The Roswell Hornets carry a three-game winning streak into Friday, Oct. 2 when they host Gainesville at Ray Manus Stadium in a region showdown, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Both teams enter ranked in the High School On SI Georgia Top 25. Roswell (4-1) sits at No. 21 after climbing one spot. Gainesville (3-2) checks in at No. 20. The game will air on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Roswell rolled through its region opener, beating Lanier 39-15 after building a 32-0 halftime lead. Senior quarterback Matt Schletty threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 75% passing, according to MaxPreps. Senior receiver Dre Cousey added 85 total yards and three touchdowns, including two receiving scores that set a new season high.
The Hornets' only loss came Aug. 28 against Newton, 42-15. Roswell led 15-14 at halftime before the offense went scoreless in the second half.
"It's a long season; this doesn't define you, OK? … But it can if you allow it to," head coach J.T. Thompson told his players in the postgame huddle after the Aug. 28 Newton loss, according to an Appen Media report published Sept. 1.
Three straight wins followed.
Schletty, a transfer from Alpharetta High School where he started for two seasons, has been the engine of the turnaround. Through the first three games he had thrown for at least 482 yards and rushed for at least 290, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Those figures predate the Archer and Lanier games, so his actual totals are higher. Florida State-committed safety Jaxon Holly leads the defense with at least five tackles for loss.
Gainesville presents a different challenge. The Red Elephants opened 0-2 with losses to Buford and East St. Louis, then won three straight, most recently shutting out Alpharetta. Their offense features third-year starting quarterback Kharim Hughley and running back Nigel Newkirk, both ranked among ITG Next's top 10 at their positions entering the season.
Thompson is in his second year leading the Hornets. In 2025 he guided Roswell to a 12-2 record, a 6-0 region championship and a Class 5A semifinal appearance that included a win over Gainesville. The Hornets fell to Thomas County Central in the semis.
Friday's broadcast is available on GPB.
