GAINESVILLE — As much as Gainesville is known for its offense, the Red Elephants' defense can be just as impressive -- they certainly were on Friday.
Gainesville stoned Apalachee, holding the Wildcats to 16 total yards and did not yield an earned first down until the fourth quarter en route to a 48-0 victory at City Park in Gainesville.
Meanwhile, the Red Elephants (2-1, 2-0 Region 8-AAAAA) offense did plenty, taking advantage of strong special teams play and great field position to roll up 334 yards, led by Messiah Dorsey's 229 total yards and three touchdowns -- 144 yards passing and one score through the air. Gainesville made most of its gains in the first half, putting up 284 yards, as it built a 39-0 advantage before the interval.
"Messiah’s having a great year so far. He’s doing exactly what he needs to do. He’s operating our offense and is the engineer that’s pushing all the right buttons," Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. "Our defense did a super job all night too."
Chris Byrd also rushed six times for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
Gainesville also got two field goals from Chandler Staton -- 44 and 28 yards.
It wasn't all perfect for the Red Elephants, who were flagged 13 times for 130 yards.
Gainesville will play at Heritage, Conyers next week.
"You’ve got a different opponent each week, and you’ve just got to get ready, hope you can stay healthy and keep rolling," Miller said.
