By JOE DODD
The Gilmer Buckeyes continued their perfect season with a 63-7 victory over the White Oak Roughnecks Friday night before a Yamboree crowd at Buckeye Stadium. The win was Gilmer’s 26th consecutive over a district opponent, and the 19th straight at home. The Buckeyes improved their season record to 7-0, while the Roughnecks fell to 1-6.
Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor was pleased with the Buckeyes’ performance. “Our kids got after it, and had a good intensity to play the game; but I knew they would, it being the Yamboree and it being White Oak,” Traylor said. “Our team feeds off of our community, and our community pumped in their ear all week how much they didn’t like White Oak, so my kids came out there with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.”
Gilmer quarterback G.J. Kinne threw five touchdown passes to lead the Buckeyes to their third 60-plus point game of the season. Receivers Jamell Kennedy and Lamar Harris continued their impressive performance in place of the injured Curtis Brown, who missed his second straight game for Gilmer. Kennedy accounted for four Buckeyes’ touchdowns, while Harris scored three.
Gilmer racked up 529 yards of total offense, but only four of those yards came on the Buckeyes’ first possession, as Gilmer was forced to punt on their opening series for the first time this season. White Oak’s first play was a preview of things to come for the Roughnecks, as the snap sailed high over quarterback Austin Tubbs’ head, for the first of seven fumbles by the Roughnecks. Gilmer recovered four of those fumbles, although White Oak’s Josh Goll managed to recover this one, but the Roughnecks surrendered the ball back to the Buckeyes three plays later on a punt, for the first of five straight 3-and-outs in the first quarter.
Jared Dollison’s first punt was mishandled, and hit a Roughneck lineman in the helmet before Gilmer’s Dominique Buchanan picked up the football and returned it to White Oak’s 14-yard line.
“Our defense really stepped up, because we got off the field in a hurry and our defense gave it right back to us in great field position,” said Traylor. “Our defense was huge in the opening quarter.”
The Buckeyes’ offense would take advantage of the Roughnecks’ 3-and-outs, scoring on their next four possessions. Kinne connected with Kennedy for the first time on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 7:30 remaining in the first quarter. Kennedy then took a short pass from Kinne and put on the after-burners, going 57 yards for the next score with 6:20 left in the quarter. Kennedy scored his third touchdown of the quarter on a 67-yard run with 5:08 to play. That gave Gilmer three touchdowns in their last four plays. The Buckeyes finished the first quarter scoring assault when Kinne hit Harris for a 57-yard touchdown with 2:17 to go.
Traylor praised Kennedy, his former quarterback, for his transition to receiver. “Jamell Kennedy had his best game of the year. He really stood out early,” said Traylor. “He just keeps getting better each week. When he and Curtis ever get back there together, they’ll be a force.”
The SMU commitment finished the game with five receptions for 120 yards, and four carries for another 88 yards. “Jamell is playing like a college player should play like,” said the injured Brown. “It took me getting hurt, for him to start playing like this, and when I come back I hope he keeps playing like this.”
The Roughnecks ended the first quarter with a fumble recovered by the Buckeyes’ Harris at the White Oak 22-yard line. This time the Buckeyes offense stalled, so Traylor called on senior kicker Matt Burgin, who was a perfect 6-for-6 on PAT kicks, to attempt a 40-yard field goal. The kick was good, however the Buckeyes were called for holding on the play, so the points were taken off the scoreboard and Gilmer was backed up 10 yards. Traylor had Burgin stay to attempt the 50-yard field goal, which hit the crossbar of the goal posts and bounced up in the air and fell harmlessly in the end zone.
White Oak managed to string together a short drive on the next possession, but still ended up punting to the Buckeyes from their 41-yard line. This punt rolled all the way to Gilmer’s 1-yard line before the Roughnecks downed the football. Gilmer then proceeded on a 14-play, 99-yard drive, that took 3:36 off the clock, and ended on Justin Johnson’s 2-yard touchdown run, making the score 35-0 with 4:29 remaining in the second quarter. Johnson finished with 100 yards rushing on only 11 carries.
The Roughnecks’ next possession looked to be another 3-and-out, as White Oak lined up in punt formation on their fourth down, needing four yards for a first down. But instead of punting, the ball was snapped to Austin Morgan, who ran right through the middle of the Buckeyes’ defense for 35 yards and a first down at the Gilmer 30-yard line. Four plays later, Tubbs would convert another fourth down with a 1-yard quarterback keeper, to keep the drive alive. Two plays after that, Tubbs lofted a 2-yard pass into the back corner of the end zone for Craig Blankenship, who caught the ball for the Roughnecks only touchdown in the game, with just 22 seconds remaining in the half.
