CLEVELAND — Habersham Central football is 2-0 for the first time since 1990 thanks to a refusal to quit.
The Raiders found themselves trailing White County 23-14 with just under four minutes remaining on Friday -- only to pull off two late touchdowns en route to a 29-23 victory in Cleveland that surpassed Habersham's best win total since 2011 and equaled its best start to a campaign in almost three decades.
"It says a lot about their desire; they didn't quit, and that was huge," Habersham coach Benji Harrison said. "We got fortunate at the end to make some huge plays, but we hope this can be one of thiose games you go back to as the season goes on."
The Raiders (2-0) certainly showed plenty of growth over the closing minutes.
Cole Wilbanks and Bryce Tanner kickstarted the turnaround, as the quarterback and receiver hooked up for a nine-yard touchdown pass to haul the Raiders within 23-21 with 3:46 to play -- a play that set the stage for an onside kick that Habersham recovered. And the Raiders fully claimed the momentum that had begun to swing their way when Michael Babers bulled into the end zone from six yards to pull ahead for good. Wilbanks and Tanner completed a two-point conversion to provide the final score.
Wilbanks and Aaron Wood helped create both scoring drives, connecting on two long pass plays, as Wood finished with eight receptions for 114 yards. Wilbanks was 17 of 23 for 172 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Babers, meanwhile, rushed 18 times for 149 yards and two scores.
Wilbanks' six-yard scoring strike to Tanner had given Habersham a 14-10 third quarter lead -- only to watch White County take full control from there.
The Warriors (0-2) used back-to-back touchdown runs from Kaleb Crane, who finished with 19 carries for 116 yards, to take a 23-14 fourth quarter lead. White County then picked off a Habersham Central pass with just over four minutes remaining. Yet the Raiders defense held and got the ball back for their final assault.
Nasser Clark led White County with 123 yards rushing on just 10 carries.
Habersham will look to continue its success next week at Franklin County.
The Warriors, meanwhile, will look to bounce back next week at Rabun County.
