Mistakes cost GHS in loss to Westminster

GAINESVILLE - Last week's scare turned into a nightmare this week for the Gainesville High football team.

Westminster took advantage of six Gainesville turnovers to pull off a 16-6 upset of the Class AAA No. 1-ranked Red Elephants Friday night at Bobby Gruhn Field.

Gainesville, which finishes the year at 11-1, had to come from behind twice last week in a win over Villa Rica. In that game a usually potent Red Elephants offense struggled with penalties and turnovers.

It was worse against Westminster, and the Wildcats (10-2) made Gainesville pay. They turned two of those into field goals in the second half and a they intercepted a Don Whitley pass with less than two minutes left to seal the game.

Westminster will move onto next week's quarterfinals to play Washington County, which demolished Fitzgerald 42-0.

Gainesville's powerful ground game was held to just 106 yards for the game and leading rusher Joseph Maheffey had just 32 yards on 12 carries. Cedric Langston provided the only big play of the game with a 45-yard run to set up the Elephants first score, a 22-yard field by Will Williams to cut the Westminster lead to 7-3. Langston finished with 62 yards to lead the Elephants.

The Elephants defense kept them in the game holding Westminster to just 187 total yards and just 93 yards passing. But the defense was constantly just trying to keep the score close as the Wildcats continually got good field position from the Gainesville mistakes.

Each one of the four second half turnovers stopped Gainesville drives inside Westminster territory. Overall the Elephants had three fumbles, two interceptions and a blocked punt.

The only touchdown of the game, however, came on Westminster's opening drive. The Wildcats used their run-and-shoot type passing game to methodically drive down the field and capped on an 8-yard scoring pass midway through the first quarter.

Gainesville came right back on its first drive and got a 22-yard field goal from Will Williams to make it 7-3. Westminster added a field goal just before the half to in to halftime with a 10-3 lead.

The Wildcats pushed the field to 13-3 but Gainesville cut it to 13-6 and a 41-yard field goal by Williams.

Westminster put the game away using more than seven minutes on a fourth quarter drive to run the lead to 16-6.