took it himself into the end zone, pushing the Cats back on top at 21-14. Dane Tyler then recovered a fumble moments later. Truelove used a big pass play to Reid Giles to get inside the 10. Giles then punched it in a few plays later, giving the home team a 28-14 advantage. That held to the break. 

In the third, Dodge tried a fourth down trick play inside their own 20, and Fruster stopped it to give Rabun a golden opportunity. Giles scampered in a few plays later to pad the lead at 35-14. 

It was all Rabun from there. Evans notched a 4-yd TD run before the fourth. Then in the final stanza, Truelove and LaFevers linked up again for a 40-yd score, then Evans pounded in his third TD of the night with a 23-yd scamper. 

Dodge converted a score in the final moments, right around when Rabun found out a massive upset means they get to host again next week. 

Evans had three touchdown runs, while Truelove had a pair of TD passes (both to Lafevers), and Giles had a couple TDs.