A three-game win streak for the Raiders was snapped last Friday night, and perhaps the most painful part of the loss for the fans, players and community was that it came at the hands of their bitter rivals, in the form of a 27-7 loss at Stephens County.

However, Habersham Central has the opportunity to rebound in a big way in Week 5. They’ll have to do it on the road with a team that has proven to be a challenge for others to take down in Chestatee. The War Eagles (3-2) have a high-octane offense – run-and-gun style. Chestatee has put up 149 pts (29.8 per game), but the Achilles heel remains the defense (160 pts; 32 per game).

Habersham’s essentially facing the opposite problem, as they’ve held opponents to only 77 pts (19.3 per game), but scored only 102 pts (25.5 per game). The Raiders’ recipe is more contingent to success as they typically score when needed and hold opponents defensively. Chestatee’s balance of big offense but porous defense leads to more contests that tend to be shootouts.

No doubt the question of the night will be if Michael Babers will make his return. He was slated to go last week against Stephens County, but did not appear despite being fully dressed to play. The ankle, which he injured against Franklin County two weeks ago, was obviously still a bit tender. His production is certainly missed, as the Raiders have scored their two lowest offensive outputs in his absence.

Being that Chestatee is a non-region opponent, and the Raiders have a bye week following tonight’s game in preparation for their region-opener October 7 versus Gainesville, it’s not a must to rush Babers back into action unless he’s 100-percent healthy.

Cole Wilbanks will have to lean on Aaron Galloway to run the ball effectively if Babers isn’t in, and will use his skill players Aaron Wood, Jake Jones, Bryce Tanner and others. The defense, led by Jones, Austin Frady, Dawson Landers, Garrett Kinsey, Carson Moore and many other playmakers, will need to make stops against Chestatee’s star players. They’ll be called upon to stop a lethal combo of the War Eagles’ passing game and running game.

War Eagles junior Storm Yarborough is 17th in the state in passing with 981 yards, throwing 7 touchdowns against two interceptions. The dual threat can also do damage on the ground, as he’s racked up 143 yards and two scores. The run game is highlighted by Nick Lyles, a fellow junior. Lyles is currently seventh in the state in rushing with 769 yards and a mind-blowing 11 TDs. Lyles also contributes in the air attack with 164 yards receiving and two more scores.

Senior Baylee Camp is Yarborough’s top target, collecting 485 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while juniors Jacob Goodall (211 yds, 2 TD) and Reggie James (111 yds, TD) are other threats. Despite Chestatee’s defensive struggles, they have 11.5 sacks on the season and love to pressure the quarterback, adding 17 tackles for loss.

It should be a tough challenge for Habersham Central, but to win they’ll need to be prepared to bend on defense some but not break. Winning the turnover battle will be pivotal, as will having Babers in the backfield if possible.

HIGHLIGHTS can be seen on High5 Sports at 11 pm on Fox 5, as the team will use the chopper cam to get game highlights.

Habersham Statistical Leaders

Passing

Cole Wilbanks (63/103) 61%….724 yds…7 TD…2 INT

Rushing

Michael Babers…332 yds…5 TD…9 ypc

Aaron Galloway..159 yds…1 TD….4.4 ypc

Receiving

Aaron Wood……273 yds…2 TD

Jake Jones………152 yds…3 TD

Bryce Tanner…..91 yds…..1 TD

Defense

Dawson Landers…..49 tkl…FF

Garrett Kinsey……..44 tkl…1 TFL…1 sack

Jake Jones…………..33 tkl…6 TFL…

Austin Frady………..28 tkl…7 TFL…2 sacks…2 FF…BLK Punt