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Buckeyes corral Mustangs in regional final

By JOE DODD

The Gilmer Buckeyes managed to overcome a disastrous second quarter and a Herculean effort by Dallas Roosevelt quarterback Vincent McNeil Jr. to capture a hard-fought 42-36 Class 3A Region I final win over the Mustangs before an estimated crowd of 13,000 people at Mesquite’s Memorial Stadium Saturday night.

McNeil led the Mustangs to a 29-point second quarter, thanks to three Buckeyes’ miscues that helped Roosevelt rack up 194 yards of total offense in the second quarter alone. “He’s the best player I’ve ever coached against,” praised Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor. “I know I said that about LaMichael James [Liberty-Eylau’s running back], but now LaMichael James is second.” McNeil accounted for 432 total yards in the game, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another score.

Luckily for the Buckeyes it took McNeil a quarter to get warmed up. The Mustangs’ first possession lasted 5:03, but only managed 28 yards in 8 plays before Roosevelt was forced to punt to the Buckeyes.

Gilmer started their first drive from their 21-yard line and found the end zone 9 plays later when Darian Godfrey hit Lamar Harris out in the left flat. Harris quickly followed his blockers the 20 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Adan Olivares kicked the first of four extra points, giving the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead with 4:10 to play in the first quarter.

The Mustangs almost scored on the ensuing kickoff when Roosevelt’s Kevin Booker caught the football at the 6-yard line and raced upfield until the Buckeyes’ Vance Green came up with a touchdown saving tackle at the Roosevelt 49-yard line.

The Mustangs controlled the football for over 4 minutes, but had to settle for a 25-yard field goal, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead to 7-3 with 11:47 remaining in the second quarter.

That’s when disaster struck the Buckeyes. Sophomore Jeremy Jackson had the kickoff bounce off him near the 10-yard line and roll back towards the end zone. Jackson picked up the football at the 2-yard line and stepped backwards into the end zone and took a knee, thinking that his actions would result in a touch back. Instead, Jackson was called for a safety and the Mustangs were awarded 2 points to close the Buckeyes’ lead to 7-5.

Gilmer then had to kick off to the Mustangs from their own 20-yard line. Booker returned it to the Gilmer 48-yard line. Roosevelt converted two 3rd down attempts, including a 42-yard run by McNeil and an 11-yard touchdown pass from McNeil to Quintell Solomon to take a 12-7 lead with 9:13 to go in the second quarter.

The Buckeyes rallied on their next series, going 80 yards in 9 plays to take back the lead on Godfrey’s 1-yard touchdown run with 6:25 to play in the half. Godfrey then completed a 2-point conversion pass to Justin Johnson to give Gilmer a 15-12 advantage.

The Buckeyes surprised the Mustangs with a perfectly executed onside kick that bounced off a Roosevelt player and into the hands of Tristin Holt, who fell on the football at the Mustangs’ 49-yard line.

Six plays and 2:22 later, Godfrey scored from 2 yards out to extend Gilmer’s lead to 22-12 with just over four minutes to play in the half.

That was more than enough time for McNeil and the Mustangs, who scored three more times before halftime. The first score capped off a 70-yard, 5-play drive when McNeil hit Jarale Shaw from 11 yards out to cut the Buckeyes lead to 22-19 with 2:50 to go in the half.

Johnson’s kickoff return to the Mustangs’ 46-yard line coupled with a 15-yard penalty against Roosevelt gave Gilmer the football at the Mustangs’ 31-yard line. On the Buckeyes next play, Godfrey took off on a quarterback keeper picking up 12 yards, but the sophomore quarterback fumbled the football after a hard hit from a Mustang defender at the Roosevelt 19-yard line.

McNeil led the Mustangs down the field, capping off an impressive 8-play, 81-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown run with :12 left on the clock, to put Roosevelt ahead 26-22. Gilmer’s kickoff return woes continued when Johnson took the Mustangs’ kick and had the football knocked out of his hands at the Buckeyes’ own 11-yard line where Roosevelt recovered the loose ball with :06 left to play.

McNeil attempted a pass to Solomon in the back of the end zone, but two Buckeyes’ defenders were there to knock the ball away with one second remaining on the game clock. The Mustangs’ Gabriol Sanchez kicked a 28-yard field goal as time expired, giving Roosevelt a 29-22 halftime lead, to the dismay of the stunned Gilmer crowd.

