Sports

Submitted Photo. Tallulah Falls outside hitter Corrine Swinton from Toccoa, Ga., prepares to serve for the Lady Indians.

Submitted Photo. Tallulah Falls outside hitter Corrine Swinton from Toccoa, Ga., prepares to serve for the Lady Indians.

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Lady Indians seek to establish same consistency that led to last year’s finish as state runners-up

News Staff
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Last year saw the Tallulah Falls State varsity volleyball team make yet another historic run in the state tournament. The Lady Indians played in the state title match for the second time in a four-year span, finishing as state runner-up.
Submitted Photo. Infielder Ellie Shaw will be among the junior Tallulah Falls players in leadership roles as the Lady Indian program moves into its third year.

Submitted Photo. Infielder Ellie Shaw will be among the junior Tallulah Falls players in leadership roles as the Lady Indian program moves into its third year.

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Lady Indians poised for big step forward in Year Three

News Staff
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Now entering year three as a full-fledged varsity program, the Tallulah Falls softball team is anticipating a leap forward this fall.The program won two games in its inaugural season, and were close a number of times to putting up more wins last year.
Submitted Photo. Olivia Henderson enters her senior season as the Tallulah Falls School record holder and an All-State finisher from her junior season. Henderson is the top runner in the school’s history.

Submitted Photo. Olivia Henderson enters her senior season as the Tallulah Falls School record holder and an All-State finisher from her junior season. Henderson is the top runner in the school’s history.

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TFS asserts itself as one of the best cross country programs in state

News Staff
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Last season was historic for the Tallulah Falls cross country program. The Lady Indians won their first-ever region championship and were state runners-up. The Indians featured a pair of individuals compete at state, marking seven straight seasons being represented in the biggest meet of the year.
Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County’s Cooper Kowalsky looks downfield for an open receiver during the Wildcats’ spring game versus White County on May 15. Kowalsky is entering his first season as RCHS’s starting QB.

Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County’s Cooper Kowalsky looks downfield for an open receiver during the Wildcats’ spring game versus White County on May 15. Kowalsky is entering his first season as RCHS’s starting QB.

New era of quarterback play on horizon in Rabun County

Wesley Branch
Thursday, August 13, 2026
The quarterback position is often regarded as the most important and most difficult position in all of sports. On the field, quarterbacks touch the football every play, having to make decisions in split seconds and perform at their best physically and mentally under intense pressure.
Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County High School’s football team runs onto the field before its second-round playoff game versus Berrien last season. The Wildcats enter 2026 following a 10-3 record and run to the state quarterfinals a season ago.

Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County High School’s football team runs onto the field before its second-round playoff game versus Berrien last season. The Wildcats enter 2026 following a 10-3 record and run to the state quarterfinals a season ago.

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RCHS, RGNS schedule football scrimmages

Wesley Branch
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Both Rabun County High School and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School’s football teams will compete in preseason scrimmages on Friday, Aug. 14, as the new season nears. The Wildcats and Eagles will both be on the road on Friday in the mentioned scrimmages.
Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County head football coach Rance Gillespie celebrates with his team after the Wildcats’ 35-0 second-round playoff win over Berrien on Nov. 21, 2025. Gillespie and the Wildcats have celebrated each win at home with the song “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive,” since former head coach Lee Shaw started the tradition in 2013. Standing in the background are Manager Josh Justus, Pastor Lance Courtney and current Rabun County Athletics Booster Club President Joey Haban.

Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County head football coach Rance Gillespie celebrates with his team after the Wildcats’ 35-0 second-round playoff win over Berrien on Nov. 21, 2025. Gillespie and the Wildcats have celebrated each win at home with the song “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive,” since former head coach Lee Shaw started the tradition in 2013. Standing in the background are Manager Josh Justus, Pastor Lance Courtney and current Rabun County Athletics Booster Club President Joey Haban.

It’s a Great Day to Be a Wildcat

Wesley Branch
Thursday, August 6, 2026
As Rabun County High School’s football team put the finishing touches and the final seconds waned in its 56-21 November 2025 first-round playoff win at home versus Dodge County, Rabun County head coach Rance Gillespie had one final question for his coaching staff.
Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. The Rabun County softball team celebrates River Evans’ go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Wildcats’ 15-14 win against East Jackson on Aug. 3. Evans, a junior, went 3-for-4 on the night with a single, double and grand slam.

Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. The Rabun County softball team celebrates River Evans’ go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Wildcats’ 15-14 win against East Jackson on Aug. 3. Evans, a junior, went 3-for-4 on the night with a single, double and grand slam.

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Lady Cats’ softball takes dramatic season-opening win over East Jackson

Wesley Branch
Thursday, August 6, 2026
TIGER – The Rabun County softball team claimed victory in its season opener on Aug. 3 at home over Class AAAA opponent East Jackson in wild fashion by a score of 15-14.
Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County head boys basketball coach David Adcock (left) presents RCHS senior Hayes Free with a commemorative ball for scoring his 1,000th career point after the Wildcats’ win over Chesnee (S.C.) on Dec. 30. Free recently announced his commitment to Young Harris College.

Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County head boys basketball coach David Adcock (left) presents RCHS senior Hayes Free with a commemorative ball for scoring his 1,000th career point after the Wildcats’ win over Chesnee (S.C.) on Dec. 30. Free recently announced his commitment to Young Harris College.

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RCHS grad Free commits to Young Harris hoops

Wesley Branch
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Recent Rabun County High School graduate Hayes Free committed to Young Harris College’s men’s basketball program on July 28, he announced on his Instagram.
Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County head football coach Rance Gillespie (left) hugs his mother Glenda Rogers after Rabun County’s “Midnight Madness” practice. Gillespie is heading into his second year as Rabun County’s head football coach.

Wesley Branch/The Clayton Tribune. Rabun County head football coach Rance Gillespie (left) hugs his mother Glenda Rogers after Rabun County’s “Midnight Madness” practice. Gillespie is heading into his second year as Rabun County’s head football coach.

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Rabun County football hosts annual ‘Midnight Madness’

Wesley Branch
Thursday, July 30, 2026
TIGER – The Rabun County football team hosted its annual tradition “Midnight Madness” in the early morning hours of July 27 at Frank Snyder Memorial Stadium, beginning its first fully padded practice as the 2026 season nears.