MOUNT AIRY — Habersham Central controlled the ground game, dominated time of possession and held Stephens County scoreless over the final three quarters Friday night on the way to a convincing 45-7 victory at Raider Stadium on John Larry Black Field.
The win evened the Raiders’ record at 1-1, while Stephens County fell to 0-2.
Habersham Central rushed for 296 yards and six touchdowns on 48 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. The Raiders finished with 335 yards of total offense and held the ball for 30 minutes and 30 seconds—nearly twice Stephens County’s possession time of 17:30.
Quarterback Paris Wilbanks led the rushing attack with 109 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. Kenley Bee added 107 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts, giving the Raiders two 100-yard rushers in the victory.
The Raiders took the opening kickoff and moved 37 yards on a 10-play drive before Kieran Wallace kicked a 34-yard field goal to give Habersham Central a 3-0 lead.
Stephens County answered with its only scoring drive of the night. Ashton Winters capped a nine-play, 69-yard possession with a 4-yard touchdown run, and Josiah Worsley’s extra point put the Indians ahead 7-3 with 4:47 remaining in the first quarter.
The lead lasted less than two minutes.
Habersham Central responded with a four-play, 43-yard drive that ended on Wilbanks’ 7-yard touchdown run. Wallace added the extra point to give the Raiders a 10-7 advantage with 3:09 left in the opening quarter.
Wilbanks scored again on a 5-yard run early in the second quarter, extending Habersham Central’s lead to 17-7. He added a 10-yard touchdown with 1:03 remaining before halftime, completing a 10-play, 81-yard drive that consumed nearly five minutes.
The Raiders entered halftime with a 24-7 advantage and did not allow Stephens County to score again.
Habersham Central’s defense limited the Indians to 175 yards of total offense, including only 51 rushing yards on 28 attempts. Stephens County averaged 1.8 yards per carry and converted just three of 13 third-down opportunities.
The Raiders also recorded three sacks and intercepted two passes. CJ Davis returned an interception 40 yards late in the second quarter, while Creed Jones recorded a 36-yard interception return during the third quarter.
That second interception set up another Habersham Central touchdown. Wilbanks scored on a 19-yard run with 3:13 remaining in the third quarter, giving the Raiders a 31-7 lead.
Habersham Central continued to control the game in the fourth quarter. Bee finished a 10-play, 51-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Braiden Shook added another 2-yard touchdown with 1:34 remaining to produce the final 45-7 margin.
The Raiders were perfect on seven trips inside the red zone, scoring six touchdowns and one field goal. They converted seven of 12 third-down attempts and their only fourth-down opportunity.
Owen Gailey contributed 62 rushing yards on only four carries, including a game-long 41-yard run. Wilbanks completed four of 12 passes for 39 yards without an interception. Drake Roland caught two passes for 16 yards, while Bee added a 16-yard reception.
Wallace handled both the kicking and punting duties. In addition to his 34-yard field goal, he made all five of his extra-point attempts. Conner Rice converted the Raiders’ final extra point. Wallace also averaged 38.3 yards on three punts and recorded three touchbacks on eight kickoffs.
Defensively, Jones and Henry Burgess led Habersham Central with seven tackles apiece. Corbett Dover collected six tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while also recording three quarterback hurries. Jonas Owen finished with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
After leading 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Raiders scored 35 unanswered points over the final three quarters to pull away for the 45-7 victory. Habersham Central also held a 160-yard advantage in total offense before a crowd of over 3,500.
