Big Red sweeter than Syrup in quarterfinal win

GAINESVILLE –- Who cares about style points, all Gainesville cares is that it’s back in the Class AAA semifinals for the first time in seven years.

The Red Elephants didn’t look as dominant as their fans have grown accustomed to this season, but a big-play defense and an explosive ground game proved more than enough to knock off defending Class AAA champs Cairo 32-19 on Friday night at City Park.

"I don't even know if I can describe how this feels," Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. "I'm so proud of our kids."

The win puts Gainesville one victory away from the Class AAA championship in the Georgia Dome. Standing in the Red Elephants (13-0) way is a familiar foe, as Flowery Branch (10-3) won its seventh straight road playoff game on Friday, upsetting Carver 35-33 in Columbus. The game will be a rematch of the final game of the regular season, when Gainesville won 49-17.

"Getting to meet Flowery Branch says a lot for Region 7-AAA, and it shows that we do play good football up north," Red Elephants running back Teryan Rucker said. "We just hope to come back out of on top again."

Rucker played a key role in putting Gainesville back in the semifinals for the first time since 2002, rushing for 181 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in the win.

Rucker and fellow running back Tyson Smith (eight carries, 52 yards, touchdown) blasted through the Syrupmakers (9-4) defense for much of the night, as the Red Elephants rolled up 261 total rushing yards. Rucker exploded for an 82-yard touchdown run for Gainesville's opening score and had five runs of 10 yards or more.

"I love my offensive line -- they love to run the ball, and of course the running backs love to -- and the line was opening big holes for us," Rucker said. "The only question was could we beat them up the middle, because we knew they had speed on the outside."

Quarterback Blake Sims and receiver Tai-ler Jones also provided some impressive big plays for the Red Elephants offense. And Sims (9 of 14 passing for 120 yards, a touchdown and an interception) was responsible for three touchdowns, including an 80-yard punt return and a 51-yard scoring pass to Jones (four catches, 69 yards).

Yet as impressive as Gainesville's offense looked in the first half, it was the Red Elephants' defense that sealed the win, holding Cairo to 110 yards and no scores in the second half after the Syrupmakers had managed 255 yards in the first half.

"It was a total team effort," Miller said.

Gainesville looked like it was ready to blow past yet another opponent early, as Rucker and Sims provided two spectacular scoring plays to give the Red Elephants a 13-0 advantage midway through the first quarter. Rucker did the early damage on his long run and then Sims returned a Cairo punt 80 yards for a score with 6:54 left in the quarter.

But, unlike the Red Elephants’ first two playoff opponents, the Syrupmakers have been in plenty of big games, and the defending Class AAA champs’ experience began to shine late in the first quarter, scoring 16 straight points to pull into the lead.

The turnaround started just seconds after Sims’ punt return, as Cairo running back Laquinton Williams took a handoff and crashed into a pile of bodies at the line of scrimmage. But the junior kept his legs churning and slid off the left side of the heap, breaking into open space for a 57-yard touchdown.

Williams paced the Syrupmakers with 136 yards on 22 carries -- 118 of that coming in the first half.

The Red Elephants also gave the Syrupmakers a hand in their burst, as Jones and Rucker fumbled a Cairo kickoff while fighting each other for the ball. Rucker recovered but only got as far as his own 1-yard line. On the next play, Sims stepped out of the back of the end zone for a safety, allowing Cairo to pull within 13-9 with 6:16 left in the quarter.

The momentum continued to swing the Syrupmakers’ way early in the second quarter, when, on third and 21 at the Gainesville 31, quarterback Brian Walker lofted a pass for Williams that squirted right through linebacker A.J. Johnson’s hands and into Williams’ grasp in the end zone. The freak play gave Cairo a 16-13 lead with 11:00 left in the half.

The lead didn’t last long.

The Red Elephants marched right back down the field and regained a 20-16 advantage on Sims’ 5-yard run around the left side with 8:57 left in the second.

Cairo responded by moving into Gainesville territory, but the Red Elephants defense held firm and forced a 34-yard field goal from Trevor Moncrief with 3:43 left in the half.

Relying on their ground game, however, the Red Elephants quickly moved back into scoring position with Rucker ripping off big runs. Yet Smith finished the drive, scoring from six yards out for a 26-19 lead with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter.

The Syrupmakers looked ready to answer, gaining two first downs and moving to midfield, but Justin Owens stepped up to deny Cairo, picking off Walker (14 of 32, 187 yards, two interceptions) in Gainesville territory and returning it to the Red Elephants 51.

On the very next play, Gainesville gave itself some much-needed breathing room.

Sims took the snap and sprinted seven yards deep to his left, wheeled and fired a dart over the middle to a sprinting Jones for a 51-yard touchdown with 32 seconds left in the half. The impressive play brought a long first half to an end with the Red Elephants leading 32-19. Yet with both defenses playing hard in the second half it proved in stark contrast to the remaining 24 minutes.

And while the Syrupmakers ensured Gainesville's starters played until the final whistle, the Red Elephants were certainly listening for the final score from Columbus as the seconds ticked away.

"It's always tougher playing a team the second time around," Rucker said. "I've got some cousins on their team, and I know they'll be pumped too. But with all the weapons we have, we feel like we'll be able to find a way to get to the championship game."

Whatever happens, one member of Region 7-AAA is title-game bound.


SCORING SUMMARY

Cairo.................9..........10..........0..........0 -- 19
Gainesville......13..........19..........0..........0 -- 32

First quarter
GHS – Rucker 82 run (kick failed), 6-0, 9:16
GHS – Sims 80 punt return (Almand kick), 13-0, 6:54
CHS – Williams 57 run (Moncrief kick), 13-7, 6:31
CHS – Safety, 13-9, 6:16

Second quarter
CHS – Williams 30 pass from Walker (Moncrief kick), 13-16, 11:00
GHS – Sims 5 run (Almand kick), 20-16, 8:57
CHS – Moncrief 34 field goal, 20-19, 3:43
GHS – Smith 6 run (kick blocked), 26-19, 1:36
GHS – Jones 51 pass from Sims (kick failed), 32-19, :32