The Fannin County Rebels enter week eight of the football season this Friday night riding atop a 7-0 overall record and 4-0 region worksheet.
Region foe Armuchee will be visiting Rebel stadium to challenge those records. The Indians are coming off a tough 19-14 loss to Coosa last Friday night. The visitors’ current record stands at 3-4.
A strong class of seniors, with a supporting group of underclassmen, has dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage as the Rebels have outscored opponents 271-55.
Carson Callihan and Lawson Sullivan have been the dominating forces on offense, balanced by a group led by Brandon Taylor and Elijah Weaver.
Callihan has covered 1,229 total yards, 974 on the ground and 255 through the air. He leads in points scored with 90, 14 on the ground and one on a Sullivan pass.
Sullivan has rushed for 881 yards, returned punts for 65 yards, and passed for 1,152 yards. He’s collected 72 points on 12 touchdowns.
Taylor has grabbed 330 yards in passes to lead the Rebels in that category and added 63 on the ground for a total yardage mark of 393.
Weaver’s pass reception skills have covered 291 yards.
Tops among underclassmen is sophomore Brandon Cole with 158 yards on the ground. Reid Holloway, a freshman, leads the younger group in receiving yards with 66.
Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Cooper Born leads the Rebels with 77 total tackles, 55 of those by himself.
C.J. Reece has recorded 72 tackles, 45 of those solo.
Not far behind is Luke Holsonback with 67 total, including 34 solo hits.
Taylor is next on the list with 52. Then come two juniors breaking into leading roles, Braxton Cheatham with 46 tackles and Scott Waldrep with 44.
The offensive line, which earns a lot of credit for the team’s offensive output, is a mix of classmen. In the pancake block department, seniors Jacob Dye and Case Holloway led with six and four respectively. A sophomore, Isaac Watkins, has recorded three, juniors Baylor Twiggs and Jacob Green have two each.
On special teams, Matthew Ponton has been true on 37 of 38 extra point attempts and added two field goals, the longest from 47 yards.
Cheatham, a junior, is the leading kickoff returner for the Rebels with 211 total yards, the longest a 95-yard marathon. He’s averaging 35.2 yards per return.