There’s no counting these Raiders out. They were down 23-14 with 5:28 to go after White County scored its second touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jakes Jones and Michael Babers provided the heroics, scoring within a minute of each other to give Habersham a 2-0 start.
The Raiders got on the board first with a Babers 61-yard touchdown with 7:17 to go in the first quarter. White County responded with a 75-yard TD run by Nasser Clark to begin the second quarter, tying the game at seven.
A Brett Bardenwerper 32-yard field goal gave the home Warriors a 10-7 advantage heading into the break. The Raiders regained their lead with a six-yard touchdown pass from Cole Wilbanks to Bryce Tanner, making it 14-10 Habersham Central with 2:31 left in the third.
WATCH: Video highlights of Raiders @Warrior Valley
White County’s Kaleb Crane caught fire. A six play, 75-yard drive that lasted 2:35 ended with a Crane two-yard touchdown just seconds into the fourth. With the Warriors up 17-14, they needed some insurance to seal the game. Crane struck again with a 12-yard touchdown run with 5:28 to go in the game. The ensuing extra point failed, leaving the Warriors up 23-14.
The Raiders were down, but never out. They capped a very quick three-play drive that stretched over 63 yards with a Wilbanks-to-Jones nine-yard strike and the extra point, leaving the Raiders down 23-21 with 3:46 remaining.
After regaining possession, Habersham went 50 yards in just five plays, all in under one minute, and Babers’ six-yard run found paydirt. The Raiders went for two, and Wilbanks found Tanner again to complete the comeback 29-23 victory for Habersham.
Babers finished with 149 rushing yards and two scores, while Wilbanks threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Aaron Wood had 114 receiving yards to lead all receivers. Dawson Landers and Garrett Kinsey each had a game-high 11 tackles.
White County was led by Clark’s 123 rushing yards (one touchdown) and Crane’s 116 yards (two touchdowns).
The Raiders move to 2-0 on the season, while White County goes to 0-2 with the loss. The win for the Raiders over White County puts them up 5-2 in the all-time series, snapping a two-game skid.
(PHOTO/Daniel Purcell)
