Raiders eye ‘big opportunity’ in road playoff match tonight

Sports fans see it often – teams get hot at the right time.

The Habersham Central boys soccer team exemplifies the expression quite accurately. There was a point, even in the later portion, that the Raiders’ season was all but swirling down the drain.

Then they got hot.

With just five matches remaining and their postseason aspirations hanging on by a thread, the Raiders rattled off four straight region wins to secure a spot in the state tournament. Habersham looks to be playing its best soccer heading into the playoffs. Raiders coach Ric Wallace is proud of how his guys responded to adversity this year. He shared his message for the squad going into Friday’s match.

“We’ll have to play with the same effort, commitment, intensity and belief that has served us so well over the last few weeks of the season,” Wallace said.

The Raiders face a tough opponent in the first round as the squad travels south to Marietta for a meeting with Lassiter. They’ll enter the contest as underdogs, but Wallace says the team is focused and ready to come out swinging. “Friday is a big opportunity to make forever memories.”

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday night.