The Gainesville Red Elephants head into the GHSA Class 6A semifinals this week against Roswell. The game will be played Friday at 8 p.m. at McEachern High School in Powder Springs.
No. 4 Gainesville advanced to the semis after knocking off 10th-ranked Houston County in the 6A state quarterfinals, 49-35. Gainesville used a 35-point run to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 42-14 lead in Friday’s game against the Bears. Baxter Wright passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns and scored on a 45-yard run. Naim Cheeks had 133 yards rushing and 101 yards receiving and scored three touchdowns. Tre Reece had 110 yards and a touchdown receiving and scored on a 95-yard kickoff return.
This marks the first time since 2013 that the Red Elephants have made it to the semifinal round. They achieved it under new head coach, former Hoover (Ala.) head coach Josh Niblett.
“First of all, for us to be here and now going to the semifinals, God’s been good to us,” Coach Niblett told reporters after the quarterfinals. “I can’t say enough about these kids. We can talk about the game all we want to, but it’s about our kids being resilient, believing in the plan.”
Roswell is in the semifinals for the first time since reaching back-to-back state finals in 2015 and 2016.
Gainesville is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 8-6A and No. 4; Roswell is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from 7-6A and No. 3. Both teams were in Class 7A last season. Roswell went 10-3 and reached the quarterfinals, while Gainesville was 5-5 and missed the playoffs.
When the teams last met in the 1985 Class 3A quarterfinals, Gainesville won 14-6.
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Todd Holcomb of Georgia High School Football Daily contributed to this report. To join the GHSF mailing list, click here.
