GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Gainesville High's remarkable , winding saga will get a chance at the ultimate storybook ending next week — inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, playing for the AAAAA state championship.

The Red Elephants defeated Rome 37-6 on Thursday night in a semifinal that had been delayed by Gainesville's legal battle with the Georgia High School Association over suspensions that followed a fight in their second-round game against Brunswick back in November.

They ultimately won an injunction in court against the suspensions and, while the GHSA vowed an appeal, the organization nonetheless finally scheduled the quarterfinal between Gainesville and Langston Hughes for last Friday night.

The Red Elephants won that game, and then they won the semifinal Thursday night on the road at

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