Our Week Nine Game of the Week takes us to Tiger for the second time this season, where #2 Rabun will take on #4 Elbert in a classic rivalry showdown that almost always gives the winner the inside track to the region title.

RABUN COUNTY

The Wildcats are 6-1 and coming off a blowout win over St. Francis. Through the season, the Wildcats have a top-10 ranked offense averaging 36.3 per game (3rd). They’re holding opponents to under 20 per game, which is great. The average margin of victory is 16.7 points, but all these numbers are of course skewed from the 35-0 loss at Stephens in Week 2. This team is so different now, with Reid Giles closing in on 1,000 yards rushing and Ty Truelove continuing to manage the game well under center. The Wildcats have a streak of 50 region wins in a row going back to October 2013 (10 years ago).

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ELBERT COUNTY

Elbert meanwhile is also ranked high (#4 in one poll), is 6-1, and has a high-scoring offense at 33.4 per game (8th). That’s largely due to the QB play by Braydon Scarborough and RB Jacari Barnett, a junior closing in on 1,000 yards as well. Tyrikis Jones and Brady Dickerson are solid receivers as well. This team always has talent, and this might be coach Shannon Jarvis’ best group yet. Defensively, the Blue Devils allow 26.6, which bodes well for Rabun County. The one loss was to Madison County, and a couple of the wins came by one score or less.

BY THE NUMBERS (2023)

RABUN COUNTY

• 6-1 (0-0 in 8-A DI)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 36.29 OFFENSE AVG (3rd in Class 1A DI)
• 19.57 DEFENSE AVG
• #2 State Ranking

ELBERT COUNTY

• 6-1 (0-0 in 8-A DI)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 33.43 OFFENSE AVG (8th in Class 1A DI)
• 26.57 DEFENSE AVG
• #4 State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Nine. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Rabun County 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. We’ll start with the home team, Rabun County. That counts for a small edge for starters. The way that Willie Goodwyn is a homerun threat every time he touches the ball is a great sign. But you can say the same for Reid Giles at this point, so that combined with the solid play of Ty Truelove and the line (which has stepped up big in recent weeks), makes the Cats the favorite still to take the region. Rabun County has an opportunity to make that statement to the rest of the field if it plays true to its brand. Elbert County has an explosive offense as well. If the Blue Devils don’t turn the ball over, and score on both early and often, the pressure could be all on Rabun to keep pace. Elbert will also have to force some turnovers and/or make big defensive stops to win this one. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For Rabun County, we’ve been to 62 games for the Wildcats since 2009. In that span, Rabun is 49-13. We’ve even seen this exact matchup before 6 times, with the Wildcats winning every single one.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Rabun County HS / Tiger, GA / Frank Snyder Memorial Stadium
LAST MEETING: 2022 (#3 Rabun County 41, #6 Elbert County 21)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Rabun leads 7-0 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #2 Rabun County Wildcats (6-1; 0-0 in 8-A DI); #4 Elbert County Blue Devils (6-1; 0-0 in 8-A DI)
HEAD COACHES: Michael Davis (18-2; 2 Seasons); Shannon Jarvis (126-82; 19 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

This is a 7-episode rivalry that goes back to 2016. In 6 of 7 of the meetings, the winner (always Rabun) was essentially granted the region crown. There’s always something on the line, and in 6 of the meetings, both teams were ranked in one of the various state polls. Elbert has never won, and last year’s 41-21 win for Rabun is the closest finish. In total, the Wildcats have outscored the Blue Devils 323-80. It’s quite lopsided for sure.

The coaches have squared off just once obviously, last season. However, Jarvis (19 seasons) has played Rabun three times and lost each of those.

TEAM LEADERS (2023 Stats)

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

RABUN COUNTY

PASSING
Ty Truelove – 1,270 yds, 14 TD, 3 INT, 62% completion

RUSHING
Reid Giles – 722 yds, 10 TD, 12.7 YPC
Noah English – 375 yds, 4 TD, 5.9 YPC
Ty Truelove – 259 yds, 4 TD, 6.5 YPC

RECEIVING
Willie Goodwyn – 647 yds, 10 TD, 27 rec
Paul Picciotti – 205 yds, 1 TD, 15 rec
Reid Giles – 176 yds, 1 TD, 9 rec
Cooper Welch – 141 yds, 1 TD, 15 rec
Jarret Giles – 54 yds, 1 TD, 4 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Noah English – 78 TKL, 3 TFL, 1 Sack
Elvis Hunt – 74 TKL, 5 TFL, 2 FF
Riley Stewart – 61 TKL, 6 TFL
Reid Giles – 44 TKL, 8 TFL
Willie Goodwyn – 33 TKL, 5 INT

ELBERT COUNTY

PASSING
Braydon Scarborough – 1,250 yds, 10 TD, 4 INT, 67% completion

RUSHING
Jacari Barnett – 855 yds, 12 TD, 4.8 YPC
Jayvyn Hickman – 251 yds, 2 TD, 7.6 YPC
DJ Fortson – 73 yds, 1 TD, 5.2 YPC
Braydon Scarborough – 39 yds, 3 TD, 5.6 YPC

RECEIVING
Dakhovin Winn – 455 yds, 3 TD, 29 rec
Brady Dickerson – 455 yds, 5 TD, 35 rec
Eli Harris – 363 yds, 5 TD, 26 rec
Tyrikis Jones – 355 yds, 2 TD, 23 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Malik Moon – 48 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 2 BLK
Jermaine Sims – 48 TKL, 4 TFL, 1 INT, 1 Fum Rec
Terrez Allen – 48 TKL, 2 FF
Jose Rodriguez – 28 TKL, 4 INT
Trevion Swinger – 25 TKL, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 FF
DJ Raiford – 20 TKL, 5 TFL, 5 Sacks
Bray Dickerson – 3 TKL, 3 Sacks, 1 FF