Fannin County Rebels Head Football Coach Chad Cheatham does not believe in luck or coincidence. He makes that clear when he talks of the 2024 football season that made history.
He looked back on that season at the annual football banquet Monday, February 10, and again at the county board of education meeting the following Thursday.
“Winning football games is great. Winning in life is the goal,” he echoed to audiences at both events.
With that he went over the details of the history-making Rebels.
He told how seven is the perfect number. Cheatham has been with the Rebels seven years and has recorded playoff appearances.
The Rebels recently completed a 10 and 0 perfect season, won a Region Championship, and recorded Cheatham’s 52nd win. When the dust cleared on the 12-1 quarterfinal run, the Rebels had played a total of 52 quarters. Last month, Cheatham celebrated his 52nd birthday.
Fifty members of the Rebels football team were on the All Academic Team this Year. Twenty six of those players were 4.0, which is 52%.
The final season stats for the history making 2024 team were:
PASSING
Lawson Sullivan: 113-193, 2134 yards, 17 touchdowns, 5 interceptions; Elijah Weaver: 2-4, 76 yards, 1 touchdown; Nate O’Neal: 1-4, 4 yards; for a total of 16-201, 2214 yards, 18 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 170.3 yards per game:
RUSHING
Carson Callihan: 221 rushes, 1808 yards, 23 touchdowns; Lawson Sullivan: 108 rushes, 1702 yards, 26 touchdowns; Bryson Cole: 33 rushes, 191 yards, 1 touchdown; Braden Taylor: 10 rushes, 108 yards; Reid Holloway: 4 rushes, 38 yards, 1 touchdown; Ryan Preston: 9 rushes, 19 yards; Elijah Weaver: 2 Rushes, 16 yards, 1 touchdown; Judah Wood: 3 rushes, 13 yards; Braxton Cheatham: 2 rushes, 4 yards; Nate O’Neal: 1 rush, 0 yards; for a total of 393 rushes, 3899 yards, 52 touchdowns 299.9 yards/game:
RECEIVING
Braden Taylor: 27 receptions, 663 yards, 7 touchdowns; Elijah Weaver: 28 receptions, 642 yards, 7 touchdowns; Carson Callihan: 19 receptions, 339 yards, 1 touchdown; Tucker Dockery: 10 receptions, 211 yards, 1 touchdown; Cannon Holloway: 10 receptions, 132 yards, 1 touchdown; Judah Wood: 13 receptions, 111 yards; Reid Holloway: 8 Receptions, 91 yards; Noah Burnett: 1 Reception, 25 yards, 1 touchdown; TOTAL: 116 receptions, 2214 yards, 18 touchdown:
OFFENSIVE LINE
Isaac Watkins: 19 Pancakes; Jacob Dye: 16 Pancakes; Baylor Twiggs: 12 Pancakes; Jacob Green: 10 Pancakes; Case Holloway: 9 Pancakes; for a total of 66 Pancakes:
SEASON TOTALS
Rushing: 393 rushes, 3899 yards, 52 touchdowns;
Passing/Receiving: 116-201, 2214 yards, 18 touchdowns, 5 interceptions: TOTALS: 594 plays, 6113 yards, 70 touchdowns, 470.2 yards/game | 10.3 yards/play; 513 Points Scored, 39.5 points/game:
DEFENSE
233 Yards/Game, 14.2 Points Allowed:
TOTAL TACKLES
Cooper Born - 142, CJ Reece - 131, Luke Holsonback - 124, Brayden Taylor - 109, Braxton Cheatham - 86, Scotty Waldrip - 76, Noah Burnett - 54, Cooper Hilliard - 49:
TACKLES FOR LOSS
Luke Holsonback - 14.0, CJ Reece - 14.0, Braden Taylor - 13.0, Scotty Waldrip - 12.0, Cooper Born - 10.0, Cooper Hilliard - 8.0, Noah Burnett - 7.0:
SACKS
Scotty Waldrip - 3.0, Noah Burnett - 3.0, Luke Holsonback - 2.0:
QB PRESSURES
Scotty Waldrip - 18, Luke Holsonback - 15, CJ Reece - 13, Noah Burnett - 12, and, Case Holloway - 11:
INTERCEPTIONS
Tucker Dockery - 3 Braxton Cheatham - 3, Braden Taylor - 2, Cooper Born - 2,
Conrad Head - 1, Lawson Sullivan - 1, Cannon Holloway - 1, Braden Walker - 1;
PASSES DEFENDED
Braden Taylor - 9, Conrad Head - 8, Braxton Cheatham - 5, Noah Burnett - 5, Tucker Dockery - 4, Cooper Born - 2, and, Luke Holsonback - 2.