Panthers seeking answers on offense; secondary

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. — Heading into the 2022 campaign, Union County could be more of a ground attack than an air raid. 

Head coach Michael Perry’s offensive style has always been the air raid, but when the two strongest position groups are the offensive line and running back, the ground game has a chance to be really good. 

Braylen Rader has emerged as the top tailback over the summer, and Perry expects big things out of his RB1. 

“Braylen has been a pleasant surprise this summer,” Perry said. “He’s really stepped up out of the backfield and will help us this season." 

Sophomore Conner Schuknecht (42-177 yards, 1 TD) and senior Cayleb Rogers (46-325 yards) also will see time out of the backfield.

"Those two guys are going to be pretty special for us this year," Perry said. They are bigger, bruiser-type backs that have excellent hands. They also can run really good routes despite their size."

The offensive line, already the strength of the team coming into Fall practice, has improved this summer, making the decision to run the ball easier. 

"I know we're going to lean heavily on our offensive line," Perry said. "We're going to have to do what our strength is. If we're really good at running the ball, then we do that." 

Noah Helton and Cody Meeks return on the offensive line. Helton will start at tackle and Meeks at guard.

But Perry isn't too worried about his new quarterback, junior Caden Tanner. Tanner (38-153 yards rushing, 3 TDs) played the position for the junior varsity last season. He also played in seven varsity games at tailback.

Tanner will replace the graduated Logan Helcher, who passed for 2,012 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, leaving the spot to Tanner.

"I'm excited about our new quarterback," Perry said. "We had to have him at tailback last year, and he really stood out and made big-time plays for us. So, I know the moment is not going to be too big for him. He's smart and does things the right way. I'm looking forward to seeing how he progresses. But from a knowledge standpoint, I feel much better about our offense going into this year. It's much greater than it was last year."

Perry will be replacing three of his top-four receivers this year. Gone are Keyton Chitwood (31-517, 9 TDs), Eli Peugh (18-169, 1 TD) and Trace Wright (11-175, 2 TDs). 

But the team's leading receiver, senior Griffin Young, returns as the top target. He hauled in 40 passes for 518 yards and five touchdowns in 2021. Tyler Grasty is back in a hybrid receiver position. He caught four passes for 27 yards as a sophomore last season and Zach Taylor will see some reps. Gage Barnes also will see time at tight end. 

Defensively, the Panthers will shift to a 3-3 stack. The defensive line and linebacking corp return several key players. 

"I think we've made strides since June," he said. "Our box has been dramatically improved, but our secondary has got to step up." 

Senior Elijah Helton and Barnes are expected to be solid at linebacker.

"Those two are the bright spots of our defense," Perry said.

Senior Noah Helton and juniors Lane Lance and David Heredia are back on the defensive line.

But the secondary is where Perry is looking for players to emerge. Seniors Wilson Walker and Griff Young will get some playing time.

"Our defense is still a work in progress," Perry said. "They're getting better and better, but we're going to play more guys on both sides of the ball. Because of that, our tempo will be a little different to help those guys to play as many snaps as we need them to play on Friday nights."

The Panthers are one of two original members left in the new Region 8-2A. 
They welcome private schools, Athens Academy, Fellowship Christian, Providence Christian, and East Jackson to the region. Banks County is the other original member.

Union County's home opener is against arch-rival Fannin County on Aug. 19, followed by a home match against Lumpkin County, then on the road to the other mountain rival Towns County on Sept. 2. They'll finish the five-game non-region slate at Armuchee on Sept. 9 and play host to West Hall on Sept. 16 before opening region play on the road against Banks County on Oct. 7.

The Panthers will only play five region games, including an Oct. 28 matchup at Athens Academy, who made the second round of the Class A Private playoffs, and Class A Private semifinalist and Region 6A Private champion Fellowship Christian, to end the regular season in Blairsville on Nov. 3. They'll play private school Providence Christian on Oct. 14 and East Jackson, which dropped from Class 3A, on Oct. 21. 

Perry didn't mention a specific game but said all region games are important.

"Our region is different," Perry said. "We don't start region play until October, but every region game is important. I'm not familiar with the private schools but know they're traditionally very good. For us, though, it comes down to accountability. We preach that every day from everything we do in the weight room, the practice field and the game field, it comes down to being accountable with each other. If we can do that, we'll be fine. If not, we won't be."