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The State Round Two (Sweet 16) Game of the Week takes us to Rabun County as the Wildcats grabbed a ‘bonus’ home game they didn’t think they’d have.
RABUN COUNTY
Rabun County took the 15th seed from 1A DI, and played it up last week as their final home game for this special senior group. However, while pulling away in the third and fourth quarter, it was discovered that undefeated and top-10 ranked, #2-seeded Lamar County was beaten in shocking 7-0 fashion by Berrien, a 31-seed with a 3-7 record. It’s house money now for the Wildcats. They planned on playing in this round, but no one foresaw that coming at The Frank.
BERRIEN
The Rebels are just 4-7 overall after their shocking win at Lamar County. The thing to note about Berrien is that they reside in the same region as #1 Worth County, #5 Thomasville, and #8 Fitzgerald. That holds weight for sure. However, the defense is porous and the offense has been inconsistent. All that to say, nothing matters going into this one, and the ceiling for the Rebels is sky-high coming off that victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
RABUN COUNTY
- 9-2 (4-2 in 8-A DI)
- Region Standings: 2nd
- 40.36 OFFENSE AVG (5th in 1A DI)
- 20.09 DEFENSE AVG
- N/A State Ranking
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BERRIEN
- 4-7 (1-5 in 1-A DI)
- Region Standings: 6th
- 22.09 OFFENSE AVG
- 32.91 DEFENSE AVG
- N/A State Ranking
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Be looking for highlights post-game later tonight as well as a story recapping the contest. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Rabun County coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).
OUR PREDICTION
We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Let’s begin with the home team, the Wildcats. They played up to the billing of ‘last home game’ very well last week. After a slow start defensiely, the defense really shined the rest of the way. The offense did too, especially Lake Evans with his three TDs. The Reids were solid…Reid Giles, Reed Lafevers and Reed Burrell. And of course, QB1 Ty Truelove did his thing. If they play like that again, this game is theirs easily. Berrien cannot get complacent. The Rebels need to show up in a way they did last week, though it’ll take more offense than just seven points to win this one. OUR PICK: SEE HERE
DO WE BRING LUCK?
For Rabun County, the Wildcats have gone 55-18 overall in our 73 games covered for them going back to 2013.
DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP
TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Rabun Co HS / Frank Snyder Memorial Stadium / Tiger, GA
LAST MEETING: N/A
ALL-TIME RECORD: N/A
RECORDS: Rabun County Wildcats (9-2) vs Berrien Rebels (4-7)
HEAD COACHES: Rance Gillespie (179-93; 23 Seasons); Jackson Dean (4-7; 1 Season)
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
These teams have never played each other, so this is a great opportunity for someone to get out to a great start.
TEAM LEADERS (2025 Stats)
*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps
RABUN COUNTY
PASSING
Ty Truelove – 1,683 yds, 17 TD, 1 INT; 61% completion
RUSHING
Reid Giles – 1,117 yds, 19 TD, 8.9 YPC
Lake Evans – 764 yds, 12 TD, 6.4 YPC
Ty Truelove – 543 yds, 6 TD, 9.0 YPC
RECEIVING
Reid Giles – 627 yds, 5 TD, 50 rec
Reed Burrell – 314 yds, 3 TD, 19 rec
Reed Lafevers – 302 yds, 5 TD, 20 rec
Hayden Cannon – 138 yds, 0 TD, 8 rec
Lake Evans – 111 yds, 1 TD, 13 rec
Colter Cannon – 100 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec
Dane Tyler – 43 yds, 2 TD, 4 rec
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
JK Fruster – 61 TKL, 9 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FR, 1 BLK (TD)
Brock Brady – 58 TKL, 10 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 INT, 2 FF
Ethan Hopper – 55 TKL, 10 TFL, 2.5 Sacks, 1 INT, 2 FR, 1 FF
Reid Giles – 57 TKL, 3 TFL, 4 INT, 1 BLK
Reed Burrell – 47 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 INT
Mack Williams – 45 TKL, 5 TFL, 5 Sacks, 1 FF
Ryan Yearwood – 42 TKL, 7 TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 INT, 2 FR
TJ Hilber – 23 TKL, 9 TFL, 4 Sacks
BERRIEN
PASSING
Cash Perkins – 1,061 yds, 7 TD, 9 INT, 50% completion
RUSHING
Gene Watson – 1,210 yds, 17 TD, 5.8 YPC
Cash Perkins – 440 yds, 8 TD, 4.7 YPC
Tre McQueen – 159 yds, 2 TD, 6.1 YPC
RECEIVING
Jerrion Brown – 368 yds, 2 TD, 27 rec
Cole Stone – 291 yds, 3 TD, 32 rec
Champ Tumer – 171 yds, 1 TD, 6 rec
DEFENSIVE LEADERS (incomplete stats)
Connor Bullard – 26 TKL, 2 INT
Cole Stone – 18 TKL, 1 INT
Christian Rodriguez – 12 TKL, 1 INT
