BREAKING NEWS: Gainesville to feature full roster in delayed quarterfinals matchup against Hughes

The GHSA has decided not to appeal the decision of the Hall County Superior Court that overturned 34 suspensions the GHSA had levied against Gainesville players who left the bench and participated in the fight. All 38 players originally suspended will now be able to play in Friday’s quarterfinals game, which will be broadcast on Atlanta News First/Peachtree Sports Network at 7:30 p.m. (7 p.m. pregame show) as a part of the Drive for the GHSA State Title series.

The five remaining 5A teams and the GHSA held a virtual meeting on Monday at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the timeline and what the future held for the remaining quarterfinal game and the two semifinal matchups, which had both been indefinitely postponed.

Gainesville and Hughes will play on Friday, and the semifinals will be played the following Thursday. The biggest change comes in the finals schedule: the 6A championship will be moved up to Tuesday, and the 5A championship will be moved to Wednesday.

The weeks-long dispute between the GHSA and Gainesville High School stems from the bench-clearing fight that broke out between Gainesville and Brunswick in the third quarter of their second-round matchup with Gainesville leading 42-0.

Following the fight, the GHSA suspended 38 Gainesville players and 41 Brunswick players and issued Brunswick a one year playoff ban. Gainesville appealed the decision to the GHSA, and four suspensions were overturned, while the remaining 34 were upheld. Gainesville then filed an injunction with the Hall County Superior Court, which ultimately overturned all of the suspensions.

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