GAINESVILLE - After two playoff-like atmospheres at Bobby Gruhn Field against rivals Johnson and North Hall, you could understand if the Gainesville football team feels a little letdown when it travels to Ellijay Friday to play Gilmer County in another key Region 7-AAA game.
Elephants coach Bruce Miller, however, said there's no room for it. Especially after the Elephants lost two of their main weapons to broken ankles last week.
"Gilmer has a good football team," Miller said. "We better be ready to play. They can beat anybody and playing up there is tough.
"John Castleberry is out for the rest of the year and Carlos Cobb is probably out that long but his wasn't as severe as John's. It a loss on offense but it's a huge loss defensively because those guys have anchored our secondary and have really been playing big back there."
Gainesville (5-0, 5-0) has won 15 straight regular season games dating back to last year and are 18-2 over the last 20 games dating back to the 2001 playoffs. Gilmer (3-2, 3-2) has won three of its last four and held opponents to just 14 total points in those wins. East Hall scored 32 but took advantage of several Gilmer miscues deep in its own territory.
But Gilmer also lost its starting quarterback last week to a broken ankle.
In those two high-pressure games against Johnson and North Hall, the Gainesville defense set the tone early holding both teams to a total of 7 points. Miller said they will have to do the same against Gilmer.
"They have a methodical offense. They don't put up big numbers but they take advantage of mistakes and turnovers caused by their defense," Miller said.
Gilmer will find out if it's a pretender or a contender beginning Friday. After Gainesville, the Bobcats play North Hall, Johnson and West Hall in successive weeks.
Monday
June 30th, 2025
5:09PM
