The Gainesville Red Elephants reached that milestone with a thrilling 29-21 victory over Flowery Branch on Dec. 4. It will be their first trip to the state finals since 1982, with a shot at their first GHSA state championship.
As local historians remind us, the Red Elephants did win a pair of state titles in the 1920s, before the sport was sanctioned by the state. And one other school, the Fair Street High Tigers, won back-to-back state titles in the late 1950s before school desegregation.
But other than that, no Hall County high school has brought home a state championship trophy. We all hope that streak ends today and Big Red can follow in the recent footsteps of the GHS baseball and basketball teams, the East Hall basketball teams, the Flowery Branch cross country squad and others who stood atop the heap at season's end.
The Elephants' climb back into state title contention has been orchestrated by head coach Bruce Miller, who came over in 2002 from North Forsyth and immediately began rebuilding GHS into the kind of winning program we came to expect in the Bobby Gruhn era, and Graham Hixon before him.
Miller has built an outstanding coaching staff that has gotten the most out of some amazing athletic talent. Key stars this season include multithreat quarterback Blake Sims, running back Teryan Rucker, wide receiver Tai-ler Jones and linebacker A.J. Johnson. Gainesville has a handful of major college prospects who will play their final high school game at the Dome against Peach County today. Several others from the Miller era already are playing ball on Saturdays.
To get to the final, the Red Elephants had to overcome a gutsy Flowery Branch team in the semifinal. The Falcons won road playoff games over two years against the state's best teams before hostile crowds.
The season marks the end of an era for the Falcons. For the past two years, they rode the arm, legs and leadership of senior quarterback Connor Shaw deep into the playoffs. The previous years, his older brother Jaybo led the Falcons. He now plays for Georgia Tech, while Connor will be taking snaps next fall for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina.
It is quite a legacy, one begun by their father, Falcons coach Lee Shaw, who has led his program to dizzying heights in less than a decade. Next year, the Falcons will move up to Class AAAA without a Shaw behind center, but this program is well-established and should make the transition successfully.
It is a feather in the cap for the school and the community to see our local teams come together as state contenders. An awful lot of work goes into a successful high school football program, from the coaches and players down to the support staff, school administrators and others. And let's not forget the cheerleaders, band members and other dedicated students who help make the Friday night football experience a part of our Southern American culture.
We also want to extend our thanks and congratulations to the parents of all of these talented young people. They sacrifice their time, energy and money to help support the teams with their volunteer efforts. Whether it's the mom driving her player or cheerleader to practice, the dad who lets the horn player practice in the garage, or the grandparents who make the trek to watch their angels perform each Friday, high school sports is truly a family affair. Each player we see scoring touchdowns on the field has a number of people behind him offering support, encouragement and mentoring, and we salute them all.
We can't wait to see the Red Elephants pulling into town later today hauling that state championship trophy with them for all to see. We join their fans in wishing them well in the game, and we know they will represent our community well, win or lose. We also encourage all fans of Hall County schools to get behind them and fill the Dome with noise and support today.
We all will be right there with them.
Go Big Red!