A rivalry that has not been officially renewed for 23 years is set to be re-kindled Friday, October 23, as the Fannin County Rebels and Copper Basin Cougars plan to meet during the regular season and play four quarters of smash mouth, hard hitting football. Copper Basin holds the all time series record, with that total being 10-8.
Copper Basin has started their season 4-0 going 1-0 in region play, while Fannin County, only playing in one game, beat a tough Union County squad to start out undefeated at 1-0.
Copper Basin’s veteran quarterback Bryson Grabowski is having a great season, gaining 773 yards through the air and eight touchdowns through four games. He has also rushed for 391 yards and four touchdowns.
Copper Basin also has a 12-man senior squad, which gives the Cougars valuable experience and leadership. Senior wide-outs Timothy Jabaley and Dawson Worthy have accounted for 516 yards and seven touchdowns through four games. Sebastian Balilies has also had a good year, and is a hard runner who beats opponents down late in the game. He has 680 yards so far this season, along with four rushing touchdowns.
On defense the Cougars have Joe Boggs leading the way, as the linebacker has 31 solo tackles and six tackles for loss this season. Senior Timothy Fair is right behind him with 28 solo tackles and three tackles for loss.
The cupboards are not bare at Fannin County either, as senior quarterback Luke Holloway led the Rebels to a huge win over the Union County Panthers in their first game of the season. Holloway threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. He also rushed for 84 yards and one touchdown.
The Rebels have high powered weapons at wide receiver as senior duo Cohutta Hyde and Andre Bivens combined for 148 yards and two touchdowns in Fannin County’s first game. Senior Jalen Ingram had 63 yards receiving in the game, with Jake Sands having 30 yards and Caleb Postell having 26.
Speedy running back Postell carried the ball 16 times in the Union County game for an impressive 89 yards as well.
Junior Cason Owensby led the Rebels defense with seven solo tackles, while seniors Micah O’Neal and Dalton Ross were a close second with six solo tackles each.
A big positive for the Rebels is depth. Fannin County has been building depth for some time now, and that may prove to be key in the matchup against a 39-person Cougar squad that includes seven eighth graders.
The Cougars will have home field advantage in a game that is sure to pack the stands.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.