GAINESVILLE — Rodarious Timmons had no idea who was around him -- he just saw the ball slicing through the fog.
He saw the ball and knew it carried victory with it -- and he knew what to do from there.
Standing wide-open at the 5-yard line Timmons hauled in the short pass, turned and dove into the end zone for a touchdown, capping a breath-taking final drive that handed Gainesville a 29-26 over Flowery Branch on Friday at City Park in Gainesville.
The victory sealed the No. 2 seed from Region 8-AAAAA for the Red Elephants (7-3, 7-2 Region 8-AAAAA) and knocked the Falcons (6-4, 5-4) from playoff contention after the kind of contest reserved for fierce rivalries and one especially typical of this rivalry.
“The ball looked very big as it was coming at me,” said Timmons, all smiles after catching the pass from Gainesville quarterback Messiah Dorsey, who completed two scoring strikes and also ran for one in the win. “I knew I had to catch it and score a touchdown and win the game for my team.”
Timmons’ game-winning play came just over two minutes after the Falcons put themselves right back in the playoff hunt, taking their first lead of the night on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Kory Graham to Cortez Davis -- their second scoring hook-up of the contest. The dogged effort from the visitors was one-upped by Gainesville, however, as the Red Elephants marched 73 yards, Dorsey and Timmons sealing the win.
“What a game... I’ve been part of some incredible contests, but that might have just been the most exciting one,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “I thought our team showed so much character, and Flowery Branch showed a lot of character... We just showed what we were made of.”
The win means Gainesville will play host to Alexander next week in the first round of the Class AAAAA playoffs -- where they will look to ride the momentum snatched late Friday.
“I hope the kids will use this and see that they’re never out of it,” Miller said. “The sure weren’t tonight.”
The Falcons, meanwhile, will miss out on the postseason for a second straight season.
Both teams were equal parts big play on offense and special teams, gutsy defense and occasional mistake on Friday, as Gainesville edged in front behind its defense and Dorsey.
The quarterback finished the night with 196 yards rushing and just 83 through the air -- though the last 15 yards proved plenty sweet. Running back Chris Byrd also did plenty of heavy lifting, rushing for 141 yards, as the Red Elephants rushed for 328 yards as a team.
Meanwhile, the Gainesville defense forced two turnovers on downs in the first half, allowing the Red Elephants to build a 19-7 advantage early in the third quarter. But the Falcons’ own grinding run game -- and big plays through Davis -- so nearly made the difference. Davis caught four passes for 98 yards and two scores, helping Graham to pass for 118 yards. Meanwhile, Trey Wilcoxson rushed for 108 yards, as Flowery Branch wrested control of the contest in the second half.
But Gainesville wasn’t to be denied.
“My heart dropped when I saw him (Timmons) open near the goal line,” Dorsey said. “I knew right then it was going to be a touchdown.”
Dorsey opened the game with an impressive drive, leading Gainesville 65 yards in six plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 9-yard pass to Tyric Watson.
After forcing a quick punt on the Falcons’ first possession, the Red Elephants looked set to build on their momentum -- but Flowery Branch wasn’t about to let the contest get away.
The Falcons forced a Gainesville punt and then made the most of a fake punt pass from Kyle King to Cameron Holmes. The play gave the Falcons a first down at the Gainesville 13 and set up a 4-yard scoring run from Jasen Johnson to knot the contest at 7-7 with 3:58 left in the first quarter.
The offensive fireworks proved a rarity for the remainder of the half, however, as both defenses dug in.
The Red Elephants managed two drives inside Falcons territory but had to settle for Chandler Staton field goals. The senior drilled a 39- and 32-yard effort to push Gainesville into a 13-7 lead.
The Red Elephants defense maintained that advantage, forcing two turnovers on downs in the second quarter. The first came after Flowery Branch blocked a Staton punt attempt and took over at the Red Elephants’ 30-yard line. The Falcons moved as close as the Gainesville 22 but no further.
The Red Elephants forced a second turnover on downs at their own 37 just before the half -- setting up the drive that yielded Staton’s second field goal.
Staton wasn’t finished, however.
The two rivals traded touchdowns in the third quarter -- Dorsey got things going, capping Gainesville’s first drive of the quarter with a punishing 9-yard run. The quarterback took out a defender at the goal line, though a missed point after attempt yielded a 19-7 lead.
But the Falcons’ pounding run attack started gaining traction in the second half, and it paid off with a 65-yard drive capped by another 4-yard touchdown run from Johnson to pull within 19-13 (after another failed point after attempt).
Staton responded with his longest field goal of the night, drilling a 48-yarder to give the Red Elephants a 22-13 cushion with 8:32 remaining -- but it wasn’t nearly enough to stem Flowery Branch’s momentum.
The Falcons scored on their very next possession, churning downfield before Davis came up with a huge play through the air to earn the touchdown. The explosive wideout scraped a Graham pass off his shoe tops and scampered 31 yards to pull the Branch within 22-20.
The score touched off wild celebrations in the visiting stands -- celebrations that continued when Gainesville dropped a punt snap to give the Falcons possession at the Red Elephant 21. The Falcons proceeded to go backward, setting up third and 17 -- but it was the perfect set up for another Graham-to-Davis, as the senior hauled in a 27-yard pass in the back corner for Flowery Branch’s first lead, 26-22 after a failed 2-point conversion pass.
There was still 2:30 remaining, however, and -- as Dorsey and his teammates showed -- it was more than enough.
“The best thing is that was senior night, and I give all the glory of this game to my sister, Jada Dorsey, who passed away almost two years ago -- she allowed me to be here tonight, and I live for her,” Dorsey said.
SCORING SUMMARY
FL. BRANCH........7....0....6....13 -- 26
GAINESVILLE....10....3....6....10 -- 29
First Quarter
GHS -- Watson 9 pass from Dorsey (Staton kick) 9:54, 7-0
FBHS -- Johnson 4 run (Alvarado kick) 3:58, 7-7
GHS -- Staton 39 field goal, 1:26, 10-7
Second Quarter
GHS -- Staton 32 field goal, 3:52, 13-7
Third Quarter
GHS -- Dorsey 9 run (kick failed) 9:19, 19-7
FBHS -- Johnson 4 run (kick failed) :24, 19-13
Fourth Quarter
GHS -- Staton 48 field goal, 8:32, 22-13
FBHS -- Davis 31 pass from Graham (Alavrado kick) 6:36, 22-20
FBHS -- Davis 27 pass from Graham (pass failed) 2:21, 22-26
GHS -- Timmons 15 pass from Dorsey (Staton kick) :10, 29-26
