The Fannin County Rebels football team traveled to Blairsville Friday, September 4, to kick off the 2020 football season against the Union County Panthers.
Fannin went into the game as a 12-point underdog, and a win for the Rebels would mean the first victory against Union County since 2013.
The Rebels and Panthers battled for four quarters, but Fannin County was able to rally after a Cason Owensby interception and win the game 24-20.
The win snapped Union County’s record of 16 consecutive season-opening victories, which was the state’s longest active streak.
Union County won the toss to start the game and deferred to the Rebels. Campbell Constentino caught the kickoff and gave the Rebels’ offense the ball at their own 23-yard line.
Fannin County began chewing clock right away as quarterback Luke Holloway kept the ball for a two-yard gain. On second down and eight, Holloway found Jake Sands for a 25-yard pass to give Fannin a fresh set of downs at their own 45-yard line.
Holloway kept the ball for a four yard run to the Rebels’ 49-yard line, followed by a five yard gallop by Caleb Postell to make it third and one at Union’s 46-yard line. Holloway kept the ball for two yards to give the Rebels a fresh set of downs.
After a blown up play, Holloway found Jalen Ingram on a 13-yard pass to set the Rebels up first and 10 at the Panthers’ 26-yard line.
Holloway squeezed out a yard on a run, followed by Postell, who muscled his way to Union’s 14-yard line. After a one yard rush, Holloway found speedy wide out Cohutta Hyde on a slant for a 13-yard touchdown strike to give the Rebels six points. After the Jack Catner field goal, the Rebels led 7-0 with 6:07 to go in the first.
The Panthers returned the Rebels’ kick to their own 33-yard line. Micah O’Neal, Owensby and Dalton Ross came up big for the Rebels’ defense and forced a three-and-out.
Fannin’s offense set up shop at their own 11-yard line on the Panther’s punt.
Holloway found nine yards on a keeper before an incomplete pass, a run for no gain, and a penalty pushed the Rebels back to the 11-yard line.
Holloway hit Ingram on an eight yard pass to set up third and two at the 19-yard line, but the Rebels fumbled the ball on third down and Union County recovered it for a touchdown. The Panthers’ extra point set the 7-7 tie with 2:37 to go in the first quarter.
The Rebels started their offensive series at their own 23-yard line as Hyde, Postell and Holloway ran the ball to Fannin’s 45-yard line. Jake Sands hauled in a Holloway pass for 10 yards, the Rebels were in Union territory at the 45-yard line. After a penalty, Holloway loaded up and delivered a bomb to Hyde down the right sideline. Hyde hauled in a 48-yard catch to put the ball at the two-yard line as the first quarter ended.
Holloway found pay dirt on the first play of the second quarter as he dove in on a quarterback keeper. Fannin led 14-7 after Catner’s extra point with 11:55 to go in the second quarter.
Union County rallied, marching down the field and scoring on a one-yard run. The extra point tied the game at 14-14.
The Rebels took the Panther kickoff to their own 20-yard line. Postell broke off a 18-yard dash to give the Rebels a first down at the 38-yard line, followed by a 10-yard quarterback keeper by Holloway for another fresh set of downs. Postell muscled a seven-yard run, followed by two pass completions to Hyde and one to Bivens to put the Rebels at the Union County’s seven yard line.
Holloway kept the ball for three yards, but a Rebel penalty put the ball back at Union’s nine-yard line for second and nine. Postell fought his way to the three yard line on a run, but an incomplete pass set up fourth and three at the three. The Rebels elected to go for a field goal, and Catner’s kick was good to put the Rebels up 17-14 with 3:48 to go in the first half.
Union County got the ball at their own 27-yard line and began to move the chains. On fourth an one at the Rebels 37-yard line, Andrew Waldrep caused the Union ball carrier to fumble, and Hyde recovered to give Fannin the ball back at their own 39-yard line.
The Rebels were unable to capitalize on the turnover before time expired in the half with Fannin holding a 17-14 lead.
The Panthers received the ball to start the third and took over at their own 30-yard line. Union County could only move three yards in three attempts thanks to the Rebel defense.
Hyde returned the punt to the Rebels’ 38-yard line. The Rebels were not able to get anything going in the possession and punted the ball back to the Panthers.
The Panthers got into field goal range, but missed, keeping the Rebels up 17-14 with 5:23 in the third.
Fannin got the ball back, but were stopped and forced to punt.
The Panthers moved down the field and scored on a one-yard quarterback keeper. After the missed extra point, Union County led 20-17 with 1:03 left in the third.
After empty possessions by both teams, the Rebels got the ball back at their own 37-yard line. Holloway broke off a 15-yard run to Union County’s 48 yard line for a first down. The Rebel quarterback then raced another 13 yards for another first down.
Postell took over, gaining 11 yards on two carries for a first down at the Panthers’ 24-yard line.
Bivens hauled in a 24-yard touchdown grab on the next play, and after the extra point, Fannin led 24-20 with 5:50 to go in the game.
Union County brought the kickoff to their own 20-yard line and began moving the chains.
Cason Owensby came up big, getting a pick on a Union County first down pass to give the Rebels the ball back at the Panthers’ 45-yard line.
After an eight-yard run from Postell and a five yard catch by Bivens, the Rebels got in victory formation to run the clock out and win the game 24-20.
Holloway finished the game with 267 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air, along with 84 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground. Postell had 89 rushing yards, while Hyde led the team with 85 receiving yards. Bivens and Ingram had 63 receiving yards each.
Coach Chad Cheatham was proud of his team saying, “I am very proud of our kids, our seniors, and just having an opportunity to play. Union was very tough, always have been and always will be, I’m just really blessed. Our kids played really hard and they deserved an opportunity to win. They got it, and they earned it.”
Cheatham also spoke on Fannin’s first win over Union since 2013, saying, “It just takes time to build a program and get everyone in the right spot. It is a process.”