The Raiders busted a four-game losing streak and finished the 2016 season on a high note with a 49-21 win over Apalachee at home.
Habersham Central (5-5; 1-4) finished the campaign with a .500 record, but despite the final score, the game was still in the balance until late in the third quarter.
Habresham used three straight touchdowns in the late third and early fourth to pull away. The Raiders scored first and never trailed throughout senior night.
In what marked the final game for seniors Michael Babers and Cole Wilbanks among others, the duo and Trey Hurt put up impressive numbers on the Wildcats.
Hurt got the Raiders on the board with a 36-yard TD catch from Wilbanks to open the game. The scoring drive was on the one pass play. Apalachee retaliated midway through the first on an 8-yard run to tie the game. Wilbanks and Hurt then hooked up again, this time a 14-yard score, to cap a 10-play, 62-yard drive to take a 14-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Babers tallied the first of his two touchdown runs from three feet out. The Raiders burned the clock on the 19-play, 80-yard drive that took 7:23 off the clock. The 21-7 lead didn’t stick for long, as Apalachee notched a touchdown with 25 seconds left before the break, going 76 yards on the drive.
With just under four minutes to play in the third quarter, Habersham’s Aaron Wood caught a TD pass from Wilbanks. It was the second lengthy drive (16 plays, 88 yards) that took over eight minutes off the clock. The two lengthy drives (unofficially) are likely some of the longest in terms of time and plays in school history.
Moments later, Babers notched another TD run from three yards out, putting the game essentially out of reach at 35-14. Wilbanks again found Trey Hurt for a third touchdown connection, good for 32 yards to begin the fourth quarter. After an Apalachee passing score a minute later, the Raiders used an Aaron Galloway 1-yard TD to close the scoring.
Wilbanks finished with 289 passing yards (20-for-28 passing) and four touchdowns. Hurt had six catches for 139 yards and three TDs. Babers closed with 58 yards and two scores, while Galloway had 38 yards and a TD. The Raiders’ offense put up 466 yards, getting off 77 playes compared to just 39 for the Wildcats.
The time of possession was just as lopsided, as the Raiders used 31:56 to Apalachee’s 16:04. Habersham Central’s season is now complete.
LOCAL SCORES
#1 GAC 42, #9 Dawson 7
#3 Rabun 55, Monticello 14
#9 Commerce 42, George Walton 6
Union 35, Lumpkin 13
Stephens 35, North Oconee 14
Banks 43, #10 Elbert 29
Habersham Central 49, Apalachee 21
Towns 19, Providence Christian 14
#9 Marist 35, White 0
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#1 Buford 49, Flowery Branch 13
#4 Jefferson 31, Oconee 7
#6 Blessed Trinity 34, West Hall 13
East Hall 71, Fannin 58
Johnson 31, #10 Loganville 7
#8 Lanier 10, Gainesville 3
