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Indians Edge Colts on Late Game Field Goal

Featured Stories, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports

The first home game of the year on the new turf ended in the first win of the season for the Chattooga Indians and it also notched the first ever win for Indian Head Coach Roone Gable. The Indians Scored on their first and last possessions of the game to secure the Victory. The go ahead score was provided by the leg of #22 Pedro Lopez on a 23 yard Field Goal to seal the win for the Indians.

First Quarter

Chattooga would take the opening drive and move the ball down the field via run and pass. The Indians #11 Quarry Gibson would finish off the drive in the endzone with a 11 yard touchdown catch from #6 Landon Willingham . Both teams would have one more possession in the first quarter ending in punt.

Second Quarter

After another set of punt ending possessions Coahulla Creek would get tricky on a punt return and hand the ball off to a player on a reverse, #13 Keith Collins would go all the way down the sideline. Collins was finally tracked down by punter #19 Hunter Brown at the Indian 15 yard line. Two plays later Coahulla Creek would tie the game up on a 3 yard run by #9 Karim Bradley . That would conclude all scoring in the half. Halftime score Chattooga 7 Coahulla Creek 7.

Picture Curtsey Alex Willingham

Picture Courtesy of Alex Willingham

Third Quarter

Coahulla Creek would start the third quarter with a long run by #11 Chase Ward that would get the Colts into Indian territory. Just a few plays later the Colts were setup first and goal at the Indian 6 yard line. After a few penalties and and incomplete pass the Colts would attempt a 32 yard field goal that would sail left of the upright no good. After swapping punts again the Indians would drive down to the Coahulla Creek 21 yard line as the third quarter ended. The score remained Chattooga 7 Coahulla Creek 7.

Fourth Quarter

The Indians would score early in the fourth on a 7 yard touchdown from #6 Landon Willingham to #0 Dan Meyer . On the Colts next possession they would convert on fourth down for a 19 yard touchdown pass from #11 Chase Ward to #14 Nate Tilley. That would tie the game up at 14-14 with less than 4 minutes remaining in the game. After punts by both teams Chattooga would start their last drive on their own 40 yard line with only 59 seconds left in the game. #0 Dan Meyer would take the first play of the drive 20 yards down to the Colts 40 yard line. That play would be followed up by a few good runs by #7 Zayden Cook to set the Indians up for the game winning field goal by #22 Pedro Lopez from 23 yards out. Final was Chattooga 17 Coahulla Creek 14.

Next Week

Chattooga 1-2(0-0) will be Celebrating Homecoming next week and will host The Murray County Indians 0-3(0-0). Coahulla Creek 1-2(0-0) will be on the road at Ridgeland 0-3(0-0) to kick off 6AAA region play.

Indians Fall to Ramblers in Season Opener

Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports

The 2022 Chattooga Indian football season began on Friday night at The Little Big Horn Stadium in Summerville. The Indians welcomed the Lafayette Ramblers to town from neighboring Walker County. After a slow and sloppy start by both teams the ramblers seem to find more footing as they got their running game going. 377 of Lafayette’s 403 total yards were on the ground. The Ramblers Sophomore Sensation Khalas Finley amassed 257 yards on 19 Carries and 5 Touchdowns. The Rambler Line of scrimmage performance coupled with Finley’s big game spelt doom for the Indians. After Chattooga took an early 6-0 lead into the second quarter the Ramblers took control and the Final was Lafayette 42 Chattooga 12.

First Quarter

The Indians opened the game on offense after one run by #3 Zaden Perry for a first down. The Indians fumbled on an inadvertent snap that was recovered by the ramblers at the Indian 24 yard line. Just a few plays later the Rambler quarterback attempted to connect with a receiver in the back of the end zone but it was intercepted by Chattooga’s Sophomore DB #11 Quarry Gibson. Chattooga would go on a 11 play scoring drive that was capped off by a 28 yard Touchdown pass from #5 Brady Groce to #1 Billy Settlemoir. At the end of the first quarter the Indians led 6-0.

