Clarke Central waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They took down the Habersham Central Raiders 44-28. Given the Gladiators' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Raiders are ranked 208th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Clarke Central was led to victory by Hezekiah Millender and Corey Watkins Jr. Millender threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns, while Watkins Jr gained 191 total yards and three touchdowns. Watkins Jr's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 125 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Habersham Central's loss came despite strong showings from Zeke Whittington and Paris Wilbanks. Whittington picked up 130 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Wilbanks threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Whittington has become a key player for Habersham Central: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least 80 receiving yards, but 0-4 otherwise. Habersham Central also got a significant boost from Donnie Warren, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 91 yards.
Clarke Central's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Habersham Central, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-5.
Clarke Central wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next match, a 54-20 victory against Loganville on the 11th. Habersham Central has also already played their next game, a 52-17 win against Alcovy on the 11th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
