Gainesville did something that no other high school football team was able to 2022, come within a touchdown of beating No. 15 Langston Hughes. The Red Elephants, ranked No. 110 in the High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football, came close to denying the Panthers their first-ever Georgia high school football state championship. However, when the clock hit zeros at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium, Hughes hoisted the trophy with a 35-28 victory.
The closest any team came to beating the 15-0 Panthers was No. 167 Woodward Academy in the state quarterfinals. Hughes won that one 56-28, which was 13 points below their average win margin of 41 points per game.
With their first touchdown, Hughes also broke the record for most points in a season. The Panthers end 2022 with 792 points.
Hughes junior quarterback Prentiss Noland had a big game. He completed 18-of-21 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns.
Congratulations to our @GACottonComm Player of the Game, @AirNoland_. He was 18 of 21 passing, 264 yards and three TD's in the Panthers 6A state final win! #GPBSports pic.twitter.com/ZeAWBFhHst
— GPB Sports (@GPBsports) December 10, 2022
Gainesville finishes 14-1 this year under first-year head coach Josh Niblett. Last year, the Red Elephants were 5-5.