“We’re real frustrated about not getting a shutout, but giving up seven points in today’s football; it’s not a bad thing,” explained Traylor, who praised his defense for holding the Roughnecks to only 121 total yards.
“Defensively we were pleased. The kids ran to the ball real well. The inside linebackers both played good; Arsenial Richardson and Dominique Buchanan both had good games. Defensive line; C.J. Kyle had another good game; he had eight tackles and a forced fumble. Donte Harris had six tackles. Outside linebacker Wes Wynne had his best game; he had 10 tackles and two knocked-down passes. Cornerback Lamar Harris had an interception and recovered a fumble; and Dustin Jones had an interception.”
White Oak got the football to start the second half hoping to whittle away at the Buckeyes’ lead, but thanks to six Roughneck turnovers in the half, Gilmer scored four more touchdowns. Turnover number one quickly became touchdown one, when Harris picked off a Tubbs pass at the 34-yard line and returned it for a score with 10:07 left in the third quarter.
Turnover number two came on the Roughnecks next series, when the Buckeyes’ Jud Murry recovered a fumble at the White Oak 44-yard line. Two plays later Kinne threw a 33-yard pass to the end zone where the Roughnecks’ Dollison jumped up and tipped the ball, only to have it fall into the waiting hands of Jamell Kennedy, for his fourth touchdown of the game.
The Roughnecks’ next series didn’t end on a turnover, but it might as well have, as Dollison’s punt went backwards two yards, giving Gilmer the ball at the White Oak 46-yard line. Two plays later, Braylon Hawley scored from 23 yards out, but the Buckeyes were flagged for an illegal block in the back, so for the second time in the game, points were taken off the board for the Buckeyes. Three straight Kinne incompletions later, Burgin lined up to attempt a 42-yard field goal, but the Roughnecks’ Morgan blocked the kick, and White Oak recovered the football at their 46-yard line.
Turnover number three came seven plays later when the Buckeyes’ Richardson intercepted a pass on another Roughneck fake punt attempt, giving Gilmer the ball at the Buckeyes’ 30-yard line. It took Kinne and company seven plays to cover the 70 yards, with Kinne finding Harris for a 13-yard touchdown with 8:25 to play in the game. Harris finished with three catches for 87 yards. “Lamar had another big game,” praised Traylor. “He caught two touchdowns; recovered a fumble; returned an interception for a touchdown, so he had a part in four touchdowns.”
Turnover number four came three plays later when Gilmer’s Dustin Jones picked off another Tubbs pass and returned it to the Roughnecks’ 5-yard line. Following two straight negative plays, Buckeyes’ backup quarterback Stump Godfrey fired a quick pass in the flats to Ross Stevens who juked a couple of defenders on his way to a 20-yard touchdown, making the score 63-7 with 5:22 left in the game.
Turnover number five came three plays later, when Gilmer’s Justin Fielden recovered yet another Roughneck fumble at the White Oak 40-yard line. The Buckeyes failed to score on this series, as Godfrey was sacked on a 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line, giving the ball back to the Roughnecks at the 6-yard line. White Oak promptly gave the ball back to Gilmer two plays later with their sixth turnover of the half when Godfrey recovered the fumble at the 10-yard line with 10 seconds to play. Godfrey took a knee on the next play, giving Gilmer their first victory over White Oak since 1991.
STATISTICS
White Oak Gilmer
10 First downs 20
34-57 Rushes-yds 27-248
11-26-3 Passing 13-24-0
64 Passing yds 281
121 Total yds 529
4-30 Penalties-yds 7-78
4 Fumbles lost 0
30:48 Time of possession 17:12
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 T
White Oak 0 7 0 0 7
Gilmer 28 7 14 14 63
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER’S JUSTIN JOHNSON brushes aside White Oak’s Michael Fillmore as he looks for running room. Johnson picked up 100 yards on 11 carries in three quarters of play to lead all rushers as Gilmer defeated White Oak, 63-7, at Buckeye Stadium last Friday night. The Buckeyes (7-0; 2-0) play Mineola (2-5; 1-1) there Friday night, Oct. 27, as the District 15-3A schedule reaches its midpoint.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER’S DEXTURE CARR (78) prepares to block White Oak’s Austin Morgan as ROSS STEVENS (84) heads for the end zone from 20 yards out. Buckeye GARRETT ADKINS (73) follows the action in the fourth quarter as Stevens scores the final touchdown in Gilmer’s 63-7 win over the Roughnecks.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
LOSING THE handle, White Oak’s Austin Morgan tries unsuccessfully to recover the fumble as Gilmer’s C.J. Kyle (40) and Dakota Bickerdike (25) close in on him late in the game.
