It was a close one at kickoff, but from there is was a down-hill run for the Wildcats in a 65-0 win over Spencer in the opening round of the state playoffs. The 65-point win broke the school record set earlier this season in a win at Banks County.
Gunner Stockton, Austin Jones, Braxton Hicks and the entire team shined in a night where seemingly nothing went wrong for Rabun County (10-1), who punched another ticket to the second round for the fifth straight season and earned a fourth straight 10-win season (fifth-ever).
Rabun was held to a chip-shot field goal on its first drive, but scored on each of its first eight drives in total before throwing an interception from the one-yard line in the third quarter.
Stockton accounted for seven touchdowns — six passing and one rushing. Jones had three touchdown catches, as did Hicks. Brison Beck and Brody Jarrard each tallied one rushing score in the win.
Stockton found Jones early in the first quarter for a 52-yard touchdown to push the lead to 10-0. Stockton then found a wide open Hicks from 18 yards out to go up 17-0 heading into the second quarter.
The Cats found another gear, as Beck found the end zone from 12 yards out, and less than two minutes later Stockton and Hicks hooked up again, as Hicks made what could go down as the catch of the year. The 26-yard TD put Rabun up 30-0. Stockton recorded a five-yard rushing TD, then threw a 25-yard TD to Jones with 18 seconds left in the half.
The Wildcats’ 44-0 halftime lead would balloon to the 65-0 final. Jones opened the scoring in the third quarter with a 54-yard TD from Stockton before Jarrard’s 14-yard scamper made it 58-0. Stockton tied his career-high with a sixth TD pass, and third of the night to Hicks, to close the scoring at 65-0.
The 60-plus point output marks the 12th in Rabun County history, ten of which have come in the Lee Shaw era (2012-present). The margin of victory (65 points) is a playoff and school record for the Wildcats, and the first playoff shutout in Rabun history as well.
The Wildcats advance to take on Chattooga, who beat Washington by a 7-6 baseball score. Rabun and Chattooga are no strangers, as the Cats beat them 49-6 in the opening round last year and 24-20 in 2014’s first-round game.
