Games2Watch: GHS-NoFo duke it out once again for potential region title

Just like the other Games2Watch features this week, the Gainesville-North Forsyth showdown at Raider Valley on Friday has the potential to crown a region champ. 

It's pretty simple: a Gainesville win, and the Red Elephants capture their second straight region title. A North Forsyth win, and the Raiders COULD capture their first region title since 2001.

But Gainesville coach Josh Niblett knows all too well not to pay attention to pesky things like records and scores.

North Forsyth coach Robert Craft understands the perceived advantage his Raiders have had over the years at Raider Valley.

"North Forsyth is a whole lot better team than what the record says," said Niblett about the Raiders squad. "They're very well coached and play extremely physical. We're expecting another battle for sure."

There's also this: North Forsyth (4-4, 3-1 Region 8-6A) has never lost to Gainesville (8-0, 4-0 Region 8-6A) in Coal Mountain. Does that mean anything with these two particular teams?

"We're excited to be at home," Craft said. "We feel like playing at Raider Valley is certainly to our advantage. Playing in our home stadium with our home crowd is something that we enjoy doing, and we haven't been at home in five weeks. So we're looking forward to the opportunity."

NIBLETT ON HIS OFFENSE GETTING ANOTHER QUICK START

"The last two weeks, scoring on the first play (and getting big leads early), is kind of been a double-edged sword because we've rested our starters, but you know it's going to take four quarters to win a championship," he said. "We've been able to have some explosive, a few more explosive plays, and I feel we're continuously getting better. So we've just got to continue that. But we know we're going to need to make sure (the) kids are prepped and ready to go for a full four quarter game. That's something we're working on."

CRAFT TALKS TAKING THE FIGHT TO THE RED ELEPHANTS

"We're going to be aggressive. That's our thing. We want to play with an edge about us. That's the one thing about this team I'm confident in is that they'll play aggressive. We're going up against a great team, and we've got nothing to lose, so why not be aggressive."

NIBLETT TALKS DEFENSE -- HIS OWN

"On defense, I think we've found our identity and what we want to do. Our players have really grasped what we're trying to do, and Coach Davis and his staff have done a really, really good job. We've been able to get a lot of takeaways."

CRAFT ON HIS OL vs.  THE GHS DL

"One of the strengths of our football team is our offensive line, and certainly, the challenge they'll have with (Gainesville's) front-7 will be a big challenge. We have got to be able to pick up first downs and stay on the field. That will play a big part on Friday."

NIBLETT ON THE RAIDERS DEFENSE

"Defensively, they do a really, really good job of trying to mess the box up. They give you as many different fronts as they can, and they do a lot of movement, pre-snap, and then they bring a lot of pressure. And they can mix it up on the back end as well."

CRAFT ON THE REGION TITLE STILL BEING WITHIN THEIR GRASP

"Yeah, it certainly is. There are several ways for us to win the region. But it starts with us winning on Friday. What you set out to do in the offseason is have a chance to win a region championship. That's where you kind of always start your goals. We have that opportunity, and you can't ask for anything more."

To follow scores and more this week, follow Friday Game Night on X (formerly Twitter) for scores, stories and highlights.