The BLITZ Game of the Week is our first top-10 matchup between #3 Rabun and #10 Elbert from Tiger!

RABUN COUNTY

The Wildcats feature one of the top QBs in the country in the class of 2022 in Gunner Stockton, but it’s also the offensive line, led by Shawn Lovell, who makes this offense hard to stop. The 42.5 points per game puts the Cats as the third best in Class 2A, and dudes like Austin Jones (Furman commit) and Braxton Hicks (fielding many D-I offers) as well as Brison Beck are the main culprits. The defense also is pretty good, although numbers don’t show that as often times opponents score late against Rabun after the starters are out of the game.

ELBERT COUNTY

Elbert just two weeks ago was looking like a front-runner in 8-AA. It still is, but the Blue Devils’ last second loss at Union County now puts them in a unique situation. Even with playmakers Shun Allen and Metrius Fleming, if Elbert loses to Rabun, it falls to the third seed and will be forced to play on the road in the state playoffs. A win makes things even more complicated atop 8-AA.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping WEEK 8. BLITZ will also share highlights with Fox 5’s HIGH 5 Sports, so the highlights will play on Channel 5 at 11 PM. You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates.

OUR PREDICTION

We’ve seen this movie before (2016, #3 Rabun beat #9 Elbert 42-10). Each season for the last four years, there’s been one or two teams vie for the 8-AA title against Rabun County. Each time, Rabun wins it all. That’s not to say this is a lock, because Rabun hasn’t seen a runner like Shun Allen yet, no disrespect to any other backs that faced the Cats, such as Banks County’s Terrence Walker. But Allen is the real deal, and the offense is fairly balanced, much like Rabun’s. However, Rabun’s defense is superior and quite frankly, there are more weapons on its offensive side, too. This always makes for a fun matchup, but we see this one ending much like the 2016 version (BLITZ WAS THERE) in Elberton where the Blue Devils hang in there for a half, maybe longer, but Rabun pulls away. FINAL VERDICT: Rabun Wins

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 pm kickoff
PLACE: Frank Snyder Memorial Stadium / Rabun County High School / Tiger, GA
LAST MEETING: 2017; Rabun County 35, Elbert County 7
ALL-TIME RECORD: Rabun 2, Elbert 0
RECORDS: Rabun Co Wildcats (5-1; 3-0 in 8-AA); Elbert Co Blue Devils (4-2; 2-1 in 8-AA)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

This meeting is still brand new. Shockingly, until the 2016 Premiere of this “rivalry,” Rabun and Elbert had NEVER previously met. But now in all three meetings, there’s been more than bragging rights on the line, as each time it’s meant one team gets the inside track for a region title with a win. Both times to date, it’s been all Rabun. Elbert hangs tough, but the Cats won 42-10 in a top-10 matchup at the Granite Bowl in 2016, and last season at home 35-7. This time, again in Rabun, the Wildcats will look to win the top-10 matchup once again. The total score in two meetings is 77-17 in favor of Rabun.

TEAM LEADERS (2018 STATS as available / Projected Leaders)

RABUN COUNTY

PASSING
Gunner Stockton: 91/141 (65%), 1,264 yds, 13 TD, 2 INT

RUSHING
Brison Beck: 591 yds, 7 TD (6.9 YPC)
Gunner Stockton: 376 yds, 9 TD (7.7 YPC)
Brody Jarrard: 173 yds, 2 TD (7.5 YPC)

RECEIVING
Austin Jones: 24 rec, 469 yds, 5 TD
Braxton Hicks: 18 rec, 270 yds, 4 TD
Sam Adams: 13 rec, 160 yds, 2 TD
Dawson Lathan: 14 rec, 144 yds, 2 TD
Brison Beck: 11 rec, 100 yds

TACKLES
Jackson Webb: 39 tackles, 12 TFL
Austin Jones: 39 tackles, 5 TFL
Trent Miller: 38 tackles, 2 TFL
Mason Sprinkle: 36 tackles
AJ Wheeler: 33 tackles, 4.5 TFL

SACKS
Jackson Webb, 7
Peyton Roberson, 5
Austin Sosebee, 3
Zach Ferguson, 2
Brody Jarrard & Andrew Lovell, 1 each

INTERCEPTIONS
Dawson Lathan, 3
Hunter Dills, 2
Austin Jones, 1
Braxton Hicks, 1
AJ Wheeler, 1
Hogan Woodard, 1

FUMBLES
Hogan Woodard, 2 Forced
AJ Wheeler, 2 Recovered
5 Others, 1 Forced
3 Others, 1 Recovered

ELBERT COUNTY (No Stats Available)

RUSHING
Shun Allen – 888 yds

RECEIVING
Metrius Fleming – 576 yds