In a week that saw Rabun County soccer have a ton of success, three local players were named BLITZ Players of the Week. Rabun’s Lauren Barnes and Imanol “Tito” Diaz, as well as Dawson County baseball standout Hudson Sapp are all recognized for their outstanding efforts over the past few games.

The Lady Wildcats soccer team (2-3) went a perfect 2-0 to start region play last week. This puts the girls in a great spot for state. Same can be said for the Wildcats, who are 3-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 8-AA. On the diamond, meanwhile, Sapp and the Tigers are looking to get back on track after a pair of losses to a tough GAC team.

LAUREN BARNES

Freshman CM #13

Barnes was electric in the last two games, in which Rabun outscored Social Circle and Banks County 10-1. Barnes was a large part of that success, scoring 5 goals and notching 3 assists. This included a hat trick in the 5-1 win over Banks County.

IMANOL “TITO” DIAZ

Junior F #10

Forward Imanol Diaz also beat Social Circle and Banks, winning 2-1 in the former and 5-0 in the latter. The junior Diaz has scored 7 goals and notched 2 assists over the past three games, going back to a 3-2 loss to Fannin County.

HUDSON SAPP

Sophomore CF/P #2

Sapp is dangerous. The lefty is an Ole Miss commit since his freshman year. He’s playing like it. Over the past three games, Sapp has been an OBP machine. He went 5-for-8 at the plate (.625 avg) with 5 walks. He swiped a pair of bases and scored three times. For the season, he’s hitting .385 with a .628 on-base clip. He’s totaled 12 RBI, 15 walks, 12 SB and 10 runs scored.