We have all heard when you go to a new school or a new neighborhood, you find the biggest, toughest bully on the block and go see how you stack up. Well, the Fannin County Rebels did that last Friday, when they traveled to play Region 7-AA bully Pepperell in a huge matchup for both teams. When all the talking was done and the dust had settled, Fannin County went in and beat up the bull of the region woods, and let everybody know that they can play football. Led by a talented and tough senior class, the Rebels loaded back up on the buses with a huge 36-23 win to grab the driver’s seat in the region. With the win, the Rebels are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Region 7-AA play. In his third year as Fannin’s head coach, Chad Cheatham and his staff have built a culture that relies on faith, family, as well as hard work and toughness, and it has started to show up in a big way in 2020.
Fannin drew first blood, as junior Seth Reece plowed in from short yardage with 8:28 to go in the first quarter, to give Fannin a quick 7-0 lead, after Jack Kantnet’s extra point was good.
Reece has made a ton of plays for the Rebels this season, and is happy with the way his team is playing, although there is still much work to do, saying, “I felt like the team did what we had to do to come out on top, we played harder and were more physical. Getting Pepperell behind us feels good and is a big relief, but we aren’t finished and still have to stay focused and keep winning football games.”
It didn’t take the Dragons long to answer as they returned the ensuing kickoff all the way for a touchdown to cut the lead to 7-6. They opted to go for a two-point conversion and made it, to take the lead 8-7 with 8:09 to go in the opening quarter.
The Rebels, however, came right back with an answer of their own. Two seniors put Fannin back in the lead, as quarterback Luke Holloway hit the uber-fast Cohutta Hyde right in stride behind the Dragon secondary for a 47-yard touchdown with 6:10 to go in the first quarter. Holloway then found senior Jalen Ingram for the two-point conversion that gave the Rebels a 15-8 lead. Hyde, a lightning-fast senior wideout, has been making a habit of burning secondaries the last few years, and is proud of his team and is ready to do what it takes to finish the season the right way. “Beating a team that is as talented as Pepperell always jacks your confidence up and makes those next two or three days great, but that is in the past and we have to continue to get better every day individually and as a team,” Hyde said. “We want to finish this season even stronger than we started but we have to take it one week at a time.”
The Fannin defense stepped up and made a huge play on fourth down, stopping Pepperell and giving the ball back to the offense.
Fannin drove down the field, but a Dragon interception in their end zone stopped the drive, and ended the first quarter with the Rebels in the lead.
Pepperell’s next drive ended, but a great punt pinned the Rebels on their own 1-yard line. The defenses took over the football game for the rest of the first half until Pepperell’s talented tailback, DJ Rogers, exploded for an 81-yard-touchdown run with 1:40 left in the half, and after the extra point, the game was tied at 15.
The first half ended with the game all knotted up at 15 a piece, with another half to go to possibly decide the frontrunner for the region title.
The Rebels got a huge play early in the third quarter, as they jarred the ball loose and recovered it to set up the offense in great field position. With four minutes gone in the third quarter, Holloway bulled his way into the end zone, and after another Kantnet extra point, Fannin took a 22-15 lead. Fannin’s defense, led by senior linebacker Micah O’Neal, settled in and made play after play, keeping the Dragons out of the end zone. O’Neal, who is one of the leaders for the Rebels, was happy with the win and how his team performed under the pressure of such a huge football game. He said, “(It was) just a great team win. Our coaches always have a good game plan and we just all have to do our job. I feel like we are playing fast and physical on defense and our offense is hard to keep off the board with all the weapons we have. I feel like we won both lines of scrimmage.”
The offenses had some tough sledding for most of the second half, until Fannin capped off a drive with 4:50 left in the ballgame.
Holloway found the end zone again for his second touchdown run of the night, and after Kantnet’s extra point, the Fannin lead was up to 29-15.
Pepperell fought back though, answering the Rebel touchdown with one of their own, from Rogers again, to make the score 29-21 with three minutes left in the game. Pepperell elected to go for the two-point conversion again, and it was good, cutting the Rebel lead to 29-23.
Teams that win or want to win championships always find a way to finish out ballgames, and Fannin did just that.
With just under two minutes left in the game, Holloway made a huge play as he sprinted down the sideline for a 64-yard touchdown that clinched the ballgame and finished off the Dragons.
It was Holloway’s third rushing touchdown of the night, along with a passing touchdown, and it ended any chances Pepperell had of coming back.
After another Kantnet extra point, who was a perfect 4-4 on the night, Fannin County had a commanding 36-23 lead.
The Dragons couldn’t score again, and the Rebels left with a huge 36-23 win on the road, and showed that, at least for now, they are the new bullies on the block.
Holloway had a massive night on offense for Fannin, rushing for 232 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns.
He also threw for 113 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback was proud of the way his team competed and played hard for the entire football game, but also realizes there are still huge things out there to be done in 2020, saying, “I feel great about the season so far, but we still have a long way to go. We have to continue to stay focused and come to work everyday. Being 5-0 is great and all, but we have to finish the second half of the regular season just the way we started it!”
Head Coach Chad Cheatham also expressed his pride surrounding his team, and how they handle their business every day and work hard to get the results they want. “I am extremely proud of this football team! Every week, every Friday we overcome adversity!
“We practice and prepare through adversity! That is what makes this team so special! They have to earn it every single day! They ignore all the buzz and all the hits that come their way, and they put their nose down and go to work! It is very Blue Collar. Punch the clock and Friday it is pay day. We have to stay the course! Quiet the noise and keep the main thing the main thing! Punch the clock everyday!”
Fannin’s offense was led by Holloway’s 345 total yards, but several players helped him achieve that, including a great effort by the offensive line, led by senior Mason Bundy, senior Brayden Foster, senior Chris Scott, junior Ricardo Arellanes, and junior Dylan Collins.
Hyde had two rushes for 14 yards to go along with his 47-yard-touchdown reception, and Caleb Postell, a senior, had 12 carries for 57 yards. S
enior wideout Andre BIvens had two catches for 14 yards, and the big tight end Ingram had four catches for 18 yards and also caught the two-point conversion.
The Rebel defense had a ton of people who contributed, led by O’Neal, and senior Dalton Ross, who each had six tackles and a sack. Ingram, junior Cason Owensby, and sophomore Carson Collis had four tackles a piece, with Owensby adding a huge fumble recovery. Arellanes, Hyde, and sophomore nose tackle Logan Long had three stops each for the Rebels.
Long also had a sack and forced a fumble. Senior McCay Turner had two tackles, while Bundy, Scott, Bivens, senior Jake Sands, and sophomore Andrew Waldrep each had one a piece.
Fannin’s game against the Copper Basin Cougars set for October 23 has been canceled.