The Gilmer Buckeyes continued their perfect season with a 63-7 victory over the White Oak Roughnecks Friday night before a Yamboree crowd at Buckeye Stadium. The win was Gilmer’s 26th consecutive over a district opponent, and the 19th straight at home. The Buckeyes improved their season record to 7-0, while the Roughnecks fell to 1-6.
Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor was pleased with the Buckeyes’ performance. “Our kids got after it, and had a good intensity to play the game; but I knew they would, it being the Yamboree and it being White Oak,” Traylor said. “Our team feeds off of our community, and our community pumped in their ear all week how much they didn’t like White Oak, so my kids came out there with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.”
Gilmer quarterback G.J. Kinne threw five touchdown passes to lead the Buckeyes to their third 60-plus point game of the season. Receivers Jamell Kennedy and Lamar Harris continued their impressive performance in place of the injured Curtis Brown, who missed his second straight game for Gilmer. Kennedy accounted for four Buckeyes’ touchdowns, while Harris scored three.
Gilmer racked up 529 yards of total offense, but only four of those yards came on the Buckeyes’ first possession, as Gilmer was forced to punt on their opening series for the first time this season. White Oak’s first play was a preview of things to come for the Roughnecks, as the snap sailed high over quarterback Austin Tubbs’ head, for the first of seven fumbles by the Roughnecks. Gilmer recovered four of those fumbles, although White Oak’s Josh Goll managed to recover this one, but the Roughnecks surrendered the ball back to the Buckeyes three plays later on a punt, for the first of five straight 3-and-outs in the first quarter.
Jared Dollison’s first punt was mishandled, and hit a Roughneck lineman in the helmet before Gilmer’s Dominique Buchanan picked up the football and returned it to White Oak’s 14-yard line.
“Our defense really stepped up, because we got off the field in a hurry and our defense gave it right back to us in great field position,” said Traylor. “Our defense was huge in the opening quarter.”
The Buckeyes’ offense would take advantage of the Roughnecks’ 3-and-outs, scoring on their next four possessions. Kinne connected with Kennedy for the first time on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 7:30 remaining in the first quarter. Kennedy then took a short pass from Kinne and put on the after-burners, going 57 yards for the next score with 6:20 left in the quarter. Kennedy scored his third touchdown of the quarter on a 67-yard run with 5:08 to play. That gave Gilmer three touchdowns in their last four plays. The Buckeyes finished the first quarter scoring assault when Kinne hit Harris for a 57-yard touchdown with 2:17 to go.
Traylor praised Kennedy, his former quarterback, for his transition to receiver. “Jamell Kennedy had his best game of the year. He really stood out early,” said Traylor. “He just keeps getting better each week. When he and Curtis ever get back there together, they’ll be a force.”
The SMU commitment finished the game with five receptions for 120 yards, and four carries for another 88 yards. “Jamell is playing like a college player should play like,” said the injured Brown. “It took me getting hurt, for him to start playing like this, and when I come back I hope he keeps playing like this.”
The Roughnecks ended the first quarter with a fumble recovered by the Buckeyes’ Harris at the White Oak 22-yard line. This time the Buckeyes offense stalled, so Traylor called on senior kicker Matt Burgin, who was a perfect 6-for-6 on PAT kicks, to attempt a 40-yard field goal. The kick was good, however the Buckeyes were called for holding on the play, so the points were taken off the scoreboard and Gilmer was backed up 10 yards. Traylor had Burgin stay to attempt the 50-yard field goal, which hit the crossbar of the goal posts and bounced up in the air and fell harmlessly in the end zone.
White Oak managed to string together a short drive on the next possession, but still ended up punting to the Buckeyes from their 41-yard line. This punt rolled all the way to Gilmer’s 1-yard line before the Roughnecks downed the football. Gilmer then proceeded on a 14-play, 99-yard drive, that took 3:36 off the clock, and ended on Justin Johnson’s 2-yard touchdown run, making the score 35-0 with 4:29 remaining in the second quarter. Johnson finished with 100 yards rushing on only 11 carries.
The Roughnecks’ next possession looked to be another 3-and-out, as White Oak lined up in punt formation on their fourth down, needing four yards for a first down. But instead of punting, the ball was snapped to Austin Morgan, who ran right through the middle of the Buckeyes’ defense for 35 yards and a first down at the Gilmer 30-yard line. Four plays later, Tubbs would convert another fourth down with a 1-yard quarterback keeper, to keep the drive alive. Two plays after that, Tubbs lofted a 2-yard pass into the back corner of the end zone for Craig Blankenship, who caught the ball for the Roughnecks only touchdown in the game, with just 22 seconds remaining in the half.
