Rabun County hosted White County in the 2026 Spring Game in Tiger on Friday, with a kick at the buzzer deciding the contest in a 10-9 comeback win for the Wildcats.
Offensive highlights were at a premium, as the defenses stonewalled early on. The first quarter was scoreless, and the first eight drives combined netted no points.
Midway through the second, Sawyer Gailey hit James Hart on a screen, and he found the end zone from 15 yards out. It put White County up 6-0, as the PAT failed.
The Wildcat defense had caused a handful of fumbles, and had recoveries by both Kevin Mandujano and Reed Burrell. Rabun had a nice drive turned over on downs just before the half, leaving the Warriors up 6-0.
White County quickly recovered a fumble to start the third, and the offense behind Brinn Robinson earned points, as Luke Bryne knocked home a 29-yd field goal for a 9-0 lead.
The Wildcats found a spark, and answered with a scoring drive. Cooper Kowalsky found Reed Burrell for a 32-yd TD over the top, as the latter made a stellar catch in the end zone, bridging the gap to 9-7 with 4:47 to go in the third. Later in the quarter, Rabun had a 45-yd field goal clang off the left upright, then got it back when JK Fruster picked off a pass.
Bryan Avila got another shot to end the third (and thus the official result), nailing a 38-yd field goal right down the middle as the horn sounded, giving Rabun a 10-9 varsity win.
The JV teams played the final quarter, though neither team put up points as the scoreboard was reset for the final 12 minutes.
Don’t miss what everyone in town is talking about.
Join 4,000+ locals and choose our free newsletter covering news, events and the stories shaping our region.