“You can’t turn the ball over three times in the first half against a great team,” stated Traylor, who insisted that the Buckeyes were not panicked after the first half. “We were only down seven so we felt great because we had played terrible.”

“It was the first time this year to turn the ball over as many times as we did in the first half,” agreed Johnson. “With our senior leadership, I think our guys understood that we weren’t going to give up, we weren’t going to get down. It was just like 2004 when Manuel Johnson’s group went in [at the half] against Pittsburg. We knew that we had to step up right then and make a stand, and that’s what we did.”

“We’re a team; we’re a family” said Buckeyes’ senior offensive lineman Daniel Jenkins. “Families don’t get down, families always pick each other up and we just kept it going.”

Godfrey said the game plan for the second half was simple. “We knew that if we hadn’t had those three turnovers we’d be up, so all we had to do was stop the turnovers and get back into the game.”

So the Buckeyes hit the field for the second half determined to eliminate the mistakes that had plagued them in the first half. On the opening kickoff, Roosevelt served notice that it wouldn’t be that simple. Sanchez’s kick failed to get much air under the football and ricocheted off Gilmer’s Ben Griffith and into the arms of a Mustang player who fell on the football at his own 49-yard line.

That bad bounce even made Traylor wonder if it wasn’t the Buckeyes’ night. “I refused to believe it, but I did think about it,” admitted Traylor.

The Buckeyes’ Black Flag defense came to the rescue, forcing the Mustangs to punt four plays later after giving up only 5 yards in 3 plays. “That was huge,” praised Traylor. “The defense was amazing. I can’t tell you how great that defense played tonight.”

Gilmer took control of the football at their own 19-yard line and looked like a team possessed. Alternating between Johnson’s running and Godfrey’s passing to Houston Tuminello, the Buckeyes chewed up yardage in big chunks, picking up four straight first downs to open the drive. Godfrey picked up the last 5 yards on a 4-yard run and a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the score with 9:02 to go in the third quarter.

Godfrey finished with 67 yards on the ground and 198 yards through the air; a performance that his coach called “his best game of the year. “

“He completed almost 90 percent of his passes, ran for three touchdowns and threw two touchdown passes. He just did it all,” said Traylor.

Roosevelt’s next possession lasted 4:18, but resulted in only 8 yards in 6 plays thanks to 6 offensive penalties totaling 45 yards against the Mustangs. Sanchez’s punt traveled only 22 yards before Tuminello called for a fair-catch at Gilmer’s own 38-yard line.

The Buckeyes failed to capitalize on the Mustangs’ mistakes when Godfrey’s fourth down scramble came up a yard short of the first down marker, giving Roosevelt the football at Gilmer’s 47-yard line.

According to Traylor, the decision to go for it on fourth down came down to the Buckeyes’ team philosophy. “It’s a mindset we have. We don’t coach afraid to lose; we coach to win. We went in there to win.”

Once again the Black Flag Defense came to the rescue when the sophomore Holt made another big play with a spectacular interception of a McNeil pass at the Buckeyes’ 34-yard line with2:50 to play in the third quarter.

“That interception by Tristin Holt was unbelievable,” exclaimed Traylor. “The defense was phenomenal. To stop them there; that was huge.”

The Mustangs’ first turnover sparked the Gilmer offense, which rode Johnson for 46 yards on three straight carries, before Godfrey and Tuminello connected on an amazing 20-yard touchdown pass-and-catch over the Mustangs’ dimunitive 5-7 cornerback.

“I told Coach Traylor that I’ve got a mismatch over here,” said the 6-2 Tuminello.

“He played the ball well, but I knew when we went up, who would come down with it.”

That touchdown gave the Buckeyes a 36-29 lead with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Roosevelt’s only touchdown of the second half came on their next possession when the Mustangs controlled the clock for 6:39 before Booker closed out a 14-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run that tied the score 36-36 with 7:04 to play in the game.

Gilmer’s next possession defined the game. Facing fourth down and four at the Buckeyes’ own 31-yard line, Traylor called on his offense to keep the drive alive. Godfrey delivered a 5-yard strike to Hunter Harrison, giving the Buckeyes’ new life, and their coach a reprieve. “That was a huge fourth down catch” said Traylor. “I might have been moving out of Gilmer if he hadn’t caught that ball.”