“We’re real frustrated about not getting a shutout, but giving up seven points in today’s football; it’s not a bad thing,” explained Traylor, who praised his defense for holding the Roughnecks to only 121 total yards.
“Defensively we were pleased. The kids ran to the ball real well. The inside linebackers both played good; Arsenial Richardson and Dominique Buchanan both had good games. Defensive line; C.J. Kyle had another good game; he had eight tackles and a forced fumble. Donte Harris had six tackles. Outside linebacker Wes Wynne had his best game; he had 10 tackles and two knocked-down passes. Cornerback Lamar Harris had an interception and recovered a fumble; and Dustin Jones had an interception.”
White Oak got the football to start the second half hoping to whittle away at the Buckeyes’ lead, but thanks to six Roughneck turnovers in the half, Gilmer scored four more touchdowns. Turnover number one quickly became touchdown one, when Harris picked off a Tubbs pass at the 34-yard line and returned it for a score with 10:07 left in the third quarter.
Turnover number two came on the Roughnecks next series, when the Buckeyes’ Jud Murry recovered a fumble at the White Oak 44-yard line. Two plays later Kinne threw a 33-yard pass to the end zone where the Roughnecks’ Dollison jumped up and tipped the ball, only to have it fall into the waiting hands of Jamell Kennedy, for his fourth touchdown of the game.
The Roughnecks’ next series didn’t end on a turnover, but it might as well have, as Dollison’s punt went backwards two yards, giving Gilmer the ball at the White Oak 46-yard line. Two plays later, Braylon Hawley scored from 23 yards out, but the Buckeyes were flagged for an illegal block in the back, so for the second time in the game, points were taken off the board for the Buckeyes. Three straight Kinne incompletions later, Burgin lined up to attempt a 42-yard field goal, but the Roughnecks’ Morgan blocked the kick, and White Oak recovered the football at their 46-yard line.
Turnover number three came seven plays later when the Buckeyes’ Richardson intercepted a pass on another Roughneck fake punt attempt, giving Gilmer the ball at the Buckeyes’ 30-yard line. It took Kinne and company seven plays to cover the 70 yards, with Kinne finding Harris for a 13-yard touchdown with 8:25 to play in the game. Harris finished with three catches for 87 yards. “Lamar had another big game,” praised Traylor. “He caught two touchdowns; recovered a fumble; returned an interception for a touchdown, so he had a part in four touchdowns.”
Turnover number four came three plays later when Gilmer’s Dustin Jones picked off another Tubbs pass and returned it to the Roughnecks’ 5-yard line. Following two straight negative plays, Buckeyes’ backup quarterback Stump Godfrey fired a quick pass in the flats to Ross Stevens who juked a couple of defenders on his way to a 20-yard touchdown, making the score 63-7 with 5:22 left in the game.
Turnover number five came three plays later, when Gilmer’s Justin Fielden recovered yet another Roughneck fumble at the White Oak 40-yard line. The Buckeyes failed to score on this series, as Godfrey was sacked on a 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line, giving the ball back to the Roughnecks at the 6-yard line. White Oak promptly gave the ball back to Gilmer two plays later with their sixth turnover of the half when Godfrey recovered the fumble at the 10-yard line with 10 seconds to play. Godfrey took a knee on the next play, giving Gilmer their first victory over White Oak since 1991.
STATISTICS
White Oak Gilmer
10 First downs 20
34-57 Rushes-yds 27-248
11-26-3 Passing 13-24-0
64 Passing yds 281
121 Total yds 529
4-30 Penalties-yds 7-78
4 Fumbles lost 0
30:48 Time of possession 17:12
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 T
White Oak 0 7 0 0 7
Gilmer 28 7 14 14 63
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER’S JUSTIN JOHNSON brushes aside White Oak’s Michael Fillmore as he looks for running room. Johnson picked up 100 yards on 11 carries in three quarters of play to lead all rushers as Gilmer defeated White Oak, 63-7, at Buckeye Stadium last Friday night. The Buckeyes (7-0; 2-0) play Mineola (2-5; 1-1) there Friday night, Oct. 27, as the District 15-3A schedule reaches its midpoint.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER’S DEXTURE CARR (78) prepares to block White Oak’s Austin Morgan as ROSS STEVENS (84) heads for the end zone from 20 yards out. Buckeye GARRETT ADKINS (73) follows the action in the fourth quarter as Stevens scores the final touchdown in Gilmer’s 63-7 win over the Roughnecks.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
LOSING THE handle, White Oak’s Austin Morgan tries unsuccessfully to recover the fumble as Gilmer’s C.J. Kyle (40) and Dakota Bickerdike (25) close in on him late in the game.
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