Staff report
The White County Warriors had a tough night on the opening weekend of the 2025 season, falling to Rabun County 42-6 in Clayton.
After a 45-minute lightning delay, the two teams traded turnovers on the first two plays of the game. But the Wildcats scored three times in the opening quarter and then tacked on a pair 22 more points in the second quarter to race out to the 42-6 lead at halftime. Neither team could find the end zone in the second half.
The Warriors are off this week, giving them time to prepare for the home opener Aug. 29 against Habersham Central. The Raiders opened the season last week with a 27-3 win over Stephens County. The Warriors' junior varsity team is scheduled to open it's season this afternoon with a road game at Dawson County.
The Warriors went into the season opener missing several key players, including multiple offensive and defensive linemen, along with Gaines Clark, the team's top receiver the past two years.
The Warriors were already having to replace nine starters on defense and seven on offense, so the preseason injuries didn't help as they took on Rabun, the No. 6 team in the Class A D1 state poll.
The Wildcats used a stellar ground game, led by preseason All-State running back Reid Giles on the way to 275 yards and give new head coach Rance Gillespie his first win with the program.
Giles rushed for 102 yards on seven carries, had four receptions for 77 yards, and finished the night with five touchdowns.
The Warriors found the end zone in the second quarter as Alex Freeman and Davey Waller connected on a 66-yard pass play.
The Warriors finished with 160 total yards, with 115 in the passing game, but were limited to 45 on the ground.
Freeman finished with 115 passing yards and was 6-of-17 on the night with a touchdown and an interception. Waller had a pair of receptions for 82 yards and a score. Kody Tuhey had two catches for 20 yards, and Reid Penrose and Zach Godfrey each had a catch.
Freshman Jack Clark had 36 yards on six carries, with Noel Lammers adding 12 yards on three carries, and Savion Anderson had 11 yards on four attempts, and Brinn Robinson had two yards on one carry.
Defensively, Tuhey led the team with five tackles and four assists, and Penrose had five tackles and an assist.
Jack Johnson had four tackles and two assists, Casey Crane had four tackles and an assist, Easton Drew had three tackles and two assists, and Godfrey had three tackles and an assist.
Savion Anderson had four assists, two tackles and recovered a fumble. Jbo Kastner had two tackles and four assists, and Coleman Dockery had two tackles and two assists.
Zay Cheek had a tackle and two assists, with James Hart, Stephen Frost and Lucian London both recording a tackle and an assist. John Jarrard and Matt Turner each had a tackle, with Lammers, Branson Smith, JJ Morris and Jaxin Hoosline each had an assist.