Game of the Week: Union vs Towns

blitzsportsga

Sep 1

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Our Week Three Game of the Week takes us to Blairsville for a rivalry matchup between Union County and Towns County.

UNION COUNTY

The Panthers just suffered a tough loss at Lumpkin County in a high-scoring ball game. Union County blasted their Week One opponent though, so the offense is riding high still, despite the run game being limited in Dahlonega. This is a great opportunity for Union County to rebound in a big way and the Panthers don't hold back against their historic rivals.

TOWNS COUNTY

Towns County is still seeking an offensive score for the first time this season. Connor Chastain and Julian Mosely are a solid connection, but the protection really hasn't been there to see it. The Indians have been outscored 62-2 so far, so they're looking for any sort of momentum at this point they can get.

BY THE NUMBERS (2023)

UNION COUNTY

1-1 (0-0 in 8-AA)
Region Standings: 1st
38.5 OFFENSE AVG
28.0 DEFENSE AVG
N/A State Ranking

TOWNS COUNTY

0-2 (0-0 in 8-A DII)
Region Standings: 1st
1.0 OFFENSE AVG
31.0 DEFENSE AVG
N/A State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Three. BLITZ partners with Fox 5's 11 PM "High 5 Sports" show throughout the season. We make sure to get Union and Towns coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).

OUR PREDICTION

We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Union County has won 32 of 33 all-time matchups, so there's that. The Panthers are just deeper, have more explosive playmakers, and are at home. Everything lines up in favor of Union here. For the Indians, to steal a win would require scoring more than 2 TDs against Union. Sounds easy, but Towns hasn't scored more than 2 TDs in this game since 2000 (a 35-21 loss). Towns will have to play the best they've played so far, and will have to be opportunistic in creating turnovers and capitalizing on them. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

In 16 all-time games we've covered for Union, the Panthers have gone 6-9-1 (the tie in this season's scrimmage at Chestatee). But our last time out to see the Panthers was last year at Banks County, a 42-7 win. For Towns County, we've been to 4 games, and the Indians are 0-4 in those with our most recent being in 2021.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Union County HS / Blairsville, GA
LAST MEETING: 2022 (Union County 49, Towns County 7)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Union County leads 32-1 in the all-time series
RECORDS: Union County Panthers (1-1; 0-0 in 8-AA); Towns County Indians (0-2; 0-0 in 8-A DII)
HEAD COACHES: Michael Perry (33-32; 7 Seasons); Jason Roquemore (26-85; 12 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

This is well-documented. The Panthers own the series at 32-1, including winning the last 21 outings dating back to 1996. The last Towns County win was in 1993, a 27-17 final. The 11 prior meetings date back to 1976, and all favored Union County. It's not just that Union County wins this every time, but Towns County has only scored 20-plus points in 2000 (35-21 loss) and in 1993 (in their only win). It's been a lopsided history, but there's no love lost between the sides.

TEAM LEADERS (2023 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from this season

UNION COUNTY

PASSING
Caiden Tanner - 459 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT; 53% completion

RUSHING
Braylen Rader - 170 yds, 5 TD, 6.5 YPC
Caiden Tanner - 117 yds, 2 TD, 5.6 YPC
Connor Schuknecht - 100 yds, 1 TD, 9.1 YPC

RECEIVING
Jensen Goble - 242 yds, 1 TD, 16 rec
Braylen Rader - 66 yds, 1 TD, 5 rec
Zach Taylor - 55 yds, 0 TD, 3 rec
Ethan McBride - 54 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec
Tyler Grasty - 41 yds, 0 TD, 3 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Ethan Lester - 28 TKL, 1 TFL
David Heredia - 21 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FF
Seth Rutan - 21 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 FF
Kooper Ashcraft - 18 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FR
Taylor Whitehead - 9 TKL, 1 INT
Lane Lance - 7 TKL, 1 FF