Habersham Central fought to the finish, but the Raiders’came up just short in a 46-45 overtime loss to the Lions.
Habersham trailed in the second half and used a furious rally to force over time, including a dramatic hail mary pass to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, the Lions had the first shot and scored quickly. Habersham Central responded with a TD of its own, but elected to go for the 2-point conversion in the win-or-go home play and fell up just short.
Senior quarterback AJ Curry completed 24-of-42 passes for 356 yards and 5 TD through the air. His leading target was fellow senior wide receiver Jim Barnett, who caught 9 passes for 135 yards and a TD.
Franklin County’s defense came up big when it was needed the most, however. The Lions picked off a pair of Curry’s passes in the game, and ultimately held the Raiders on the game-winning 2-point conversion stop in overtime.
Franklin’s quarterback Titlan Wells was nearly unstoppable Friday night, rushing for over 200 yards and 6 TDs, while running back Cale Swift also added 150 rushing yards for the Lions.
The Raiders lost in dramatic fashion for the second straight game, moving to 1-2 on the season. They return to action at home in Week 4 against Stephens County in an always-intense rivalry matchup.
