Sixteen GHSA teams will face out-of-state opponents in Week 2 of the high school football season, including the top two teams in Class 5A, Milton and Gainesville.
Gainesville, ranked No. 2, got an early jump on the weekend Thursday night with a 31-7 victory against Moody of Alabama. It was the first road victory against an out-of-state opponent in program history.
The Red Elephants led just 3-0 at halftime after a 27-yard field goal by Francisco Johnson in the closing seconds of the second quarter. Gainesville broke the game open with three touchdowns in the third quarter.
“We came out in the second half and were able to get the ball out to our playmakers, get them in some space, do some things,” Gainesville coach Josh Niblett told Jeff Hart of accessWDUN. “We were able to run the football. Defensively, we continued to put pressure on them and earn the right to rush the passer on third down, and that’s what we do best.”
According to Hart, Gainesville held Moody to 0-for-11 on third downs and four total first downs. The Red Elephants have allowed less than 400 yards and just 10 points in their first two games.
The Red Elephants followed a similar script in their season-opening victory against Marietta. They led 14-3 at halftime and then, after a weather delay of about an hour and 45 minutes, scored four third-quarter touchdowns on their way to a 41-3 victory. Gainesville held Marietta to 175 total yards.
Top-ranked Milton will travel to Plantation, Fla., on Friday to face American Heritage in a matchup of teams ranked in the top 20 nationally.
American Heritage has six players ranked in the top 400 nationally, led by quarterback Dia Bell, the No. 4 junior at his position, according to 247Sports. Bell has committed to Texas.
Milton, which defeated No. 1 Buford of Class 6A 13-10 last week, has four top-400 players of its own – QB Luke Nickel (Miami), WR C.J. Wiley (Florida State), TE Ethan Barbour (Georgia) and OL Brayden Jacobs (Clemson).
Milton played at least one out-of-state opponent in each of the past three seasons, going 2-3 in those games.
Here are some other games to watching involving Class 5A teams playing in-state opponents this week:
*Brunswick at Wayne County: Both teams will be trying to rebound from Week 1 losses. Brunswick came up short in a 51-41 loss to Class 6A Camden County, and Wayne County lost Glynn Academy 16-10. The Wayne County game should provide a good measuring stick for the Pirates, who will face rival Glynn Academy in what likely will be a crucial Region 1-5A game on Sept. 27.
*Oconee County at Clarke Central: Last week, Clarke Central beat Athens rival Cedar Shoals (42-3) for the 18th time in the past 20 meetings. The Gladiators will face another neighbor this week in Oconee County, located 9.2 miles away. Clarke Central ended a three-game losing streak in the series with a 38-31 victory last year and looks to start 2-0 for just the second time in five seasons.
*Sandy Creek at McIntosh: McIntosh beat Fayette County 56-0 in what was the most-lopsided game in the history of the series, which Fayette County leads 25-14. The Indians will face another Fayette rival this week when they take on Sandy Creek, which moved up to No. 1 in Class 3A this week. Sandy Creek has won eight of the 10 meetings with McIntosh, including 48-9 in the last one, in 2009.
*Ware County at Coffee: Both teams are coming off impressive victories against ranked opponents in lower classifications. Coffee, No. 6 in Class 5A, defeated then-No. 5 Bainbridge of 3A 59-6, Bainbridge’s worst loss in 44 years. Ware County, No. 4 in 4A, beat then-No. 2 Appling County of Class 2A 40-10. In Coffee’s 28-5 victory last year, Ware County was held without a touchdown for the first time in 50 games.
