Two dominant backs in Daylan Maxwell and Donnie Warren are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Jackson County Panthers will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Habersham Central Raiders at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Habersham Central will be up against a hot Jackson County squad: the team just extended their winning streak to seven. The Panthers breezed past Loganville to the tune of 45-8 on Friday. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 38-0.
Jackson County relied on the efforts of Jayson Lee, who rushed for 55 yards and one TD on only six carries, and Maddox Griswold, who picked up 43 receiving yards and one score.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Jackson County proved: they limited Loganville to a paltry 1.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Deacon Wiley for the heroic effort on defense: he. Jackson County didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 5.8.
Meanwhile, Habersham Central was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Apalachee 38-7. The Raiders haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Jackson County better keep an eye on Paris Wilbanks. He was instrumental in Habersham Central's win, throwing for 89 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 52 yards on only five carries. That's the most rushing yards Wilbanks has posted since back in August.
Jackson County's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Habersham Central, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Jackson County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 213.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Habersham Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 204.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Jackson County beat Habersham Central 34-21 in their previous meeting back in November of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Wilbanks, who threw for 334 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 74.3% of his passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Panthers still be able to contain Wilbanks? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
