Our Week 3 Game of the Week takes us to John Larry Black Field to catch a pair of teams in Habersham Central and White County looking for their first win.
Habersham Central
In what’s been a very rough start for the Raiders, Habersham Central still has a clean slate mentality heading into this one. After a quick start against rivals Stephens County in the opener, the Raiders gave up 28 unanswered in a game that didn’t get into the fourth due to lightning. Then, a very disappointing game at Flowery Branch saw Hab Central nearly pull off a 16-0 comeback but fell short due to not taking care of the football.
This team is still learning, as several young players, especially on the line, are getting this much-needed varsity experience. The constants have been Zeke Whittington, Landyn Savage, Donnie Warren, Antonio Cantrell, and the QB play of DJ Pass (and Paris Wilbanks).
White County
The Warriors are coming off a BYE week, and we won’t know for sure until warmups what version of White County we will get. Tripp Nix, a 4-year starter at QB, had a shoulder injury in the opening loss against Rabun County. No news has leaked out on his status moving forward, but these are two different teams with or without Nix.
Defensively, Jason Rewis also was hurt badly, and his status is also unknown. There’s enough on that side of the ball (Jon Scott, Alex Johnson) to be fine there, but offensively if Nix is out, perhaps it’s Alex Freeman at QB.
BY THE NUMBERS (2024)
Habersham Central
0-2 (0-0 in 8-AAAAA)
Region Standings: N/A
11.5 OFFENSE AVG
25.5 DEFENSE AVG
N/A State Ranking
White County
0-1 (0-0 in Region 6-AAA)
Region Standings: N/A
27.0 OFFENSE AVG
40.0 DEFENSE AVG
N/A State Ranking
Game Highlights
Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Three. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Habersham Central and White County coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).
BLITZ Prediction
We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Let’s start with the Raiders. Simply put, they CANNOT win this game if they turn the ball over 5 times like they did last year. They’re not that stout to be able to overcome that. Few teams are. If the run can get established early, with Donnie Warren and Antonio Cantrell, that’s going to help DJ Pass and/or Paris Wilbanks hit targets like Zeke Whittington and Landyn Savage, or Jay Feltus. Whittington will get his for sure, so mixing in others can keep White County on its toes. If the Raiders can mix things up and move the chains, and convert in the red zone, they will win.
For the Warriors, it’s really hard to say until we know about Nix. But with Nix, he will be a headache for the Raiders’ defense and will likely utilize his legs a good bit while also going to Gaines Clark often. Noel Lammers will need to pound the ball inside for the tough yards and keep the chains moving also. If Nix is out and it’s Alex Freeman, that’s okay as he can throw when needed, but it’s still a difference scenario. In that case, it’s even more important for the Warriors to average about 4-5 yards per carry and win it on the ground.
Central Leads Series
For Habersham Central, we’ve been to 52 games for them since 2009. In that span, the Raiders are 17-35 overall, but winners of the last 2 we went to. For White County, it’s been 36 total games in the same time frame, and the Warriors have gone 17-19, losing 8 of the last 9 of their games we’ve made it to.
Details of the Matchup
TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Habersham Central HS / Mt. Airy, GA / John Larry Black Field
LAST MEETING: 2023 (White County 34, Habersham Central 6)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Habersham leads 9-5 in the all-time series
RECORDS: Habersham Central Raiders (0-2; 0-0 in 8-AAAAA); White County Warriors (0-1; 0-0 in 6-AAA)
Head Coaches: Benji Harrison (47-81; 13 Seasons); Chad Bennett (9-13; 3 Seasons)
Historically Speaking
Habersham Central has the edge in this series, taking 9 of 14 meetings. 1990 was the first episode, and that one went to the Raiders, who won the first four meetings all-time up to 1999. Then, the programs didn’t see each other again until 2012. White County won the 2012 and 2013 games, with Habersham winning in 2016. From 2017-2023, the teams have squared off every year, and it’s been fairly even with White County holding the 4-3 advantage. That includes a Warriors blowout win last season. These head coaches have squared off in both 2022 and 2023, splitting the results.
Team Leaders (2024 Stats)
*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from last season; returning players only
Habersham Central
- PASSING
DJ Pass – 118 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 63% completion
Paris Wilbanks – 92 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT, 64% completion
Advertisement - RUSHING
Donnie Warren – 112 yds, 0 TD, 5.3 YPC
Zeke Whittington – 60 yds, 0 TD, 10.0 YPC
Antonio Cantrell – 41 yds, 1 TD, 3.4 YPC
Paris Wilbanks – 40 yds, 1 TD, 5.7 YPC - RECEIVING
Zeke Whittington – 145 yds, 0 TD, 10 rec
Jay Feltus – 27 yds, 0 TD, 4 rec
Donnie Warren – 24 yds, 0 TD, 3 rec - DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Everett Rudeseal – 13 TKL, 1 FR, 1 FF, 2 PBU, 2 PD
Sonny Satiphone – 10 TKL, 1 FR, 1 BLK, 1 PBU, 1 PD
Noah Harkins – 9 TKL, 1 FF
Griffin Cunningham – 9 TKL
Sawyer Burgess – 8 TKL
Braydon Strickland – 7 TKL, 1 INT, 1 PD
Antonio Cantrell – 7 TKL
White County
- PASSING
Tripp Nix – 157 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 59% completion
Alex Freeman – 55 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 40% completion - RUSHING
Tripp Nix – 112 yds, 2 TD, 12.4 YPC
Noel Lammers – 84 yds, 1 TD, 3.2 YPC
Cooper Garrett – 19 yds, 0 TD, 3.2 YPC - RECEIVING
Gaines Clark – 82 yds, 0 TD, 6 rec
Brayden Roach – 76 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec
Zach Godrey – 20 yds, 0 TD, 1 rec - DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Jon Scott – 9 TKL
Noah Williams – 7 TKL, 1 TFL
Jadon Kovach – 7 TKL, 1 TFL
Cade Dockery – 6 TKL
Sawyer Gailey – 2 TKL, 1 INT
SEE ALSO
