Football Recap: Gainesville Takes Down Ranked Milton + How To Watch

Gainesville faced Milton in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Red Elephants came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 28-16. The victory was nothing new for the Red Elephants as they're now sitting on four straight.

NIGEL NEWKIRK

Rushing Touchdowns (Career)

10/10/25 @ Milton	3
09/26/25 vs Johns Creek	2
08/29/25 vs Westlake	2
08/21/25 vs Moody	2
10/03/25 @ Seckinger	1

It was another big night for NIGEL NEWKIRK, who rushed for 162 yards and three scores while picking up 10.1 yards per carry. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was KHARIM HUGHLEY, who threw for 119 yards and one TD.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Gainesville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 406 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Another reason for the win was Gainesville's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. MARSHALL LEONARD was especially locked on to Milton's QB and sacked him twice.

Milton's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ben Halevi, who threw for 254 yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 34 yards. Bentley Hickman helped out on the ground, rushing for 100 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Gainesville's record now sits at 7-1. As for Milton, the loss snapped their winning streak at six games and leaves them with a 6-2 record.

Gainesville didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next game, a 55-3 win against Chattahoochee on the 17th. As for Milton, they will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Johns Creek at 7:30 p.m. on the 24th. The Eagles will be up against the Gladiators' rather soft defense (which has allowed 54.43 points per matchup), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance.