ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Update:
Rabun County remains undefeated with a score of 17-14 against St. Francis.
Original Story:
October has arrived in high school football with a strong slate of games. On Friday night, our game of the week takes us to Alpharetta where St. Francis (4-2) hosts a tough Rabun County team, undefeated at 6-0.
The Wildcats of Rabun County are No. 3 inside Class A Division I, meanwhile, St. Francis dropped out of the top 10 in the latest rankings after their 23-18 loss to Bowdon, according to Georgia High School Football Daily.
Rabun County was a powerhouse in their 2A region over the past decade, winning eight consecutive region championships from 2014 through 2021. That success was in part due to a stretch of dominant play from former quarterback Gunnar Stockton, who now wears the red and black with the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Wildcats are led by first-year head coach Michael Davis, who has the team off to a dominant start thus far. Scoring 226 points and allowing only 89, Rabun County is led by their stout offense that is averaging close to 38 points a game, including a season-high 72-point showing in a week three win over Adairsville.
For St. Francis, a rich tradition of success hasn't exactly been on their side. Becoming a program just 12 years ago in 2010, the Knights have yet to win a region championship and have only made the playoffs three times, albeit a short sample size. But that doesn't mean that talent isn't on their side this year.
Led by star defensive back and Clemson commit Brandon Strozier, this St. Francis team is off to one of their hottest starts in program history, opening the year 4-2, which included rattling off three consecutive wins to open the year against 2A teams.
Offensively, you don't have to look far to find the family ties of a Super Bowl-winning NFL running back. St. Francis running back Brayden Jacobs' dad, Brandon Jacobs, was the running back for the New York Giants during their 2008 championship win over the undefeated New England Patriots.
The stars will align under the lights at St. Francis High School at 7:30 Friday night, as both teams look to make major strides in getting back to the playoffs.
Be sure to check out #Team11 football show every Friday night at 11:15 for an in-depth breakdown of all of the high school football action in metro-Atlanta.
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