The Raiders are riding into 2023 hungry for a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. A frustrating 2022 produced just 3 wins and uncertainty at positions that seemed to be certain going in. Though the team lost some key contributors, the skill positions look as solid as they have been in some time, and the top pair of defensive players roll it back. Habersham Central is hoping to make a run.

Head Coach: Benji Harrison, 9th season
2022 Record: 3-7; No Playoffs

“To finish games and compete for the region championship,” says coach Benji Harrison on the goals for this Raiders team.

2023 SCHEDULE – HABERSHAM CENTRAL

AUG 18 vs STEPHENS COUNTY

AUG 25 @ WHITE COUNTY

SEP 1 BYE

SEP 8 @ CENTRAL GWINNETT

SEP 15 vs FORSYTH CENTRAL

SEP 22 @ LANIER^

SEP 29 vs JACKSON COUNTY^

OCT 6 BYE

OCT 13 vs GAINESVILLE^

OCT 20 vs NORTH FORSYTH^

OCT 27 @ APALACHEE^

NOV 3 @ SHILOH^

^REGION 8-AAAAAA GAME

Personnel & Schemes

Key Departures: Braydon Wright, Garrett Turner, Blandon Grizzle, Cooper Smith

Wright and Turner were key cogs in the defense, and Grizzle was the leading rusher for the Raiders. That trio are the biggest missing pieces, along with Cooper Smith (QB) who as a great fill-in for Carson Parker last year. He won’t be there this time for the Raiders to go to in case something happens.

Returning Starters: 7 on offense; 5 on defense

Key Returning Players: Carson Parker, Zeke Whittington, Carter Barrett, Braden Henslee, Hayes Gunn, Michael Hill, Canon Wilbanks

Parker at QB, Whittington at WR, and Gunn at RB provide an experienced trio at the skill spots. Carter Barrett and Braden Henslee are the top 2 tacklers from last year, so that’s a big plus. Michael Hill has been kicking deep field goals through the spring and summer, and gives Habersham something it hasn’t had in many years – an accurate kicker capable of putting the points on the board rather than a low-percentage 4th-down conversion attempt in the red zone. And Canon Wilbanks emerged as a solid second look at QR with 353 yards and 2 TD.

Up & Coming Players: Hayes Gunn

Gunn only got 30 carries last year, going for 143 yards and 3 TD. His ability to move to the top RB option will be critical to the team’s success. He averaged 4.8 yards per tote, which was best among all Raiders with at least 19 carries.

Offense: Spread

Carson Parker (874 pass yds, 3 TD, 7 INT; 343 rush yds, 4 TD) looks to return to more of his sophomore year form (1,300 yds, 7 TD; 310 rush yds, 6 TD). He’s the starting QB here as a senior. He has junior WR Zeke Whittington (987 rec yds, 2 TD; 131 rush yds, 2 TD) as his go-to option, and Hayes Gunn (143 rush yds, 3 TD) will share the load with Antonio Cantrell in the ground attack.

Defense: 3-3

The quartet of safety Carter Barrett (82 TKL, 3 FF, 1 FR, 3 PBU), LB Braden Henslee (106 TKL, 11 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 INT, 2 FR, 1 FF, 3 BLK, 2 QBH), C Sombdee Satiphone (35 TKL, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT), and LB Jonah Wilson (27 TKL, 4 TFL, 1 Sack) will be huge for the Raiders. The Raiders have trended well in recent years on this side of the ball.

Trenches: “If we can stay healthy, I think we have great depth headed into the season,” claims Harrison.

Strengths & Areas of Focus

Strengths: “I think it’s our seniors,” states Harrison. “We have 21 seniors that have played a bunch of snaps. I think their experience will hopefully show the rest of the team what it takes everyday to compete in our region.”

Focusing On: “We need to be tougher,” adds Harrison. “All of focus has been on finishing the game. We had too many leads last year that we let slip away.”

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