Clint Thompson
THOMASVILLE — To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Gainesville will soon have its opportunity.
Its undefeated and thundering herd of Red Elephants will host the defending Class AAA champion Cairo Syrupmakers in the third round Friday night.
“When you hit the final eight or the elite eight, whatever everybody in Georgia wants to call it, No. 1, you’re pretty good and the team you’re playing is pretty good,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “There’s no way to get to the final eight and not be good. It comes down to who plays the best and who makes the least mistakes.
“It’s just one of those things where you’ve got to line up and play, and meet the challenge.”
The challenge is getting a little tougher for the Red Elephants. After a 3-3 start to the season, Cairo is riding a six-game winning streak. It hasn’t allowed more than a touchdown in almost two months.
“I think it’ll be very tough,” Miller said. “We’ve gotten films on them, and I’ve looked at it. They’re quick. They’re a very good football team. The coach (Tom Fallaw) down there has done it again. You’d thought he had emptied the pot last year with 27 seniors graduating. He’s done it again. Undoubtedly, he’s a great coach. He didn’t have to rebuild. He’s reloaded.”
Much like last year’s Cairo team that won all 14 games a year ago, Gainesville has been just as dominant this year. The Red Elephants have scored at least 34 points in every game this year. The defense has pitched six shutouts. The closest margin of victory has been 22 points. The pieces have fell into place for the Region 7 champ.
“Our goal was to improve each game in some phase of our game, whether it was defense, offense or special teams,” Miller said. “So far, our team has done that. Our defense has played so well, and our offense has been pretty explosive.”
Also working in Gainesville’s favor is playing at home. The Red Elephants have won 15 straight home games and their last four playoff games at Bobby Gruhn Field.
“Personally, I think it’s huge that they’ve got to travel, what’s probably a four or five-hour drive. Also, I know this late in the year and what this game means, home-field advantage is important. But I also know you can get off that bus, and play super,” said a wary Miller. “I think it’s huge to be home, Thanksgiving weekend. But I also think that the team that travels, travels with a chip on their shoulder.”