Second Quarter

The next quarter would start with a few turnovers by both teams. The Ramblers would start their next drive on the Indians 3 yard line. Two plays later Khalas Finley would take it into the endzone for one of his 5 rushing touchdowns. The very next play for the Indians was the 3rd fumble of the night. This time the Ramblers would take over on the Indians 17 yard line. Yet again the Indian defense would make a play this time on an Interception by Sophomore #12 Dan Meyer.  Unfortunately after a 3 and out and a short Indian punt the Ramblers #7 Austin Tucker gets in on the action with a rushing Touchdown of his own. After another Khalas Finley Touchdown the Indians would find themselves down 21-6 with just under a minute to go in the first half.  Chattooga would throw a tunnel screen and a few broken tackles later Chattooga Sophomore receiver #12 Dan Meyer found himself crossing the goal line from 60 Yards out. After a failed 2 point conversion the score went to Lafayette 21 Chattooga 12 at the half.

 

Click Image Below for Complete Highlights of the Game.

                   Chloe Peek (Chattooga Indian Football)

 

Third Quarter

Both teams started the next quarter with a failed possessions. The Ramblers second possession would only last 9 seconds. Just enough time for Khalas Finley to scamper 50 yards for the 1 play touchdown drive. That would push the score to 28-12 and would be the only scoring in the third quarter by either team.

Fourth Quarter

The Chattooga defense came up with another big stop on fourth and inches. The very first play on offense for Chattooga was a long pass caught one handed by #12 Dan Mayer. After a targeting penalty was assed on the Ramblers the Indians were all the way down inside the 20 of Lafayette.  The drive would stall and Lafayette would take over on their own 24 yard line. The ramblers would go on a drive that would be finished off on a 54 yard touchdown run by Khalas Finley. That would make the score 35-12 with just under 7 minutes left in the game. Chattooga would turn the ball over on downs and the ramblers would take over at the Indians 29 yard line. Lafayette would add the final points onto the board with the 5th Touchdown run by #4 Khalas Finley. That would make the Final Lafayette 42 Chattooga 12.

Next Week

The Lafayette Ramblers move to 1-0(0-0) and will play host to the Trion Bulldogs 1-0(0-0) next Friday 8/26. The Indians fall to 0-1(0-0) and will be off next Friday. Chattooga will be back in action the following Friday as they will host the Temple Tigers 1-0(0-0) on Friday 9/2.

 

 

 

 


Indians Get Tough Test in Scrimmage at Ft. Payne

Featured Stories, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports

The Chattooga Indians began the 2022 season Thursday night with a preseason scrimmage game in Ft Payne Alabama. The host Wildcats proved to be as tough as expected. During the Varsity Half of the game the score was 35 to 13 Ft Payne. The entire second half was played by Junior varsity and Freshman. There were many players for Chattooga that faced their first action of any kind on the high school level.

First Quarter

The Indians would start the scrimmage on offense and would go on an impressive 12 play drive mixed with run and pass but would fail to gain any points. Although the Indians did not earn any points they did flip the field position. Which in turn also managed to run over 6 minutes off the clock.

The Wildcats got their first crack at it on offense and went on a 10 play drive of their own. The drive was capped off by a short touchdown scamper by Wildcat Qb #7 Jake Barnes. The ensuing Indian possession spun its wheels and ended in a punt. That would take us to the end of the first quarter with the score 7-0 Fort Payne.

Second Quarter

In just the second play in the Quarter Wildcat Qb # 7 Jake Barnes hit #1 Skyler Cody in stride on the way to a 66 yard touchdown. The next Indian drive would end in an interception by the Wildcats at the Indians 32 yard line. Fort Payne would take advantage of the short field once again and backup Qb #5 Dax Varnadore would add more points to the scoreboard on a short touchdown run.

Chattooga’s next drive would be the shortest possession by either team all night. The Indians would hand the ball off to #3 Zaden Perry and he would scamper 75 yards off the right side for the first points of the evening for the Indians. The point after was good by new Indian kicker #72 Juan Roque. That would bring the score to 21-7 Fort Payne. The Wildcats would take the next drive down the field and this time #24 Running back Bennett Blanks would score from 15 yards out.

