OAKWOOD - In years past it was always one of the marquee games on the schedule.
But when the Gainesville and West Hall football teams meet Friday night at West Hall Stadium at 7:30 p.m. in their season and Region 7-AAA finales, no playoff positions will be up for grabs. Just bragging rights.
Gainesville, however, wants to keep the train rolling. The Red Elephants (8-1, 8-0 in region) have won eight straight since dropping their opener to Buford.
West Hall (3-6, 3-5) wants to show it has come all the way back from an 0-5 start. The Spartans had their three-game win streak snapped last week against North Hall.
And no one is expecting anything similar to the 55-0 drubbing Gainesville put on West Hall last year, the most lopsided win by either team in the series.
"West Hall is by far the most improved team in the area since the beginning of the year," Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. "(West Hall coach) Matt (Dillon) is doing a great job over there. He's a tremendous coach. I think we all felt they would be good by the end of the year. This will be a good test for us as we get ready for the playoffs."
For Dillon and the Spartans, this is their playoff game, and another measuring stick game for his program.
"We feel like we've improved," Dillon said. "Early in the year the kids would get down and not be able to fight back. But the last six weeks the kids have come back against several teams to tie the game and it shows that they have a lot more confidence in themselves and the coaches.
"We're looking at this game as a chance to really get some momentum and confidence for next year that we can compete against the best teams. We're excited about the opportunity to see how much we've improved and also what we need to continue to work on."
The West Hall defense is going to be tested. Gainesville is averaging 27 points per game in the region. The Spartans have allowed 21 points a game this season but just 12 points a game the past month.
Meanwhile, West Hall is averaging 17 points a game over the last month after scoring just 37 total points the first five weeks. But, the Gainesville defense has allowed just 6.6 points a game over the past month and just 9.1 games to region foes. Gainesville held Gilmer to zero yards of total offense in a 27-7 win last week.
"They have gotten after people (on defense) the last few weeks and I think that is one of the reasons for our success," Miller said. "But we feel like we can do some things on offense. Again, this will be a good test for us going into the playoffs."
Dillon said the Red Elephants are more than a one-man show.
"A lot of people look at Kendrick (Lewis) as the reason they've gotten better. But it's really the fact that Gainesville was able to move some people to some spots where they're more successful, which has made them even tougher, especially on defense," Dillon said.
"Kendrick can make things happen on offense so you have to always be aware of where he is on the field. We're looking forward to the challenge of trying to slow them down. No one has been able to do it so far."
REGION 7-AAA STANDINGS WEEK 10
TEAM..............Region...................Overall
*Gainesville..........8-0-0...............8-1-0
*Flowery Branch...7-1-0...............8-1-0
*Pickens.............6-3-0...............7-3-0
*Chestatee.........5-3-0...............5-4-0
White County......4-4-0...............5-4-0
North Hall...........4-4-0...............5-4-0
Fannin County.....3-5-0...............4-5-0
West Hall...........3-5-0...............3-6-0
Johnson.............1-8-0...............1-9-0
Gilmer County.....0-8-0...............1-8-0
FRIDAY'S GAMES, 10-28
Flowery Branch at Gilmer, 7:30 p.m.
Fannin County at Chestatee, 7:30 p.m.
Gainesville at West Hall, 7:30 p.m.
North Hall at White County, 7:30 p.m.
(Johnson and Pickens are off)
LAST WEEK'S SCORES
Gainesville 27, Gilmer 7
Flowery Branch 41, Chestatee 13
Pickens 21, Fannin County 14
North Hall 36, West Hall 12
White County 42, Johnson 15
* - Teams qualified for state playoffs
(By Jeff Hart)
Thursday
May 15th, 2025
4:43AM
