Habersham Central ready to show 2018 was just the beginning

MT. AIRY — It wasn’t exactly a sigh of relief nor was it something that required a once-in-a-lifetime kind of celebration.

But for fifth-year Habersham Central head coach Benji Harrison, the Raiders’ 2018 playoff run, which snapped a seven-year drought for the program, did leave him and the rest of Raider Nation feeling that for the first time since 2011 they had finally found the path out of the woods.

“To be honest with you, we felt even the two years before that we were heading in the right direction,” Harrison said. “We lost some close games (in 2017) and just had some bad breaks in a couple of games that turned out to be game-changers. Last year was really more of a culmination of the work that had been going on for a couple of years before that.

“Don’t get me wrong. We were extremely happy to make the playoffs. But we went into the season feeling like we had a great chance to make it so it wasn’t that much of a surprise to us.”

Now Harrison thinks they are ready to make that a yearly excursion. But they will face some tough challenges in 2019.

Region 8-6A, which had a pair of semifinalists in Dacula and Lanier, may be better than last season as Apalachee and Gainesville should be much-improved. The Raiders also will be breaking in their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons. Stan Luttrell is now the head coach at Johnson and former Jackson County head coach Brandon Worley, along with Tanner Rogers, will be calling the defensive plays in 2019.

It was a group that gave up the most points in the region in 2018 (370, 30.8 points a game) but part of that can be attributed to the No. 1 offensive unit in the region that averaged 31.5 ppg.

“We are changing some things up a little (on defense) this year,” he said. “These were changes that we were planning on doing anyway based on what we thought was best for our personnel. I think Brandon and Tanner have done a great job of putting their flavor to what we want to be.”

The defense lost the bulk of its secondary from 2018 but juniors Ethan Tomlin, Pierce Vickery, and Sutton Dover anchor what should be a solid front. Senior Arian Curry and juniors Jackson Clouatre and Tanner Wade make up a talented linebacking group.

The key area on offense will be upfront where the Raiders return their entire offensive line with seniors Josh Wade, Greg Wiley and Lincoln Wright and juniors Tomlin and Vickery.

Senior Ryte Woodruff, the backup the last two seasons, won the quarterback battle during the spring and summer and will have a pair of solid runners in the backfield in Curry and Clouatre. Junior Joshua Pickett leads a good receiving corp as well.

The Raiders will be tested right out of the gate with a tough road matchup against Dawson County, which has established itself as one of the power teams now in northeast Georgia. A key stretch will be four home dates in a six-week span, including arch-rival Stephens County and culminating with their Region 8-6A opener against Class 6A semifinalist Lanier, that will give Harrison et. all a sense of just where they stand.

However, consecutive road trips to Gainesville and three-time region champ Dacula in October in region action will follow.  A second consecutive playoff appearance could come down to their season finale against Apalachee on Nov. 8 in Bethlehem.

“Right now we’re just focused on Dawson County,” Harrison said. “The region is tough every year and this year will be no exception. Our goal is for this group to get better each week. If they do that, I expect us to be right in the middle of things."

Harrison said the air around Mt. Airy has changed, and has been noticeable, since the end of the 2018 campaign. Now they want to build off that.

“I think our players now carry themselves a little differently because they have a greater belief in what we are capable of doing,” Harrison said. “There is definitely a different vibe among our team so far this season. The program is right on track of where we want to be. Now we just need to keep building momentum. I like where we are for sure.”