Many high school football fans may be wondering what happened in the first round of the GHSA state football playoffs. For 2025, the GHSA decided to have a bye week after the last games of the regular season to be able to make up any games that were cancelled.
The playoffs finally get underway Friday and the Statesboro Blue Devils (7-3) take their No. 3 seed for a long road trip to No. 2 seed Habersham Central for a 7:30 kickoff Friday night. Habersham is in Mt. Airy, which is about 30 miles north of Gainesville.
Head coach Matt Dobson believes his team was ready to play last week and he said he was not excited about the extra week off. Nonetheless, Dobson said the team took full advantage of the extra week and are ready to finally play Friday.
“I would have rather played last week, but I think we were productive with the extra week of preparation,” Dobson said. “Our guys were very focused in practice and I think they have a great grasp of our gameplan. Overall, it was beneficial and we made the most out of it. Getting that extra time to look at game film and really slow things down a bit. We also had time to look at what we have been doing well and areas we need to work on.”
The last time the Blue Devils were on the field, they came back from a 29-14 fourth quarter deficit to Effingham County and rallied back to score 21 points, before eventually falling, 42-41, in overtime. Dobson was encouraged by how the team fought back and especially the way they played in the fourth quarter. He is hoping they can play more like that fourth quarter this week on the road.
“We didn’t put four quarters together in our last game against Effingham,” Dobson said. “We did some really good things on both sides of the ball, particularly there in the fourth quarter. What we did well on offense and defense are things we have really looked at during this extended break. We also had some issues in that game that we had to address the past week or so, as well.”
Friday, the Blue Devils travel to Habersham Central. The Raiders come in with a record of 7-3 and are led by senior running back Donnie Warren, who has 1,455 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Paris Wilbanks has thrown for 1,381 yards and 13 touchdowns and also has rushed for 245 yards and six touchdowns.
“On offense, they spread the ball around and have one of the best running backs in 5A,” Dobson said. “We have to play sound, assignment football. Defensively, they are really unique in what they do. They play a three-high defense, which is something we don’t see too much. It’s a unique challenge that we have really only seen on third downs, but they are well-coached in it and we will have to be ready.”
Statesboro and Habersham Central are set for a 7:30 start Friday in Mt. Airy.
