Varsity Football upsets Rabun county is a 17-3 victory

On Friday, September 11, Walnut Grove football hosted Rabun County. Rabun County came into The Grove with a 2-0 record in the season, expecting an easy win. However, they left with their first loss of the season.
by Semaj Chestnut and Harrison Smith

On Friday, September 11, Walnut Grove football hosted Rabun County. Rabun County came into The Grove with a 2-0 record in the season, expecting an easy win. However, they left with their first loss of the season. The Walnut Grove football team left Friday night with a new 2-1 record and higher hopes than before for the future.
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Nathan Nunn (junior) plays on the defensive side of the ball and had a big game Friday night. Nathan managed to get a sack (a tackle on the quarterback before he throws the ball) and a blocked field goal. Both of these plays happened in the second half of the game, as well as many other plays. Many people are asking why the second half of the game had more memorable plays than the first half, and Nathan has his own reason why. “First half, defense played our part. We saw what they were doing and went into halftime, picked up our guys on offense, and just strategized and came out with more intensity.”

While the players have a big impact on how the game plays out, the student section's support has a big role in how the players perform. Friday night was “Youth Night” at The Grove, and it had a special impact on Nathan. “It's hard to describe. There's just no other feeling compared to when you're walking out, especially on Youth Night. You're walking through the student section, dapping up all the kids, and you hear the drums. It just gets me really pumped up.”

With a win like this, it would be easy for the team to ease up on practice and preparation. It would also be easy for the team to get prideful, but Nathan knows they can't do that. “We can't be content. We gotta keep working and getting better. It's a big week for us this homecoming, and we can't get our heads too big.”

Ty Burce (senior) is also a player on the Walnut Grove football team, but he plays on the offensive side of the ball. On Friday night, he scored a touchdown for the Warriors and contributed heavily to the win. The defense was stellar the whole game, but at halftime, the offense needed a little push to get going, and for Ty, it came from the coaches. "The want and the need to win. After the first half, the coaches gave us a nice talk and told us it was all about effort.” After the win, the coaches and players alike went straight to thinking about the next game. Coaches thought about how the next team would play, players thought about how they could improve, but Ty thought about the mental side of the ball: "Starting the game off stronger and tricking them so we can get more touchdowns.”

It's clear to WGHS and its opponents that the Warrior football team isn't playing around. This Friday, Walnut Grove hosts Appalachee High School for Homecoming night. Come out and support your Warrior football team!