Habersham fell 24-21 in a nail-biter, in what marked the second straight season the game between the rivals came down to the final minute.
AJ Curry’s final hail mary throw sailed to the back of the end zone past a diving Jim Barnett, securing the win for visiting White County.
The Raiders never led in the game, as the Warriors drew first blood with a short-yardage TD run by Kaleb Crane with 7:45 to go in the opening quarter.
Habersham responded with 2:43 to go on an AJ Curry athletic TD run to tie the game at 7. Crane ripped off a 53-yard TD run with 6:08 to go in the half, giving White County the 14-7 halftime lead.
The Warriors struck again on yet another score from Crane, this time 16 yards out midway through the third quarter. Habersham got a timely 23-yard score early in the fourth from Baylor Hinshaw to close the deficit to 21-14.
A 33-yard Brett Bardenwerper field goal pushed the White County lead to 24-14. The Raiders weren’t done, however. With just under six to play, the Raiders quickly moved down the field on huge pass completions from Curry to Trey Wetherton and Barnett to get inside the red zone.
Curry again carried one in for the Raiders, making it a three-point game with just 4:32 remaining. After the defense made a sensational stop around midfield, Habersham had the ball back with three minutes to go and good field position.
However, Crane and the White County defense constantly pushed the offensive line back, leaving Curry with no time to get anything good off. With 3rd and 45 at their own 20, the Raiders got a miracle from Curry to Bryce Tanner, a 40-yard pickup on an incredible catch.
The Raiders converted the 4th-and-5 attempt seconds later, but Curry was again sacked twice, leading to one final heave for the end zone, which sailed to the back of the end zone.
Curry finished with 235 passing yards (19/39) and was sacked six times. Hinshaw closed with a team-high 94 yards on the ground, while White County’s Crane had 128 yards to go with his three scores. Barnett recorded eight catches for 79 yards, Tanner had 76 yards on 4 receptions, while Wetherton had 3 catches for 55 yards.
Crane tallied two sacks and 10 total tackles in the win for the Warriors. The Warriors move to 3-0 on the season, while Habersham falls to 1-1.
Feature photo by Daniel Purcell
LOCAL SCORES
White Co 24, Habersham Central 21
#5 Rabun Co 28, Stephens Co 6
#5 Dawson Co 29, Chattooga 14
Union Co 60, Hayesville (NC) 7
#7 Commerce 29, Hebron 26
George Walton 17, Towns Co 7
Banks Co 47, Johnson 6
Jackson Co 35, Lumpkin Co 7
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Clarke Central 42, Gainesville 14
Flowery Branch 43, Chestatee 7
West Hall 20, Washington-Wilkes 0
#3 Thomson 20, #6 Jefferson 14
