The Clarke Central Gladiators will face off against the Habersham Central Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, Clarke Central put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Apalachee 38-0. The Gladiators have beaten the Wildcats the last five times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Wildcats has come to flipping the script.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Clarke Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Nuhsi Valenti, who rushed for 76 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Dream Freeman
| 09/26/25 @ Apalachee | 6 |
| 09/19/25 vs Jackson County | 5 |
| 09/05/25 vs North Oconee | 6 |
Clarke Central's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB 6.5 times. Dream Freeman was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself. He has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last three times he's played. Another thorn in Apalachee's side was Bradyn Malcom, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made five total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Habersham Central didn't have too much trouble with Winder-Barrow on Friday as they won 35-21.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Donnie Warren and Demetrius Dowdy. Warren had a great game and rushed for 253 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, Dowdy was balling out in the loss, rushing for 208 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 11.6 yards per carry.
Habersham Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Parks York and Sawyer Burgess. Habersham Central is undefeated when York posts one or more interceptions, but 1-2 otherwise. CJ Davis was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, forcing one fumble, and making four total tackles.
Clarke Central's victory bumped their record up to 2-4. As for Habersham Central, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
Clarke Central strolled past Habersham Central when the teams last played back in October of 2024 by a score of 44-28. Will the Gladiators repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
