The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CLASS AAAAA Elephants end drought
It was a record-setting and drought-ending night for Deshaun Watson and the Gainesville Red Elephants.
The junior quarterback threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as Gainesville overwhelmed Ware County 49-13 in the Class AAAAA championship game Friday at the Georgia Dome to claim the first state title in school history. Gainesville (12-3), one of the state’s all-time winningest programs, was making its seventh appearance in the final, the most of any team that had never won a title.
And as has been the case so often in his three years as a starter, it was Watson who made it all go. He came into the game needing 17 yards to break the state record for career passing yardage, and he got them on his third attempt with a 10yarder to Tray Harrison. It was part of an 8-for-8 effort on the Red Elephants’ opening drive that was capped by a 17-yard pass to Caleb Hayman for a 7-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.
For the game, Watson was 27-of-36 passing for 317 yards and had 13 carries for 85 yards rushing, increasing his sea- in 2009) and Taylor Heinicke (4,218 for Collins Hill in 2010) — and the second to throw 50 TD passes in a season, trailing only Mason with 54 in 2009. He broke the record for career touchdown passes in the semifinals last week and will enter his senior season with 108 TDs and 9,363 yards.
A 4-yard run by Watson, a 38-yard fumble return by Fred Payne and a 5-yard pass to Rodney Lackey made it 28-0 with 2:33 to play in the first half. It was all but over at that point.
Payne also set up a third-quarter touchdown with a 69-yard interception return to the Ware County 2.
Xavier Tobler, the Region 3-AAAAA co-player of the year, scored both TDs for Ware County (132) on 2-yard runs.
Ware County had success on offense early and led in total yards 237236 at halftime. Tobler and quarterback Jammar Johnson each rushed for more than 50 yards and Johnson was 11-of13 passing for 105 yards in the first two quarters. But moving the ball against Gainesville wasn’t the problem. Stopping Gainesville was.