MT. AIRY — The Habersham Central offense piled up 273 yards, but it was the defense that made the key plays in the Raiders’ 27-7 win over Apalachee on Friday night at Raider Stadium.
The Habersham defense held the Wildcats to just 1-of-12 on third and fourth down combined and yielded just 21 yards passing for the game.
The Raiders offense was efficient getting 198 yards on the ground, with Sirmarcus Burney and Carson Parker combining for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and Parker throwing for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Habersham never trailed as Burney scored on a 7-yard touchdown run to cap the opening drive of the game. It stayed that way as both defenses settled in into the second quarter.
The Raiders extended their lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter on a 1-yard Parker TD run. The Wildcats trimmed the lead to 14-7 just over a minute later on a 38-yard scoring run by Prince Tate, but it went to the half with Habersham Central holding a 14-7 lead.
In the third quarter, Parker connected with Zeke Whittington on an 18-yard touchdown pass to cap an 82-yard, 7-minute drive to open the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Blandon Grizzle capped the scoring with a 23-yard run to finish a short 26-yard drive following an Apalachee turnover.
