Raiders look to restock lineup after strong 2020

MT. AIRY — There will be plenty of new faces on the football field for Habersham Central this year.

The Raiders graduate all but four starters from last year’s team that reached the Class 6A state playoffs. However, head coach Benji Harrison says he still has confidence in his young team.

“We had a senior class last year that had played a lot of football, that had really played since their sophomore year,” Harrison said. “We’ve got a lot of holes to fill, but I like this group. I like our rising group of seniors. I think they’re a really good class.”

2020 was a tale of two seasons for Habersham. They started 3-4 with a 1-2 mark in Region 8-6A play, but finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2018. That streak included the school’s first-ever win over Lanier and a thrilling comeback over Shiloh to secure the playoff spot.

The Raiders will be back in the highly competitive 8-6A this year and will need their new starters to step up to the task. Harrison says many of those new starters, however, are players with plenty of varsity experience.

“We have some good guys that will be able to fill into those roles, they may not have started last year but they played a lot,” Harrison said.

Offensively, linemen Ryan Jones and B.J. Hodges will be the only returning starters. The biggest question mark will be in the backfield, where Habersham will need to replace last year’s dynamic rushing duo of quarterback Joshua Pickett and running back Jackson Cloatre.

Harrison says the quarterback position has been a wide-open competition all offseason. Juniors Quinton Sharpe and Cooper Smith, sophomore Carson Parker and freshman Zeke Whittington are all fighting for the starting spot.

“We’re going to continue to let them compete. We’ve got a few guys there that I think can do the job, it’s just figuring out who’s the most consistent,” Harrison said.

At running back, things are more clear-cut. Senior Simarcus Burney will be the Raiders’ expected starter going into the season with junior Blandon Grizzle also providing help. Harrison said Burney is a physical runner who had a strong Spring.

Seniors Caleb Wade, Noah Wilson and Gage Church will be the top receivers with Whittington also able to contribute if he’s not playing quarterback.

Harrison said he believes his spread offensive system will be able to play to the strengths of his personnel.

“We’ll find out what our flavor is, that’s the big thing with us. Last year, we were a lot different flavor than the year before. I think it starts with what your quarterback does well and then what kind of team are you, are you more of a run team or more of a pass team,” Harrison said. “I love to be balanced, but I really don’t have a problem with being a little more one or the other if that’s what fits us.”

Defensively, Habersham Central will replace their entire secondary from last year. Caleb Wade, who started at linebacker last year, will move back to safety. Gage Church will anchor one of the corner spots.

Seniors Jonathan Adams and Alex Aaron will start at defensive ends. Both saw significant playing time in 2020 including several starts. At linebacker, Brayden Wright returns as a starter along with Noah Wilson.

The Raiders will stay in a 3-5 defensive setup.

“I thought we made great strides last year defensively and played pretty solid,” Harrison said. “We play really aggressive. We do a really good job of disguising coverage and keeping the offense off-balance. I feel like our number one priority is we’re going to stop the run.”

Habersham will open the season on the road at Madison County before returning home to play Apalachee in week two. After the off week, they’ll end the non-region schedule with a road trip to White County and a home date with arch-rival Stephens County. The Raiders snapped a long losing streak to the Indians in 2019, but lost last year in Toccoa 27-12.

Harrison says it will be key for his team to be peaking towards the end of the non-region schedule, as their region slate will not be forgiving. They open region play in week six at home against Winder-Barrow. The matchup with the Bulldoggs has been close over the past several years and usually decides a playoff spot in 8-6A.

The Raiders will then travel to defending Class 6A champion Buford before hosting Dacula and then hitting the road again to play Lanier and Central Gwinnett. A home date with Shiloh will close out the regular season in week twelve.

“It’s a strong region. I think it’s one of the toughest regions in the state, but I think last year proved to our team that we can compete,” Harrison said. “I think that our guys now have the confidence that, yeah it’s a tough region, but nobody really cares about that. You’ve got to go play each week.”

Habersham will hope to find a way to maintain that confidence and momentum gained from last year’s late-season push despite the roster turnover. Harrison says toughness could be the key.

“We have to continue to be physical. In our region, you have to be physical. We play some teams that have a lot of really good players, so if you’re a team that’s timid and not willing to go in and go toe-to-toe and play as physical a brand as you can, you’re going to struggle,” Harrison said.