Top-ranked Hughes, the 2021 state runner-up and the Region 5 champion this season, will be joined by three other region champs in the Class 6A semifinals, to be played Friday night at neutral sites.
Hughes will be the designated home team when it faces Rome at 8 p.m. at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta. Roswell will be the home team when it meets Gainesville at 8 p.m. at McEachern High School’s Cantrell Stadium in Cobb County. The stadiums at Hughes and Roswell did not meet the GHSA requirement of 6,000 permanent seats for a Class 6A semifinal, necessitating the moves.
Here’s a look at this week’s semifinal games.
Gainesville vs. Roswell
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, McEachern High School, Powder Springs
Records, rankings: 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.
Last meeting: Gainesville won 14-6 in the 1985 Class 3A quarterfinals.
Things to know: This game matches teams that were in Class 7A last season. Roswell went 10-3 and reached the quarterfinals, while Gainesville was 5-5 and missed the playoffs. Gainesville has a new coach this season, former Hoover (Ala.) head coach Josh Niblett, and is in the semifinals for the first time since 2013. Gainesville beat Houston County 49-35 last week, using a 35-point run to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 42-14 lead. 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. Roswell trailed 24-6 in the second half last week against unbeaten and second-ranked Thomas County Central but outscored the Yellow Jackets 29-7 in the third quarter, taking the lead for good at 35-31 on a 6-yard touchdown pass from K.J. Smith to Ethan Nation, and went on to win 42-34. Smith passed for 242 yards and three touchdowns and has 2,489 yards for the season. Nykahi Davenport rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns to reach 1,838 yards for the year. Roswell is in the semifinals for the first time since reaching back-to-back state finals in 2015 and 2016.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Roswell 28, Gainesville 21
Rome vs. Hughes
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Lakewood Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Rome is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 6-6A and No. 6; Hughes is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from 5-6A and No. 1.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: Rome is in the semifinals for the first time since 2018. The Wolves held Marist to its lowest point total since 2019 with a 17-7 victory last week. Reece Fountain threw touchdown passes of 54 and 12 yards to Will Bray, the second coming with 6:07 remaining in the game after Marist had cut the lead to 10-7. Fountain was 20-of-28 passing for 243 of Rome’s 315 total yards. The Wolves have held nine of 13 points to a touchdown or less. Hughes, the state runner-up in 2021, needs 44 points to break the GHSA record for points in a season set by Rome with 758 in its 2017 state championship season. The Panthers are averaging 55 points per game. Hughes tied a school record for victories in a season when it defeated fifth-ranked Woodward Academy 56-28 in the quarterfinals. Hughes outscored Woodward 35-7 in the second half after being tied 21-21 at the break. Prentiss “Air” Noland passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns, putting him at 3,590 yards and 49 touchdowns for the season. Jekail Middlebrook had 201 of the Panthers’ 279 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns. Middlebrook has run for 1,283 yards for the season, and Justus Savage has 964.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Hughes 35, Rome 20
Quarterfinals
Roswell 42, Thomas Co. Central 34
Gainesville 49, Houston Co. 35
Hughes 56, Woodward Academy 28
Rome 17, Marist 7
Semifinals
Gainesville vs. Roswell
Rome vs. Hughes
Championship
7 p.m., Dec. 9
Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
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