The Roswell Hornets outlasted the Gainesville Red Elephants in a shootout, 48-45, Friday in a key Region 7-5A game that came down to the final play.
On third-and-8 from the Roswell 13, Red Elephants quarterback Kharim Hughley’s pass to the end zone fell incomplete, sending Ray Manus Stadium into a frenzy.
With the win the Hornets, ranked No. 7, move to 7-1, 4-0 in region play and will play at top-ranked Milton next week for the 7-5A championship.
The No. 5 Red Elephants finish 7-3, 4-1 and will take a bye next week before the playoffs, where they’ll be a No. 3 seed.
The Hornets were led by junior quarterback Trey Smith, who had three rushing touchdowns and 90 yards on 14 carries, and was 11 of 19 passing for 237 yards and another touchdown. Senior Synkwan Smith had 100 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Junior Nick Peal had two touchdowns and 32 yards on six carries. Grant Cook had a touchdown and two catches for 89 yards.
“It was a wild game, I’ll tell you,” Hornets coach Chris Prewett said. ”I’m extremely proud of our kids for hanging in there and sticking it out until the end. It was a tough matchup. We knew it was going to be a high scoring game. We are super proud. Our kids worked their butts off for this. We prepared all offseason for this part of the year.”
The Hornets trailed by as much as 30-21 early in the third quarter, but took a 48-37 lead with 3:55 remaining on Trey Smith’s 33-yard touchdown run. The Red Elephants responded with a three-play drive that lasted less than a minute and ended with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Hughley to Jeremiah Ware. Hughley ran in the 2-point conversion and the game’s final points with 3:15 left.
The Hornets would recover the ensuing onside kick, but the Red Elephants would hold them to a 53-yard missed field goal attempt. The Red Elephants took over on their own 20 with one time out. On second-and-10 from the Roswell 33, they completed a 29-yard pass that would have put them on the 4, but they were called for holding. They’d never get closer to the end zone.
Hughley, a sophomore, finished 26 of 33 for 454 yards and six touchdowns, three to senior Jeremiah Ware, who had 13 catches for 223 yards. Senior Taz Smith had seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown, and junior tight end Landon Williamson had to catches, both touchdowns, totaling 35 yards.
The Hornets fumbled on their opening drive, and Gainesville’s first offensive play was a 62-yard play-action pass from Hughley to Ware, which set the tone for the game.
The Hornets’ defense forced two turnovers on downs, the first on fourth-and-3 on the Roswell 34, which led to the Hornets taking a 34-30 lead with 4:00 left in the third quarter on Trey Smith’s 5-yard run. With 6:33 left in the game, the Hornets stuffed the run on 4th-and-1 from the 39, leading to Trey Smith’s 33-yard scoring run.
The Hornets will be ready for next week, Prewett said.
“When you’re at Roswell High School and it’s Roswell-Milton, there’s not too much you’ve got to say,” Prewett said. “It will be a fun matchup. It will be another intense matchup. We’re testing ourselves against the best opponents, and that’s what we’ve got to do if we want to win.”
Gainesville 14 9 14 8 — 45
Roswell 7 14 13 14 — 48
G — Jeremiah Ware 62 pass from Kharim Hughley (Francisco Johnson kick)
R — Nick Peal 6 run (Balint Vorosmarty kick)
G — Landon Williamson 23 pass from Hughley (Johnson kick)
R — Grant Cook 72 pass from Trey Smith (Vorosmarty kick)
G — Ware 38 pass from Hughley (kick failed)
R — Trey Smith 8 run (Vorosmarty kick)
G — Johnson 28 FG
G — Taz Smith 80 pass from Hughley (Johnson kick)
R — Synkwan Smith 26 run (Vorosmarty kick)
R — Trey Smith 5 run (pass failed)
G — Williamson 12 pass from Hughley (Johnson kick)
R — Peal 3 run (Vorosmarty kick)
R — Trey Smith 33 run (Vorosmarty kick)
G — Ware 49 pass from Hughley (Hughley run)
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