As of late Wednesday afternoon, the on-again, off-again quarterfinal matchup between the Gainesville Red Elephants and Hughes Panthers has been postponed pending an appeal by the GHSA. The game will be rescheduled once a decision is reached.
ITG Next will provide updates as they become available.
Below is our story on the game itself.
Gainesville Players Reinstated for Quarterfinals Playoff Game
Can Red Elephants Shift Focus Back to Preparing for 12-0 Hughes Team?
With a Northeastern Circuit Court’s decision making the 35 suspended players from Gainesville’s football team eligible for their quarterfinal game at Hughes, the Red Elephants must refocus on the task at hand. They’ve got a pretty big football game to try to prepare for.
On a week that had the attention of Gainesville High School, its football team, coaching staff, and administration focused on hearings and appeals with the GHSA and ultimately with the court system, head coach Josh Niblett and his staff must turn their full attention to getting the Red Elephants ready to play their most important game of the season.
Gainesville will travel to Langston Hughes to battle an undefeated Panthers team that has spent Thanksgiving week with 100% of its attention devoted to preparing for Gainesville, regardless of how many players their opponent is bringing.
Hughes is 12-0 so far this season and is averaging 45 points per game while allowing just 13 points on defense. They finished atop Region 3-5A with a 7-0 record, giving them the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage through the playoffs, including the ability to host the No. 2 seed Red Elephants in this week’s quarterfinals matchup.
Hughes head coach Andrico Hines’ team features a potent squad of seniors, including running backs Qwantavius “Fat Boy” Wiggins, who is committed to Wisconsin, and Carsyn Baker, who is committed to Florida. Quarterback Darnell Kelly is committed to Colorado State, tight end Xavier Tiller is committed to Florida State, and offensive lineman Kelsey Adams is committed to Georgia.
Hughes is one of Class 5A’s most dominant teams over the past five years, with three state final appearances over that period, in 2021, 2022, and 2024. The 2022 squad finished undefeated 15-0 while capturing the state championship in a 35-28 win over Gainesville. Including this year’s team’s 12-0 record, the Panthers are 62-7 over the past five seasons.
Can Gainesville Put Solid Season Back on Track After Distractions?
While their opponent is one of the most talent-rich teams in Class 5A, the Red Elephants and Niblett are enjoying their best season. Gainesville is 10-2 so far this season and coming off what was arguably their finest performance of the season against Brunswick, before the game was called with roughly two minutes remaining in the third quarter when the two teams began fighting.
The Red Elephants had dominated the second-round playoff game in every phase: offensively, defensively, and special teams.
They were leading 42-0 after taking a 28-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Then to start the third quarter, Gainesville did not let up. They came out with a long kick return on the opening kickoff to begin the third quarter to extend their lead to 35-0 before a 60-yard pick-six from Elijah Watson and Logan Gailey’s extra point made it 42-0.
That’s when frustrations took over and brought an end to what was an otherwise flawless game by Gainesville up to that point.
Gainesville had rebounded well from a 37-35 loss to Roswell two weeks earlier in their regular season finale. They defeated Dunwoody 48-3 in Round 1 of the state playoffs, advancing to play Brunswick.
Follow ITG Next for updates on the Gainesville versus Hughes game as new information becomes available.
