Raiders roll the dice in second OT to beat Cherokee

MT. AIRY - Trailing 35-34 in the second overtime to Cherokee, Habersham Central football coach Gene Cathcart decided rolled the dice.

Cathcart called for a two-point conversion and quarterback Bo Hatchett responded taking the ball up the middle for the two points and a 36-35 win to cap a wild night for the Raiders in their Class AAAA second round game.

"It was a great game and I just felt like we could make it and put an end to it," Cathcart said. "The kids executed great and it worked out. That's two years in a row we're lucky to have gotten past them."

Habersham beat Cherokee 28-26 in the first round last year stopping the Warriors on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game at the end of regulation.

The Raiders trailed most of the game but capitalized on two crucial fumbles in the second half to come back and tie the game at 28-28.

Hatchett was 20-of-29 passing for 284 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Georgia-signee Tavarres King had six catches for 138 yards, while Dee Ellison and Josh Anderson had 43 and 41 yards respectively.

Cherokee (8-4) used a run-heavy offense, led by John Valentine, who pounded out 138 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown. Cherokee quarterback Chris Pruitt rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries, scoring three touchdowns. The Warriors also found success with Matt Blaylock, who had 97 rushing yards and one touchdown on 21 carries.

The Warriors struck first when Pruitt scored from a yard out in the first quarter and extended their lead to 14-0 after Blaylock scored on a one-yard run.

Habersham (11-1) cut tyhe lead in half on Robert Renshaw's 2-yard rushing touchdown. Renshaw finished with 80 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

After the 14-7 halftime score, Cherokee wasted no time in the third quarter, with Pruitt finding the endzone from ten yards out, putting the Warriors up 21-7.

On third and long, Hatchett successfully completed a hail mary pass to King, good for an 85-yard touchdown as time expired in the third quarter. The Raiders missed the extra point, and entered the fourth quarter down 21-13.

After both teams traded touchdowns and extra points in the first overtime, the Warriors went first in the second overtime scoring on Pruitt's 9-yard score. On Habersham's second overtime possession the Raiders converted on 4th-and-4 to get a fresh set of downs, and Renshaw racked up another touchdown from the 5-yard line.

Instead of tying the game for a third overtime, the Raiders decided to go for two. Habersham spread out five-wide, luring the Warriors out of the box. Hatchett received the snap and tucked away the ball, charging in for the two-point conversion and the win, leaving the Habersham Raiders with at least one more week alive in the playoffs.