The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week: Gainesville [GA] Red Elephants at Milton [GA] Eagles

For the second time this season, the SN No. 14 Milton Eagles will be featured in The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week – this time against the unranked Gainesville [GA] Red Elephants.

The Eagles were the SN No. 14 team heading into the season opener at the Buford [GA] Wolves who were opening their new $62 million stadium back on August 14. In a defensive slugfest on Buford's new home field, the Wolves prevailed, 20-13, and Milton plummeted to No. 25 in the SN rankings.

Six wins later, they find themselves right where they started — ranked No. 14 with the Top 10 within reach. Beating Gainesville would be another step in that direction and put the Eagles in prime position to make another national statement one year after finishing as the country's No. 2 team behind the national champion Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs.

MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

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Gainesville [GA] Red Elephants at Milton [GA] Eagles

LAST WEEK'S GAME OF THE WEEK Skyridge [Lehi, UT] Falcons 37, Lone Peak [Highland, UT] Knights 34

Friday, October 10, 2025
Milton High School | 7:30 p.m. EST local
TV/Streaming: NFHS Network

Local Media Coverage: Atlanta Journal-Constitution High School Football

School Athletics Websites: Gainesville Athletics | Milton Athletics

School Social Media: Gainesville Football on X.com @RedElephant_FB | Skyridge Football on X.com @MiltonEagles_FB

The Background

Both teams enter the game at 6-1 on the season, and Milton has been ranked in the SN Top 25 all year even after losing that season opener to Buford, currently the SN No. 9 team in the nation.

Gainesville, meanwhile, is ranked No. 10 in the Georgia state rankings, and the Red Elephants are focused on winning games like this to establish themselves as a national brand on par with Milton, Buford, and Georgia's top-ranked Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams. Gainesville's only loss is also to a team currently ranked in the SN Top 25 as the Red Elephants were defeated by the SN No. 23 Carrollton [GA] Trojans, 43-21, back on September 12.

Top Recruits

• Gainesville has four seniors listed on 247sports.com's Class of 2026 for the state of Georgia. Five-star LB Xavier Griffin is the top-rated player in the entire state and is currently committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. He's joined on the defensive side by 4-star edge Jamarion Matthews (6-2, 240 lbs.), who's also committed to Alabama, and 3-star DL and future Duke Blue Devil Ayden Cain (6-2, 272 lbs.). On the offensive side, 3-star IOL Krew Moledor (6-3, 280 lbs.) anchors the line alongside fellow 3-star IOL Bryson Hurt (6-4, 300 lbs.) and 3-star junior OT Tyler Ford (6-5, 325 lbs.). Quarterback Kharim Hughley and RB Nigel Newkirk are also 3-star prospects, and Hughley is the only one of those juniors who's announced his college destination, settling on the Clemson Tigers after he graduates from Gainesville.
• Milton has plenty of FBS-level talent on its roster, too, and it starts with two senior prospects on defense in future Iowa Hawkeye LB Billy Weivoda and S Tristan Lester who's committed to Marshall. The top prospects on offense, meanwhile, are juniors, including QB Derrick Baker and TE Grant Haviland, both of whom are uncommitted.

When Gainesville has the ball ...

Gainesville's offense is directed by one of the best field generals in Georgia high school football in the talented Hughley, who has passed for 1,426 yards this season with 18 touchdown passes to his credit. He occasionally makes plays with his feet as well with 104 yards on the ground and another 5 touchdowns. The Red Elephants will try to stretch the field with Hughley's arm, and fellow senior WR Phillip Williams is one of his favorite targets. Newkirk will be counted on to grind out the tough yards on the ground along with backfield mate PJ Lewis.

It won't be easy against a Milton defense that's made 61 stops behind the line, including 15 sacks with 61 QB hurries. Junior Blaize Battaglia leads the way with 65 tackles and 6 tackles for loss, but Lester (8 tackles for loss) and Weivoda (6 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 12 QB hurries) spend plenty of time making plays in the backfield as well.

When Milton has the ball ...

Baker hasn't played since injuring his hand in the opener, and Milton has at times struggled to find consistency on the offensive side with sophomore Ben Halevi and freshman Trey Hasan both spending time at quarterback. The past couple of weeks, it's mostly been Halevi at the controls, and he's completed 35-of-54 passes for 605 yards and seven touchdowns. He's taken care of the ball as well having yet to throw an interception in 2025.

Gainesville will be one of the better defenses Halevi has faced, however, and it's likely the game will be moving faster for the sophomore against the talented Red Elephants. After giving up 30 points in a 57-30 win over the Lanier [Sugar Hill, GA] Longhorns in the region opener three weeks ago, the Red Herd has responded by outscoring the Johns Creek [GA] Gladiators and the Seckinger [Buford, GA] Jaguars by a combined score of 96-14.

Keys to the game

Gainesville wins if the Red Elephants can put pressure on Halevi and rattle the young sophomore. Halevi has yet to throw an interception, and it remains to be seen how he'll respond after making that first critical mistake. Of course, the Red Elephants will have to find a way to move the ball on Milton's stout defense, too, and that's even more reason to believe that Gainesville's defense might have to contribute in the turnover game to set the Red Elephant offense up with better field position. It feels like a game where points will be at a premium, and sustaining drives will likely be a challenge for the visitors even with a talent like Hughley at the controls.

Milton wins if they're able to protect Halevi and play to their strengths. After all, Milton, a two-time defending state champion, hasn't lost a region game since a 21-13 setback to the South Forsyth [Cumming, GA] War Eagles on October 13, 2017, a streak that now spans 42 games. They've also won 18 games in a row at home, and it might be a long night for Gainesville if the Red Elephants can't force Milton into making uncharacteristic mistakes.

Looking Ahead

The loser of this game will have two losses, but the winner will be favored to win out. The biggest potential stumbling block for both squads is a Roswell [GA] Hornets' squad (5-1) that will visit Gainesville on October 24, one week before hosting Milton on October 31.

The longterm question is whether these two teams will eventually meet again in Georgia's GHSA Class 5A playoffs.

Series history

These two teams had not played in 30 years before ending up in the same region last year when Milton was reclassified from Class 7A to Class 5A. Gainesville leads the series 3-2 after losing last year's matchup at home in a 42-24 blowout.

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