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.”
HABERSHAM CENTRAL: NEED TO KNOW
- MASCOT: Raiders
- TEAM COLORS: Blue and Orange
- CURRENT REGION: 8-6A
- HEAD COACH/RECORD AT SCHOOL: Benji Harrison, fifth season, 15-27
- 2018 RECORD/ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 7-5, second round Class 6A playoffs, first postseason win since 2007
- KEY LOSSES: QB Tre Luttrell, WR Donovan Curry, WR Tarin Westbrook, RB Tracey Lowery, S Luke Wilson, LB Daniel Matkovic, WR Dontarius Bailey, DE Michael Barton
- OFFENSIVE STYLE: Spread, multiple -- The Raiders will still be able to use speed on the perimeter with an aggressive run game designed to keep opposing defenses on their heels.
- KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS: 6 returning starters -- Sr. OL Josh Wade, Jr. OL Ethan Tomlin, Sr. OL Greg Wiley, Sr. OL Linccoln Wright, Jr. OL Pierce Vickery, Sr. RB Arian Curry, Jr. RB Jackson Clouatre, Jr. WR Joshua Pickett, Sr. QB Ryte Woodruff
- DEFENSIVE STYLE: 3-5 -- The Raiders have new co-coordinators in Tanner Rogers and former Jackson County coach Brandon Worley, who are helping to implement a system to take advantage of a roster stocked with more LB and S type players.
- KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS: 5 returning starters -- Jr. DL Ethan Tomlin, Jr. DL Pierce Vickery, Sr. LB Arian Curry, Jr. LB Jackson Clouatre, Jr. CB Joshua Pickett, Jr. LB Tanner Wade, Jr. S Patrick Teder, Jr. DL Sutton Dover
- SPECIAL TEAMS: Sr. PK Bryan Marcial, Jr. P Sutton Dover, Jr. KR Joshua Pickett
- STRENGTH: OL/RB -- The Raiders return their entire starting unit upfront and which should help Woodruff as he assumes the controls of the offense and be able to try and achieve the balance they desire. The backfield also should be solid with Curry and Clouatre.
- QUESTION: Secondary -- The Raiders lost the bulk of their defensive backfield from 2018 with Pickett as the only returning starter.
- KEY GAMES: 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. Then 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, could help propel them to another big season. However, that stretch is followed by consecutive road trips to Gainesville, which should be much-improved, and three-time region champ Dacula in October in region action. A second consecutive playoff appearance could come down to their season finale against Apalachee, which also should be much-improved, on Nov. 8 in Bethlehem.
- TRENDING: The Raiders finally broke through the postseason wall advancing to their first playoffs in Class 6A and for the first time in general since 2011. They also snagged their first postseason win in 11 years. But they lose some clutch players from 2018 in QB Luttrell and receivers Donovan Curry and Tarin Westbrook. The mood is obviously upbeat coming off last season but how well the newcomers fit in their roles, especially at the skilled positions, may determine whether they can maintain the gains made in 2018. The underclassmen that contributed in 2018 now know what it takes to get to the playoffs and Harrison and his staff will see if they can parley and nurture that experience into consistent playoff runs moving forward.
2019 SCHEDULE
Aug. 23 at Dawson County
Aug. 30 vs. Madison County
Sept. 6 vs. White County
Sept. 13 at Franklin County
Sept. 20 vs. Stephens County
Oct. 4 vs. Lanier*
Oct. 11 at Gainesville*
Oct. 25 at Dacula*
Nov. 1 vs. Winder-Barrow*
Nov. 8 at Apalachee*
*- Indicates region contest
(All kickoffs scheduled for 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/8/804753/2019-football-preview-habersham-central