Johnson, who had his third consecutive 200-plus-yard performance with 220 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown, rewarded Traylor’s faith in his offense with a 54-yard run on the next play, and then scored three plays later on a 3-yard run with 3:16 remaining, giving the Buckeyes a 42-36 lead.

For the season, Johnson has now rushed for 2,049 yards on 169 carries and 24 TDs.

Traylor decided to go for two points thinking that Roosevelt might score and try to win with their own two-point conversion, but Johnson fumbled the football before crossing the goal line, leaving the Buckeyes’ lead at 6.

“I don’t regret it at all, because I gave my best players a chance to win the game,” responded Traylor when asked about the decision to go for two points.

Once again, Traylor’s faith in his team was rewarded by a huge play from the Black Flag Defense. With 2:37 to play, and with Roosevelt threatening from the Buckeyes’ 31-yard line, McNeil completed a pass to Markeith Gomillia, who was hit high and low by Ross Stevens and Paul Chesnut, jarring the ball loose at the 22-yard line. The officials ruled that the Buckeyes recovered the fumble, giving Gilmer the football and a chance to run the clock out.

Johnson picked up 15 yards on the first two carries, giving Gilmer the first down they needed to run out the clock and advance to Saturday’s semifinal against Abilene Wylie.

“My kids just kept battling,” Traylor said. “What more can you say about my kids? I just can’t say enough good things about them.”

Special Teams Player of the Week: Adan Olivares
Bounty Hunter: Vance Green
Hector’s Wrecker: JT Beechum
Black Attack: Kevin Godfrey
(Last week’s Wrecker was Zack Davidson and Black Attack was Cory Davison.)

NEXT GAME

The Buckeyes (13-0) will now face the Abilene Wylie Bulldogs (11-2) at 6 p.m. on Saturday night, Dec. 8, at Birdville Athletic Complex in North Richland Hills, a suburb of Fort Worth. This is the Class 3A Division I Semifinal.

STATISTICS

Roosevelt Gilmer

20 First downs 26
23-36-2-1 Passing (c-a-td-int) 17-19-2-0
255 Passing yds 198
33-171 Rushes-yds 37-294
426 Total yds 492
29:05 Time of possession 18:55
14-105 Penalties-yds. 4-42
2 Fumbles lost 3
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 T
Roosevelt 0 29 0 7 36
Gilmer 7 15 14 6 42



Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
JUSTIN “BUS” JOHNSON drives for yardage in the Class 3A Division I quarterfinal contest Saturday night, Dec. 1, against Dallas Roosevelt's Mustangs. He ran for 220 yards as the “wild horses” of Roosevelt had no more luck stopping the “Bus” than had Gilmer’s two previous 2007 playoff opponents.



Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER’S VANCE GREEN bearhugs Vincent McNeil Jr. to prevent him from passing as he is sacked. The phenomenally-talented Mustang quarterback completed several passes while falling in the grasp of Buckeye defenders, but Gilmer managed to outscore Dallas Roosevelt, 42-36.

End of Roosevelt game being investigated



By JOE DODD

Gilmer Independent School District Superintendent Rick Albritton is drafting a complaint to the Dallas Independent School District and the University Interscholastic League asking that both groups look into the actions of Dallas Roosevelt High School football players following Gilmer’s 42-36 Class 3A Region I final win Saturday night in Mesquite.

When the game ended, Roosevelt players stormed towards the Gilmer sideline, shouting and pushing Gilmer players, coaches and even cheerleaders. Video shot by a camera person from WFAA-TV in Dallas even shows a Roosevelt player throwing a roundhouse punch to the head of a Gilmer coach.

No serious injuries were sustained in the incident, but the trophy presentation was delayed and had to be performed in the Gilmer corner of the end zone instead of at midfield. Gilmer head football coach Jeff Traylor praised his team for not retaliating. “My kids did a great job of getting away from it all. Their kids were just frustrated, and it was a terrible way to end a very good ball game.”



Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER BUCKEYES in above photo stand alert on the hill at Mesquite Memorial Stadium after winning 42-36 over the Dallas Roosevelt Mustangs, following their coaches’ instructions as their opponents are escorted by their coaches off the field after the Class 3A Division I quarterfinal contest Saturday night, Dec 1.

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