STOCKBRIDGE — For a few amazing minutes on Friday, Gainesville football was right back in its rarified territory -- setting sail for another state quarterfinal berth.
But not every comeback ends in magic, and the Red Elephants saw their amazing attempt fall just short, as Stockbridge survived Gainesville for a 40-34 overtime playoff victory in Stockbridge.
Despite storming back from a 28-6 halftime deficit against the No. 1-ranked team in Class AAAAA, Gainesville (8-4) saw its season come to an end after knotting the score 34-34 with just 1:13 left to play in regulation. The outcome also halted the Red Elephants' push for a fifth straight state quarterfinal appearance.
"Well I think it's just an amazing fight on our kids' part, 28-6 at halftime. ... We come back out, and we get a score, and then all of a sudden we start fighting and things start happening, but, you know I hate it for our kids because they fought so hard to come back, and it's always hard to lose. I don't care how you lose, it's always hard to lose. I mean, take your hat off to our seniors and how well they fought," said Gainesville coach Bruce Miller.
Gainesville quarterback Messiah Dorsey capped his final prep football game with a memorable night, sparking the second half surge with three touchdowns to catch the Tigers at the end of regulation. He also caught the tying two-point conversion pass on a wild reverse play that saw Martavius Davis somehow heave the ball to Dorsey while mere inches from being called down.
Dorsey finished the night with 376 combined yards -- 191 through the air, completing 20 of 28 attempts -- including a scoring pass to Davis. He also rushed for 185 yards and two third quarter touchdowns.
Gainesville's Chris Byrd also rushed for 77 yards in his final game for Gainesville, while Tae Turner caught three passes for 64 yards.
Chandler Staton supplied all the first half scoring for the Red Elephants, kicking field goals of 49 and 34 yards. But Stockbridge kept finding the end zone.
Malachi Brown and Jalen Holston each produced touchdown runs, including a 95-yard sprint from Holston,w ho also had a 2-yard run to make it 28-6 at the half.
The Red Elephants showed grit and more than their share of determination, however, and the fightback began in the third quarter.
"I just said look we can't give up. We can't give up. I just said we can't give up, no matter what it is, we gotta come out and play hard," Miller said. "And our guys did and we made some big plays and just -- we just came up one play short."
Gainesville fumbled the ball away on its possession in overtime and Brown punished the giveaway, scoring on a short run to seal the outcome.
"It was incredible the way we came back, and you just hate it for them because they fought hard enough to win. It just didn't happen," Miller said. "We've gotta use this and build on it. I think a couple of games this year, more than a couple, show that if you keep fighting and you stay in it, you have a chance, and that's what our guys did."
