High School

Milton gives extra push, effort to beat Gainesville: Live score update recap

Nation's No. 6 team gets two touchdowns each from Georgia bound tight end Ethan Barbour and highly determined running back TJ Lester to beat determined Red Elephants 42-24

Mitch Stephens

Milton running back TJ Lester running against American Heritage
Milton running back TJ Lester running against American Heritage / Matt Christopher

It was the first time Milton (Ga.) and Gainesville had played a high school football game since 1985. After Milton's stirring 42-24 win in the road Friday, Georgia fans will no doubt wish the Eagles and Red Elephants play every year.

The game featured some monumental big plays, hard hits and lots of fireworks as the nation's No. 6 team and defending 7A champion improved to 8-0, while Gainesville dropped to 6-2.

With Florida State coach Mike Norvell in attendance, both teams showed remarkable determinations on touchdown runs.

TJ Lester had second-half touchdown runs of 42 and 25 yards and Georgia-bound tight end Ethan Barbour was dominant all night and had touchdown catches of 55 and 40 yards both from Miami-bound quarterback Luke Nickel in a game Milton never trailed. Nickel threw for close to 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Gainesville, led by sophomore quarterback Kharim Higley, who passed and ran for touchdowns, kept fighting back but the fight in Lester's 25-yard touchdown late in the third quarter epitomized the Eagles' drive.

It wasn't just from Lester.

Stopped for a 10-yard gain at the 15, Lester drove an extra five yards to the 10, then was driven by his entire line all the way to the goal line to give his team a 35-17 lead. The teams traded two touchdowns from there.

(See all the scoring plays, video and live-game highlights at the bottom)

PREGAME

It’s been a busy time for the Milton (Ga.) high school Eagles football team. 

The nation’s No. 6 team according to SBLive had to play two games in less than a week due to Hurricane Helene, victories over Seckinger and Lanier by a combined 93-14 count. And now they play one of the best teams in Georgia while visiting Gainesville (6-1), which is 32-3 since 2022. 

The game features at least 15 top college recruits, led by Gainesville junior linebacker Xavier Griffin, the No. 1 recruit in the state for the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports. 

This is the first time these powerhouses have met — at least since 2004 — but what a long line of success each has had. 

NATIONAL HS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD | GEORGIA HS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

Since 2022, the Red Elephants are a combined 32-3 with a loss in the 2022 6A title game to Langston Hughes, 35-28. 

Gainesville is led by Griffin, a Georgia commit, offensive tackle Alex Payne (North Carolina), defensive lineman Julius Columbus (Duke), tight end Shane King (Troy) and sophomore quarterback Kharim Hughley. 

Since 2017, Milton is 84-18, including 13-2 seasons in 2018, 2021 and 2023, with state championships in 2018 and 2023.

The Eagles, with 19 returning starters from a defending state championship, are loaded everywhere with talent. It starts with its Miami-bound quarterback Luke Nickel (1,556 yards passing, 16 TDs) and senior running back TJ Lester, who has rushed for 678 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Their top two prospects are Clemson-bound offensive tackle Brayden Jacobs (6-7, 310) and tight end Ethan Barbour, another Georgia commit.

Milton vs. Gainesville Live Score Updates

(Updates will be placed here once the game starts, with the most recent updates at the top.)

FOURTH TOUCHDOWN

FINAL SCORE: Milton 42, Gainesville 24

TOUCHDOWN MILTON! Kevin Maven-Winchester with yet another DETERMINED 2-yard TD run. Very similar to the previous two scores and certainly Lester's second TD. Stopped at the 2, he was held up and then pushed acrossed the line for likely the game-clinching TD. Milton 42, Gainesville 24. 5:05 4Q.

TOUCHDOWN GAINESVILLE! Carmelo Byrd 1-run. Like Lester's determination, Byrd somehow gets into the end zone when he was stopped three yards short. Milton 35, Gainesville 24. 9:25 4Q.

THIRD QUARTER

TOUCHDOWN MILTON! TJ Lester with a seen-to-be-believed 25-yard touchdown run, only because he seemed absolutely stopped at the 15, then carried over goal line by teammates. This used to be illegal. Milton 35, Gainesville 17. 3:01 3Q.

TOUCHDOWN MILTON! Thanks to a second faked punt run for first down, TJ Lester sprints around the left side for a 42-yard touchdowns. Milton 28, Gainesville 17. 9:13 3Q.

SECOND QUARTER

FIELD GOAL MISSES! After recovering a fumble on the Gainesville side of the 50, Milton drives all the way to the red zone. But after a penalty, Alex Nover misses a 35-yard field goal at the horn. HALFTIME: Milton 21, Gainesville 17.

KHARIM HUGHLEY AGAIN! This time the lightening quick sophomore QB sprints 39 yards for a touchdown. Gainesville closes to 4. Lot of great athletes, but the 10th grader has been key. Milton 21, Gainesville 17. 2:01 2Q.

GAINESVILLE HOLDS! Milton, aided by a fake-punt conversion, drove to the Gainesville 29, but the Red Elephants held on downs. 3:07 2Q. Milton still leads 21-10.

MILTON TOUCHDOWN! Luke Nickel again, with 60-yard touchdown strike, second to Ethan Barbour. Great answer for Eagles. Miami-bound QB Luke Nickel who now has thrown three TD passes. Milton 21, Gainesville 10. 6:25 2Q.

GAINESVILLE TOUCHDOWN! Sophomore QB Kharim Hughley rolls right and lofts a beautiful 71-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Ware. Gainesville right back in it. Milton 14, Gainesville 10. 10:33 2Q.

FIRST QUARTER

GAINESVILLE FIELD GOAL! Francisco Johnson 31-yard field goal. Milton 14, Gainesville 3. 1:02 1Q.

MILTON TOUCHDOWN! Nickel with his second touchdown pass, a 23-yard strike to Tristen Payne. Milton 14, Gainesville 0. 5:25 1Q.

MILTON TOUCHDOWN! The Eagles strike first on first possession on TD pass from Luke Nickel to Georgia-bound tight end Ethan Barbour after holding the Red Elephants to a 3-and-out. Milton 7, Gainesville 0. 9:55.

Published |Modified
Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.

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