Unbowed by facing a Patriots team riding the fourth-longest winning streak in GHSA history, the Red Elephants (12-1) built a 14-0 first half lead and fired back with two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter en route to the win.
“I’m speechless,” said Gainesville quarterback
DeShaun Watson DeShaun Watson
Quarterback
6-2, 170
Gainesville, GA
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, who engineered all five Red Elephants scores, including three touchdown runs. “We went in at the half and just talked about how everybody had to step up. I asked the guys to believe in me, and told them I believed in them. There were a lot of people doubting us tonight, but we never doubted ourselves.”
Surely Sandy Creek’s defense is now among the believers in Watson’s abilities, as the sophomore rolled up 289 of his team’s 396 yards, including 169 yards through the air on 23 of 32 passing -- four of those completions going to Hayman, who enjoyed his biggest game so far as a Red Elephant, catching two touchdown strikes.