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Buckeyes seek redemption against TLE Leopards

By JOE DODD

Deja vu according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary means “a feeling that one has seen or heard something before.”

Last year the Gilmer Buckeyes finished the regular season 10-0 and were a favorite to win a state championship. This year the Gilmer Buckeyes finished the regular season 10-0 and are a favorite to win a state championship.

Deja vu can also mean “something overly or unpleasantly familiar.”

For the Buckeyes, that would be the Liberty-Eylau Leopards of Texarkana, who stunned Gilmer 39-36 in the playoff’s first round last year at Longview’s Lobo Stadium, on their road to the Class 3A division I state championship.

Friday night at 7:30 the Buckeyes and Leopards will meet again at Lobo Stadium, with the visiting Buckeyes wearing white and the home team Leopards wearing maroon; just like last year.

“We started counting down the days we got to play Liberty-Eylau again the day after,” confessed Gilmer Buckeyes’ head coach Jeff Traylor.

That focus was necessary according to Traylor who admitted, “The mistake I made last year was I underestimated how talented they were,” Traylor said. “I didn’t practice on them as much as I should have. I took it one week at a time last year, and said we’ll deal with them when we get there. That was a mistake.”

This year, Traylor didn’t make the same mistake, instead his team practiced for the Leopards every week since two-a-days started in early August. “I had to do something to get my kids to understand,” insisted Traylor, who made no apologies for his team’s single-minded focus.

“They didn’t just beat us, they won a state championship,” Traylor said. “I’d say that’s a pretty good team to be working on.”

Traylor is confident that his team won’t experience deja vu when it comes to estimating the Leopards’ abilities. “Last year my kids didn’t know. My kids took them way too lightly. This year my kids know. If we don’t show up and play well it’s over, and they know it.”

They know it because it happened to them last year. Despite their quarterback being featured on the cover of Texas Football magazine and their season-long number one ranking, the Buckeyes lost the turnover battle, the penalty battle and the field position battle during last season’s heartbreaking loss to the 7-3 Leopards.

This season it was the Leopards who had all of the hype. “Just think back to the preseason. Who was ranked number two in the state? Who had 14 starters returning? Not us,” replied Traylor, who admitted, “There’s not as much hype about this [Buckeyes] team. We’ve gone 10-0 and everybody’s discounted us saying that our schedule is easy.”

That schedule did include a game against two-time defending state champion Tatum, but Traylor cautioned Buckeye fans not to view the Buckeyes 71-28 win over the Eagles as a sign of things to come against the Leopards. “We have not played a game this year good enough to win against Liberty-Eylau. If we play as well as we did against Tatum, we’ll get beat.

That’s how much better Liberty-Eylau is than everybody that we’ve played,” continued Traylor. “If our town and our kids do not have the mindset that we are underdogs; we’ll be in trouble.”

Liberty-Eylau head coach Pat Brady laughs at Traylor’s assertion. “I don’t think they are the underdog by any means. They’re 10-0, and we’re 5-5,” countered Brady. “Their record is no indication of how good they are,” insisted Traylor who points out that four of the Leopards’ five losses came against 4A teams North Lamar, Greenville, Mount Plesant and Sulphur Springs, while the fifth came at the hands of district champion Pleasant Grove.

“They are the state champions, not us.” reiterated Traylor. “That’s why we are the underdogs. They are the favorites; anybody that doesn’t think so, doesn’t know what they are talking about.”

Traylor also calls into question the college recruiting experts that list the Leopards’ LaMichael James (5-10, 190) as the eighth best all-purpose running back in the country. “I want to see the seven that are better than him,” Traylor said. “I don’t think there is one in the country better than him. He’s Reggie Bush-like; he can do it all. He lines up at quarterback, slot receiver, outside receiver and tailback. He probably drives the bus over there for them.”

James certainly drives the Leopards’ offense, accounting for 62 percent of their total yards and 50 percent of their scoring. Against the Buckeyes last year, James racked up 198 yards and 4 touchdowns.

“LaMichael James is a great football player with a lot of speed,” Brady said. “He’s got great vision when he’s running with the football so obviously when we have a kid who has those kind of abilities it behooves us to get the ball in his hands, and that’s what we’ve tried to do all season, and that’s what we’re going to continue to try and do. We’re going to try to get the ball in his hands and let him do his thing.”

James did his thing best against Pittsburg when he rushed for a school record 322 yards on his way to claim the Leopards’ career rushing record.

But Traylor is equally concerned with receiver Jeremy Whigham (6-0, 205), tight end Jermaine Waller (6-0, 185) and receiver Marquez Clark (5-9, 170). “They can all score on any play,” Traylor said.

It doesn’t get any easier on the other side of the football stated Traylor. “Their team speed is amazing. Defensively, they are by far the fastest we’ve played.” That was evident last year when the Leopards held the Buckeyes to almost 200 yards and 20 points below their average.

Last year the Buckeyes came into the game against the Leopards averaging 529 yards and 55 points per game. This year the Buckeyes average 530 yards and 54 points per game.

Deja vu.

Brady said that numbers don’t matter once the playoffs begin. “The records, wins and losses, points for, and points against; none of that concerns me. When you step out onto the field, especially in the playoffs, anything can happen.” The Leopards proved that last year, using the momentum from their win over the Buckeyes to roll to the state championship game. Against Waco Robinson, the Leopards allowed more than 600 yards of total offense and managed less than 300 yards on their own, but still won the game 35-34 to claim their second state championship in eight years.

Brady is confident that this year’s Leopards can repeat that feat. “If we can go out and play our game with the ability that we have; if we can do that, I like our chances against anybody,” Brady exclaimed. “We’re talented enough and good enough that if we can ever play four quarters, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

Traylor hopes the deja vu ends at kickoff. “I think this team’s been through more adversity than last year’s team to be quite honest with you because we’re not as good; we’re not as talented,” said Traylor who has never lost twice in a row to the same team. “Everybody focuses on the division one signees, but a football team is not made out of five players; you’ve got to have about 35 of them. This team competes very hard, they’re very intelligent, they have high character.”

That high character is what Traylor is counting on to get past the Leopards this year. “We can beat them, we can,” Traylor said. “But it will take an absolutely perfect game by us.”

Directions to Lobo Stadium

From Gilmer, take State Highway 300 approximately 17 miles to Longview. Turn left (east) onto Loop-281 for 2.8 miles, and turn left (north) onto Airline Drive. Stadium is on the left.

The Gilmer Independent School District is urging all Buckeye fans who attend the bi-district game between the Gilmer Buckeyes and the Liberty-Eylau Leopards Friday night to wear ORANGE.

In the event that the Gilmer Buckeyes are still in the playoffs next week, playoff tickets will be sold at the Gilmer ISD central office on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 19 and 20, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

School will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday through Friday. They will return to the regular Tuesday through Thursday sales schedule the following week.




Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
JUSTIN JOHNSON watches the block of Justin Fielden (98) develop as he goes after yardage against the Bears Friday. Johnson punched in a touchdown just before the first half ended last Friday night. The senior OU commit will lead the Buckeyes into Lobo Stadium Friday night against Liberty-Eylau. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.



Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
SEVEN IN ‘07 indicates that the Gilmer Buckeyes have won seven consecutive district championships in the past seven years as Dakota Hagler holds high the District 15-3A championship trophy the Buckeyes received after their 53-17 win over Gladewater here last Friday night. Coach Jeff Traylor, right, prepares the players for their next opponent, Liberty-Eylau.

GILMER BUCKEYES vs. L-EYLAU LEOPARDS

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