Chattooga’s offense would get going again as they did on their first possession of the night. This time the drive would be kickstarted by a 35 yard pass completion down the Indian sideline from #5 Brady Groce to #4 Trey Smith. Just a few plays later #5 Brady Groce connected with #11 Quarry Gibson for a 8 yard Touchdown pass. The PAT was missed and that sent the score to 28 – 13 Ft. Payne with less than 5 minutes to go in the second quarter.

The Wildcats would add one more score before the half on a 67 yard Touchdown pass from #7 Jake Barnes to #8 Brannon Oliver. That would conclude the scoring in the varsity period and would put the Scrimmage score to Fort Payne AL 35 Chattooga 13.

(Click on Image for Full Highlights of the Scrimmage)

Next Friday Fort Payne (0-0) will open the regular season on the road in a non region battle vs the Scottsboro Wildcats (0-0). While Chattooga (0-0) will open its regular season at home in a non region matchup against the Lafayette Ramblers (0-0).

Chattooga Football: 2022 Indians Season Preview and Predictions

Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports

The 2021 football season did not end as many in the town of Summerville Georgia wished it would have. That does not mean that the season was not a success. The Indians went (5-5) overall 4-2 in region play and finished as the number 4 seed in Region 7-AA. Chattooga traveled to Haralson County in the first round of the GHSA State Playoffs and were defeated by the Rebels. That appearance made it the 8th Straight playoff appearance in a row for the Indians. That Stat alone signals a very good run and speaks to the overall consistency of the program. Also that is a Chattooga record for most playoff appearances in a row.

As the 2022 season nears and the goal of making the playoffs remains the same. That is about the only thing that doesn’t change. The Indians say farewell to a graduation class that helped carry the team to much success in the previous seasons. They will look to a new cast of playmakers to fill the void left by graduation.

After the Reclassification of Schools in the spring by the Georgia High School Association the Indians find themselves back in Single A. A class in which Chattooga has not competed in since Paul Quinn was at the helm back in 1961.

Chattooga also finds themselves not only on the regular season schedule of the crosstown rival Bulldogs from Trion for the first time since 1971 they are in the same region. The new Class A Division 1 Region 7 includes : Armuchee Indians, Chattooga Indians, Coosa Eagles, Dade County Wolverines, Darlington Tigers, Pepperell Dragons,  and the aforementioned Trion Bulldogs.

Previewing the Chattooga Offense for 2022:

The Indians welcome new offensive coordinator Paul Ellis who spent 14 years as the head coach in Fort Payne Al. He recently moved into the Georgia coaching tree and Spent 2018, 2019, 2020 as the head coach of the Lafayette Ramblers. He will coach up a Chattooga Offense that is basically all new.  Chattooga will feature the spread offense and will have 6ft 6 inch 200 lb Brady Groce at the QB position. Brady is a Multi-sport Athlete with a big arm ready to lead the Indians in 2022. Brady will have a few new names at the receiver position that are very capable of making plays on the outside. Quarry Gibson and Trey Smith look to take the top off the defense and allow senior running back Zaden Perry to have a big year on the ground. Don’t be surprised if full back Billy Settlemoir drags a few people over the goal line for a few touchdowns himself.

The Indian offensive line will be one of the focal points to watch this season as they are breaking in a few new faces.  I spoke to head coach Shawn Peek specifically about about his offensive line. He told me that they have decided on the five best linemen and they feel good about them. They are continuing to work each and every day to improve.

Previewing the Chattooga Defense for 2022:

The Indian defense will be anchored by returning starters such as defensive linemen Billy Settlemoir and linebackers Bubba Bass and Zaden Perry. Indians however will replace every player in the secondary heading into 2022. The Indians will look for help on a Defense from a few newcomers in defensive lineman Terrance Hunt and defensive backs Quarry Gibson, Trey Smith and freshman sensation Colton Sanford.

Previewing the Chattooga Schedule for 2022:

Record Prediction 6-4

Head Coach Shawn Peek and the Indians have what on paper seems to be an easier non region schedule than in years past. Obviously games are not played on paper so it will be interesting to see how the Indians navigate their non region schedule.  I believe Chattooga could be 3-1 or even 4-0 when entering region play. Region play is where it all matters and that is where the Indians will face their most stiff competition.

