Just a few days ago,
Gainesville was staring at the possibility of playing in Georgia's Class AAAAA quarterfinal round without a significant portion of its roster.
It was a moot point Friday, however as the Red Elephants met
Langston Hughes (Fairburn) at full strength after a court injunction and pulled off a 40-32 upset to advance to the state semifinals.
Gainesville and the GHSA were in the midst of a legal dispute after the state association ruled 39 players would be ineligible to play for leaving the sideline during an altercation against
Brunswick on Nov. 21.
Gainesville quarterback Kharim Hughley threw four touchdown passes Friday night in a massive playoff win over Langston Hughes. (FILE PHOTO: Corey Jones)
But Gainesville sought and received a court injunction that temporarily overruled the GHSA’s suspensions, deeming all 39 players eligible to play against Langston Hughes. The GHSA appealed the ruling but no decision was made by the court in time for Friday’s quarterfinal matchup.
Alabama signee
Jamarion Matthews recovered two fumbles and made key stops while junior Clemson commit
Kharim Hughley completed 9 of 16 passes for 130 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Red Elephants.
Facing a 37-16 deficit at the end of the third quarter, Langston Hughes rallied in the final 12 minutes following a blocked punt by
Kijon Brown-Braxton and touchdowns from
Carsyn Baker and
Jamarion McKinney. The Panthers attempted an onside kick with 28 seconds left but the Red Elephants recovered.
Gainesville (11-2), which lost to Langston Hughes in the 2022 state championship game, defeated
Dunwoody 48-3 and Brunswick 42-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Red Elephants will now face
Rome, which last played Nov. 28, in the upcoming semifinals Dec. 11. The winner of that game will play the winner between
Thomas County Central (Thomasville) and
Roswell in the championship Dec. 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta.
