Habersham Central is 7-1 against Apalachee since November of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Habersham Central Raiders will square off against the Apalachee Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Habersham Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 32.1 points per game this season.
Last Friday, Habersham Central took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 52-17 win over Alcovy.
Habersham Central found their leader in underclassman Paris Wilbanks, who threw for 158 yards and four touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes, and also rushed for 44 yards. Wilbanks has been hot recently, having posted three or more passing touchdowns the last four times he's played. Zeke Whittington was another key player, picking up 72 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Habersham Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 237 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 156 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups.
Habersham Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Braydon Strickland and Landyn Savage.
Meanwhile, Apalachee was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 16th straight loss dating back to last season. They took a 21-10 hit to the loss column at the hands of Alcovy. The match was a 7-7 toss-up at halftime, but the Wildcats couldn't quite close it out.
Apalachee might have lost, but man, Favian Williford was a machine: he rushed for 219 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Williford a new career-high in rushing yards.
Habersham Central's victory bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Apalachee, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Habersham Central has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 177.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Apalachee struggles in that department as they've been averaging 153.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Habersham Central against Apalachee in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 42-15 win. Will Habersham Central repeat their success, or does Apalachee have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