I am picking the Indians to extend the playoff streak to 9 years in a row while finishing in the #4 spot in Division 1 Region 7. Followed by #3 Pepperell,#2 Trion , and #1 Darlington. I think Dade Co and Chattooga are the 2 teams that will compete for that #4 spot. But I would not be surprised if either team finished as high as #3.

Final Analysis:

Overall the Indians have a lot of new faces in a lot of new places. The ability is there it will come down to can they gel on offense in time for region play ? Will the Defense materialize into one of the best in the region ? Will the new playmakers on offense play up to their potential. That’s the Beauty of it. We are all about to see it unfold right before our eyes. Football is here and the Indians are ready to strap it up.

FYN Sports Top 5 Football Stadiums in Our Viewing Area

Team FYN Sports

Just here to spark a little bit of fun debate during the off-season! Our writers blind voted on their favorite stadiums in our viewing area, and these were the results. I’m sure everyone will have their own opinion, so let us hear your opinions and what we got wrong!

Each stadium write up is written by a member of the schools community.

1. Fannin County High School

Fannin County High School Football Stadium comes in at #1 on our FYN Sports Top Football Stadium in our Coverage Area.

Although the stadium has no nickname, it is often been referred to in the past as “The Battlefield”

Fannin County may have the best entrance in all of Georgia. The Rebels walk out of their locker-room directly to a gigantic blow up Fannin County Football Helmet.  Coach Cheatham usually is the 1st one to break open the facemask on the helmet and the Fannin County Football team walks onto the field with arms locked. The cannon fires, the smoke rises, music blares, lights go out and then flash from pole to pole. It is a striking entrance and one that every High School Football fan needs to see.

Yes, we mentioned a Cannon. And yes, it does fire. Every time Fannin County enters the stadium and scores a Touchdown the Cannon is shot and is heard throughout the town of Blue Ridge. Yes, we mentioned Lights cutting off and flashing. Every time a Touchdown is scored Fannin County’s LED Light system will flash from pole to pole igniting the roar of the Fannin County 12th man.

Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is played and PA Announcer Tim Towe famous “ITS 3rd DOWN” sparks the Rebel Nation to make noise on 3rd Down.

I think if you witnessed a game here during Fannin County’s magical season last season you would agree with our choice.

The Stadium is a true 12th man Atmosphere. Powered by everything we have mentioned and the award winning Fannin County High School Marching band, the cheerleaders and “The Blue Crew” ( Student Section)  Fannin County is our choice for Top Stadium in our coverage area.

2. Murphy High School

Photo taken by Mark Muir

David Gentry Field at Bob Hedrix memorial stadium is nothing short of picturesque. The location of the stadium is one of it’s best qualities, being right off the road and allowing passers by to honk their car horns and cheer on the Dogs, whether that be on Friday night or Tuesday afternoon at practice. Watching the team walk down the hill at 7:27 on Friday night just before kickoff is electric. The sun setting behind the visiting bleachers on a crisp fall evening is really something to behold. Dont even get me started on the sheer history of what’s been accomplished on that field. 10 state championship teams have played under those lights, and for the past 40 years, perhaps the greatest High School football coach of all time has coached on that sideline. Add to that JR Carrol shouting “1st and 10 Bulldogs” over the speakers, you’ve got a recipe for one of the greatest high school football atmospheres in the country.

Photo taken by MHS Athletics on Facebook

They don’t call it “BULLDOG COUNTRY” for nothin’.

Former Dogs Head Coach & Hall of Famer David Gentry said, “There’s no better high than the one you get on Friday nights in Murphy between the hours of 7:30 & 9:30. That feeling you get for those two hours, it’s unattainable anywhere else.”

3. Robbinsville High School

Robbinsville’s Big Oaks Stadium is a rethink-your-ranking kind of stadium. A truly historical field, it has hosted the home games of over 50 years of Black Knight football teams without ever being moved to a new location. The stadium is also directly adjacent to the original “old rock” schoolhouse of the 1900s.

The field is not the only piece of historical significance—the players themselves, often generational descendants of fellow state champions, give the Friday Night aesthetic of a Robbinsville Black Knights’ football game the aura of dominance. These boys know the magnitude of what they are playing for.

