Habersham Central High School’s football season came to an end with a 63-9 loss to undefeated Douglas County High School in the first round of the Georgia High School Association state playoffs Friday night in Douglasville.
The Tigers (11-0, 7-0 5-AAAAAA) were in control of the game from the start, scoring on a 55-yard touchdown run with the first offensive play from scrimmage that saw just 20 seconds come off the clock.
“We knew going in they were really good,” Habersham Central Head Coach Benji Harrison said. “You hope to get a break, you hope to make some things happen early and we didn’t. They’re a talented football team. They’re the best football team we’ve seen all year.”
Douglas County outgained the Raiders (5-6, 3-3 8-AAAAAA) with 408 total offensive yards to 242. The Tigers put up 247 yards on the ground.
Tigers quarterback James Johnson completed just 4-of-5 passing attempts, but amassed 161 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He added another 62 yards and a score on the ground.
“Me and the other coaches were talking when we were getting ready for these guys, they’re as good of a high school football team as any of us have seen in a few years,” Harrison said. “There are no weaknesses. They’re big, they’re fast, threy’re physical, they’re pretty disciplined. They’re a good football team.
“I think we lost to a team that’s got a chance to make a run for the whole thing.”
The Raiders’ lone score came on an 8-yard pass from quarterback DJ Pass (14-of-26, 168 yards, TD, 2 INT) to Zeke Whittington with 9:18 left in the second quarter.
Whittington finished the night with seven catches for 103 yards and the score.
The final two points for Habersham Central came early in the fourth quarter when the Tigers snapped the ball over the punter’s head. The punter then kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety to avoid a Raider falling on it for a touchdown.
While the season came to an earlier close than anyone on the team or coaching staff would’ve liked, Harrison said he’s proud of his team for pushing through the 0-2 start to the season to make the playoffs in what is inarguably a tough region.
“I’m proud of how we started out with some major adversity and for our seniors and our other players that are leaders on the team to hold us together to get to this point,” Harrison said. “That’s the thing I don’t think people realize – playing who we play in the region we play in, to make it to the state playoffs is a huge accomplishment.”
With the end of the year, the program will have to say goodbye to another crop of seniors that made its mark.
For the coaches, it can be tough saying goodbye to those players.
“There’s nothing like the relationship (between player and coach) and nobody who doesn’t coach understands that completely,” Harrison said. “The relationship players and coaches get to have because of the amount of time we spend together and see what we ask of them every day. Just the fun we get to have with those guys… When you have that last game with them, regardless of first round, second round, whenever, it’s going to be sad because you get so used to being around those guys and then it all comes to an end one night.”
Now comes the offseason, which really only means no pads and no games. The work never really stops.
“In this world, you close out one season and, as soon as you close it out, you start looking at the next season. It never really stops,” Harrison said. “We really start hitting it again after Thanksgiving for that three or four week cycle before Christmas. You usually put your team back together during that. Then, in January, it’s full tilt. Here we go.”
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