Habersham’s 5-4-1 mark is not indicative of how good this team really is.
The Habersham Central Raiders (5-4-1; 4-1) are coming off a 3-0 loss against Centennial, marking their first region loss of the season. Coach Ric Wallace, in the midst of his 11th season as head coach of the soccer program, shook off an 0-2-1 start to get to 5-3-1 prior to Tuesday’s loss to Centennial.
Watch RIC WALLACE’s interview on BLITZ with Brian Carter
“Early in the season, we were hit with injuries to experienced varsity players Adam Dowdy, Brett Dowdy, and Miguel Andres,” says Wallace. “Coming into the season, all three were expected to anchor the back line and give us a solid defensive unit. The team had to adjust to the setbacks and guys had to step into new roles for the team. It took several weeks, but we have started to come together defensively.”
Wallace’s statements ring true when you look at the goal differential on the season. An 8-5 loss to Central Gwinnett back on February 19 was very uncharacteristic for a program like Habersham Central. That loss dipped the Raiders to 0-2-1 and gave them at the time, eight goals for to 13 goals allowed.
Over the next six games, the Raiders made adjustments and went 5-1, outscoring opponents 16-5 in that span. Even after the 3-0 loss to Centennial, the Raiders have edged region opponents 14-4 and have notched four total shutouts, three of which came in region play.
Despite still playing without star defender Adam Dowdy, Wallace believes he’s close to getting back to playing with the team. Combine that with the Raiders closing in on playing their first true home game of the season, and it’s easy to see that things are starting to come together at the right time.
“A region championship is a definite goal of ours” -Abram Navarrete, junior forward
The Raiders have played all of their five “home” games at a neutral site; two at Wilbanks Middle School and the others at Piedmont College. This is due to the ongoing renovations to John Larry Black Field, which will be open for business on April 15 when the Raiders break in the field with a match against Chattahoochee.
“[It’s] been tough to be on the road all year,” says Wallace. “We treated those games like away games in terms of our preparation, and eagerly await the opportunity to be back in Raider Stadium.”
The benefit for the Raiders playing at Piedmont is that it has helped prepare the team for playing on turf.
“We are grateful that Piedmont has worked with us and allowed us to play in their fantastic facility,” says Wallace.
Habersham takes on region foe Johns Creek on Friday, March 25 on the road before Spring Break. The Raiders will continue playing on April 12 at Lambert before returning to Mt. Airy for the Chattahoochee game on the new turf. With six overall games remaining, the Raiders will look to heal up their injured players and finish strong.
The ultimate goal: a region championship and a state championship. Habersham Central went 12-6 last season en route to an Elite 8 appearance after missing out on the state tournament the previous two seasons.
Watch ABRAM NAVARRETE on BLITZ