With 14 State Titles earned on its grass, the Big Oaks guarantees you a night of knock-down and drag-out, old-fashioned football, complete with rows of aged-oak trees, and a sunset view over its Smoky Mountain backdrop. Being the true embodiment of the AC/DC rock hit—Back In Black—the Big Oaks Stadium is THE must see stop of any stadium tour.

4. Union County High School

Photo from Chris Mathis

We look to Union County’s Mike Colwell Memorial Stadium a.k.a “The Mike.” There are many great high school football venues; not many, however, pack a 1-2 punch with a beautiful view and electric atmosphere like this one.

Photo from Chris Mathis

This venue offers a beautiful turf field and an even more astounding view of the crisp Blue Ridge Mountains. Mike Colwell Memorial Stadium is one that you’ll never forget, one that provides a bit of everything you could ever want on a Friday night underneath the lights!

5. Pickens County High School

Photo from North Cobb Electrical Services

 

What can there be said about Dragon Stadium? The crowd, the atmosphere, the view? It starts when you pull into Pickens High School with Sharptop Mountain in the background. The sun coming down behind the trees. The Dragons walking down the hill as they make their entrance. The thing about being in a small, mountain community, when the Dragons take the field, it’s the main attraction on Friday nights. There is no doubt, that Dragon Stadium has one of the more picturesque backgrounds in the state of Georgia.

#TeamFYNsports games of the week

Sports, Team FYN Sports

Starting this year, #TeamFYNsports will be bringing you their top football games of the week for our local area football teams. This week, we have some rivalries on the horizon, with four local area teams going head to head.

Team FYN sports director Jake West and Fannin County Rec. Department Athletic Coordinator Tim Towe will also be giving you their picks to win these games of the week and we will be tracking their pick ’em record going forward.

  1. Fannin County Rebels @ Union County Panthers

FCHs

If there was ever a year for Fannin County to be able to break their 6 year losing streak agains the Union County Panthers, it would be this year. Fannin is coming off an impressive 5-6 season last year, and with all the returning upper-classmen they have this year, this is the year that they have to make some moves. Even Coach Chad Cheatham said himself at media day, they are poised to make a run. Union County on the other hand is coming off of a 10-2 record last year, where it looked like they were going to go deep into the playoffs until losing a 7-14 game against Metter High School. Head Coach Brian Allison has turned Union County into a juggernaut over there in Blairsville, losing a combined four games in the past two years. However with the loss of their starting Quarterback Pierson Allison to graduation, we will if the newcomer behind center can handle the pressure of Friday Night Lights.

Jake’s Pick: Union County

Tim’s Pick: Fannin County

2. Gilmer County Bobcats @ Pickens Dragons 

The Pickens Dragons finished 2019 with a 6-5 overall record and tied for third in their division. Their offense was crazy hot last year, putting up an average of 31.6 points. We will see if they have improved any on the defensive side of the ball however, where they managed to give up an average of 26.2 points per Pickensgame in the previous season. When watching Pickens last year however, one of their more impressive games came against then region rival Gilmer, who they will be playing to kickoff this season. This season the anticipated Gilmer-Pickens game will not be a region game due to the realignment that took place in the offseason. Even though this is not going to be a region game this year, you can tell that it still means just as much to the players and coaches as it did when it counted against their region record. Gilmer is coming off of a 4-6 overall record last year in 2019. But, as rebuilds go it looks like Gilmer is on the backend of theirs and should start putting together some winning teams. Also, with Gilmer being bumped down a level, their opponents in their new region should play more to their level. I just think that the speed and power of the Pickens offense will be too much for the Bobcats to handle.

Jake’s Pick: Pickens County 

Tim’s Pick: Gilmer County

 

 

 

GHSA confirms September 4th football start date

Sports, Team FYN Sports

Following the weekly meeting with the Sports Medicine Advisory Council, Georgia High School Association Executive Director Robin Hines announced that the GHSA will be moving forward with the September fourth football start date for the opening of the 2020 season.

After the Sports Medicine Advisory Council meeting, director Hines spoke with the Athens Banner-Herald in regard to the number of COVID-19 cases across the state, but was confident that the season would return on the now delayed football start date of September fourth.

