JV Panthers cruise past Cats 34-0
Union finishes season with convincing win
By JARED PUTNAM

Left: Wide receiver Clay McConnell makes a spectacular leaping catch in the back of the end zone. Right: McConnell pumps his fist as the ref signals the touchdown.

The UCHS junior varsity football team closed out their schedule on a high note last Thursday, defeating the Rabun Cats 34-0 to end the season. Quarterback Kolt Owenby ran for four touchdowns and threw for another. Wide receiver Clay McConnell had big catches during the game, including a 38-yard touchdown strike.

Coach C.T. Hussion was happy with the team's performance and what it means for the future. "That's just a good thing for these kids," said Coach Hussion. "It just shows that what Coach Peugh has done with dividing them up and having the j.v. season go this deep into the season has really helped us. This is really big for the kids to finish up strong and start looking at hitting the weights and preparing themselves for the varsity season next year. "

Because some kids were going to be unable to play more than two quarters during the game, the coaching staff elected to separate the roster into two groups. "We divided up our teams into purple and gold," said the coach. "We literally had two separate football teams. I think kids stayed fresh a little bit more by doing that."

Much of Thursday's success began with the defense, as strong team defense forced the Cats to commit eight turnovers. " Everybody got to play and both [units] played great. We argued some that the purple group played defense a little bit better than the gold group. The gold offense definitely performed [the best].

Like the varsity team, the j.v. squad has typically been matched up against bigger athletes throughout the season. "We've been outsized all year on j.v," said Coach Hussion. In spite of that, the j.v. squad has been able to remain competitive. "We've either blown people out or just lost by one touchdown [or less]."

The coach pointed out that the current group of 8th grade students includes some larger athletes with the potential to move people around. "There is a bunch of good, big linemen coming out of there," said Coach Hussion.

In the meantime, the Panthers coaches are faced with the task of finding the best system for a roster that lacks size. "We've got a smaller line, so next year we'll really have to tailor our varsity offense more towards our personnel," said Coach Hussion. "They're going to be small and strong, and they'll be quick. But we just can't expect them to go against really big kids and hold blocks for more than a split second." The coach said that a spread offense might be an option. "We've definitely got the personnel for that," said Coach Hussion. "It's almost like Dawson County's offense. It just gives us more time to throw it."

The Panthers force the fumble Manning Thomas drives the Rabun running back into the ground. Kolt Owenby was almost tackled, but broke through for a long TD run. Four Panthers team up to tackle the ballcarrier.