Our Week Two Game of the Week takes us to The Reservation for a big-time marquee top-5 showdown of Stephens County and Rabun County.

STEPHENS COUNTY

The Indians got off to a thrilling start with a dramatic, unlikely, come-from-behind win over rivals Habersham Central in the opener. Tripp Underwood was shaky at times, but did well with a stat line of 160 passing yds, 2 TD, 1 INT and 9 rush yds. Not bad for his first varsity start. Javin Gordon and Jasec Smith were as advertised, and the defense did what they needed to. It’s still too early to tell after an intense rivalry matchup, but Stephens County looks just as good overall as last season. It’s fair to wonder how a team responds to the emotional win last week. Some teams are a bit drained after that, while others thrive on it. We shall see…but one player who deserves a big shout out is Luke Waters. He kicked a 31-yard field goal with five seconds left in that win, and also converted an onside kick.

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RABUN COUNTY

The Wildcats are fresh off a blistering win over Haralson County in which the offense just had its way all night. Willie Goodwyn made some ridiculous plays, and Ty Truelove in his first varsity start shined with 5 total TDs and nearly 250 total yards. Reid Giles was a big breakout player that emerged as a real threat. This team, dare we say it, looks better than it did a year ago at this point because of Truelove’s ability to run. That stretches out the field, while also making the Wildcats’ offense go no huddle far more like it has most of the last decade.

BY THE NUMBERS (2023)

STEPHENS COUNTY

• 1-0 (0-0 in 8-AAA)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 31.0 OFFENSE AVG
• 29.0 DEFENSE AVG
• #5 State Ranking

RABUN COUNTY

• 1-0 (0-0 in 8-A DI)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 45.0 OFFENSE AVG
• 21.0 DEFENSE AVG
• #2 State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Two. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Stephens and Rabun coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).

OUR PREDICTION

We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. For Stephens County to come away with it, the Indians will need to limit the mobility of QB Ty Truelove, and they’ll need to force a turnover or two. Offensively, doing what they have been doing works fine, and a homerun play mixed in will go a long way. Being at home gives the edge. Rabun County will win if they play a clean brand of football, and getting ahead early might be the key here. If Truelove and the offense get up a couple of possessions and force Stephens to play from behind, it makes for a smoother road with the offense able to bleed the clock and move the chains. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

In 24 total games we’ve been to for Stephens County, the Indians have gone 13-11. For Rabun County in 60 games, the Cats are 48-12. We’ve seen this movie before a few times. In 2016, we saw Rabun win 24-10 in a top-10 battle. We then witnessed a 41-14 win for #3 Rabun in 2018 and a 44-7 win for #2 Rabun in 2019. In 2022, last year, we watched this one unfold to a 14-7 win for #2 Rabun over #9 Stephens. All told, we’ve seen this matchup 4 times, with the Cats winning them all.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 8 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Stephens County HS / Toccoa, GA / The Reservation
LAST MEETING: 2022 (#2 Rabun County 14, #9 Stephens County 7)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Rabun County leads 7-4 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #5 Stephens County Indians (1-0; 0-0 in 8-AAA); #2 Rabun County Wildcats (1-0; 1-0 in 8-A DI)
HEAD COACHES: Wesley Tankersley (96-69; 16 Seasons); Michael Davis (13-1; 2 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Rabun and Stephens don’t have a rich history, though they played a good bit in the 1950s and often since 2016 after nearly 50 years of not meeting. In the 1950s, Rabun County won the first 2 matchups ever (1951 & 1953), but Stephens County won the next 4 from 1954-1959. Since 2016, the Wildcats have won them all, going 5-0 while outscoring the Indians 151-44. Last year was intense, and these two sides are closer together than they ever have been. In fact, last year’s 14 points scored by Rabun represented the lowest output in a win for the Wildcats in nearly 25 years.

TEAM LEADERS (2023 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from this season

STEPHENS COUNTY

PASSING
Tripp Underwood – 161 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 48% passing

RUSHING
Javin Gordon – 122 yds, 2 TD, 5.1 YPC
Tripp Underwood – 10 yds, 0 TD, 3.3 YPC

RECEIVING
Jasec Smith – 102 yds, 2 TD, 4 rec
Javin Gordon – 38 yds, 0 TD, 5 rec
Brock Tankersley – 21 yds, 0 TD, 3 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Jonah Swinton – 17 TKL,
Dawson Childs – 9 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FF
Jakob Lunsford – 9 TKL, 1 TFL
Jasec Smith – 7 TKL, 2 PD
Santana Smith – 6 TKL, 1 TFL
Aidan Butts – 6 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 Sack

RABUN COUNTY

PASSING
Ty Truelove – 220 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT, 75% passing

RUSHING
Reid Giles – 86 yds, 1 TD, 28.7 YPC
Ty Truelove – 32 yds, 1 TD, 10.7 YPC
Noah English – 19 yds, 0 TD, 2.7 YPC

RECEIVING
Willie Goodwyn – 81 yds, 2 TD, 5 rec
Paul Picciotti – 65 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec
Reid Giles – 31 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec
Noah English – 12 yds, 0 TD, 1 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Noah English – 21 TKL
Elvis Hunt – 16 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FF
Tucker Buchanan – 9 TKL
Reid Giles – 11 TKL, 1 TFL
Paul Picciotti – 6 TKL