Hines told the Athens Banner-Herald, “While the numbers aren’t what we would prefer right now, they’re trending down, we feel good about that, and pending some spikes between now and then, my recommendation is going to be that we go ahead and play.”

The GHSA has previously reported that there will be around 70 Georgia football teams of 425 total that are unlikely to play the first week of the season because of coronavirus concerns dictated by their school district or private schools.

Included in the list of teams that will be sitting out for the week of September 4th are 19 DeKalb County teams, 16 Fulton County teams, 8 Savannah-Chatham teams, and 6 Bibb county teams. Several other teams across the state will also be sitting out until given the OK from their administrators and school board.

Tennessee will begin their High School football season tonight, and they have already released their guidelines for spectators and fines which can be found HERE. Viewing this should help give GHSA fans a little insight in what to expect come September fourth when Georgia returns to Friday night lights.

 

What fans can expect when High School football comes back

Sports, Team FYN Sports
ghsa

The Georgia High School Association has released “strongly recommended” game-day operation guidelines in order for the high school football season to proceed as normal when it opens for good on September Fourth. These game-day guidelines and recommendations are given to spectators and parents in order to ensure that the football season will be able to continue and so that these student athletes are able to play a whole season. The whole list of guidelines can be found HERE.

 

Game Day Venue Restrictions

  • Local school administrators, in consultation with local health departments and health care professionals should determine what personnel (cheerleaders, band, mascots, dance team, etc.) should participate in events. It is strongly recommended to take into consideration the venue’s ability to safely allow for and enforce proper physical distancing.
  • The media accommodations will be handled by host school personnel.

Spectators

  • GHSA member schools should follow the guidance of local, state, and federal recommendations as it pertains to spectator events and stadium capacity restrictions if such information becomes available.
  • It is highly recommended that spectators have their temperature assessed prior to entering the competition venue and should be denied entry if higher than 100.4 degrees.
  • It is highly recommended that spectators always wear a facemask/covering possible. □ Spectators should be restricted from direct competition areas and from visiting with student athletes and personnel before, during and after events.
  • Spectators should always practice social distancing whenever possible. Household members are excluded.
  • Local school administrators, in consultation with local health departments, should determine whether “to-go” meals for their student-athletes in individualized, single packaged containers should be permitted.

Concessions

  • If sales at concession stands are permitted, they must follow state guidelines for “Restaurants, Bars, and Banquet & Catering Facilities/Services” as outlined in the current Governor’s Executive Order
  • If sales at concession stands are permitted, concession workers should wear masks and gloves in accordance with state mandates.
  • Any worker should be screened before they are permitted to perform work duties in the concession.
  • If sales at concession stands are permitted, individuals in line for concessions should practice physical distancing.
  • If sales at concession stands are permitted, precautions for social distancing should always be adhered to.

Over 600 players and coaches in Georgia test positive for COVID

Featured Stories

The GHSA has reported that over 600 players and coaches have tested positive for COVID since voluntary workouts began on June 8th.

The Georgia High School Association sent out and email on Tuesday, where they confirmed that they have had a reported 655 positive tests, including over 1,000 screen outs. Screen outs are when a player or coach is held out of practice due to a high temperature check or health questionnaire.

Several local area teams have stopped and started workouts since the June 8th restart, due to complications with the virus.

These numbers that he GHSA has released are not entirely accurate, as the GHSA does not require positive tests to be reported to the association, however it is encouraged so that the data can be compiled and used in the decision making process.

“The data is aggregate and for decision-making purposes,” GHSA associate director Don Corr said in Tuesdays email. “It is our belief that this data is incomplete and varies due to individual infectious disease plans formulated by each member school.”

6 GHSA teams have reported to the GHSA that they are shutting down their practice’s this week. There could be more since the GHSA also does not require practice activity to be reported either. The teams that are not practicing currently are Morgan County, Putnam County, Greene County, Social Circle and Lincoln County in east and central Georgia and Lakeside in DeKalb County.

Each school district has their own protocol in dealing with the positive coronavirus cases, as the GHSA has decided to give the power to the schools instead of setting a governing body of rules.

 

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