By JOE DODD
Most coaches will tell you that a football team improves the most in the week between its first and second game. If that's true, the Rains Wildcats may be in trouble when they visit Gilmer Friday night for the Buckeyes' homecoming. In Gilmer's first game, the Buckeyes soundly defeated the Jasper Bulldogs 56-28.
Despite the impressive win, Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor said the Buckeyes' have a lot of room for improvement. “I thought our conditioning wasn't as good as I wanted it to be,” Traylor stated. “Our receivers dropped way too many passes in the game. And we had too many penalties, which I attribute to the lack of conditioning as well. So those are the three aspects we are really concerned about right now.”
Traylor is also concerned about the Wildcats, who open their regular season under new head coach Brannon Kidd. “It's really hard to tell [what they do] because they have just scrimmaged, they haven't played a game,” said Traylor.
Kidd, who went 8-12 in two seasons at Ft. Worth Castleberry, concedes a slight advantage. “I think it may a little bit,” said Kidd. “But of course every scrimmage we've had, Gilmer's had coaches in the stands so they've got a good idea of what we're going to do. Of course we'll throw in some twists and wrinkles here and there.”
Kidd, who served as offensive coordinator at Keller Fossil Ridge under current Southlake Carroll head coach Hal Wasson, inherited a Wildcats team that returns 16 starters from a team that has made three consecutive playoff appearances.
“We've got a good bunch of senior leaders that have been there through the playoff runs they've had the last three years,” Kidd stated. “They seem confident. They don't seem worried or concerned with Gilmer. They are going to show up ready to play.”
Traylor is certain that the Wildcats will be motivated, especially since Gilmer scheduled them as homecoming opponent. “Don't think they won't be fired up about that. Nobody likes to be a homecoming mum.”
Another motivation for the Wildcats is their underdog status. One website lists Gilmer as a 27-point favorite. “I played at SMU right after the death penalty, so I'm used to being the underdog,” conceded Kidd. “It's an exciting experience I'm trying to sell to our kids and they seem to be excited about it.”
The Wildcats also seem excited about the challenge of learning the new offense that Kidd brought with him. “Going from a split veer to a spread offense it's had some challenges for them, but they have adapted well,” praised Kidd.
That adaptation was helped in large part by two returning senior starters, quarterback Taylor Marshall (6-3, 200, 4.7) and wide receiver Kolby Hoover (6-3, 195, 4.6). Marshall passed for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Wildcats' run-oriented scheme last season, while Hoover is one of the top returning receivers in Class 3A after catching 48 passes for 964 yards.
“We have a good passer, and he likes to throw the ball,” Kidd confirmed. “He's very good at throwing the ball."
Kidd admitted that his offense is predicated upon the talent he has. “I'm an old offensive lineman and if I can run it, I'm going to run it, but if I can put my team in a better situation by passing, I'm going to take it,” said Kidd. That philosophy was evident last season at Castleberry when Kidd took running back Chris Thompson and moved him to quarterback. Thompson responded with 2,353 rushing yards on 271 carries.
Kidd said his Rains team will be more even than Castleberry's was. “We're pretty balanced; I'd say we're probably 50-50 on what we do. We're going to try and do whatever the defense dictates.”
In addition to a balanced offensive attack, the Wildcats have plenty of big game experience. Last season Rains faced highly ranked Royse City in district play, eventual 2A-Div. I state champion Farmersville in non-district play, and eventual 3A-Div. II state champion Celina in the playoffs. “That's an impressive three right there. Royse City, Celina and Farmersville were pretty good teams,” stated Traylor. “And I understand that is why they wanted to play us; to keep playing great teams.”
“If you only play the teams you're supposed to beat, then you never get any better,” agreed Kidd, who is counting on his kid's experiences from last season to help them against Gilmer. “I think it helps them a lot. They've been in those big games before.”
Gilmer has been in plenty of big games, but homecoming is something that concerns Traylor every year. “You're always worried about distractions, but it's also nice to have a huge crowd, so it works both ways,” admitted Traylor, who wants his Buckeyes to be more focused on their preserving their current 25-game home and regular-season winning streak.
Kidd knows the task of stopping Gilmer's winning streaks will be a challenge. “We've got to play mistake-free football to beat Gilmer,” Kidd said. “We can't turn over the ball. We can't have penalties. The spread is run off momentum, and when you get those going in the right direction and then you kill that momentum, it's hard to get it back going.”
“You've got to try and focus on what weaknesses they do have, and try to exploit those weaknesses as best you can,” said Kidd, who added, “We don't see a lot of weaknesses in Gilmer right now. They are well coached and they are very disciplined.”
While the odds may be against the Wildcats, Kidd stated that nothing is decided until after kickoff. “On any given Friday, any team can win the game.”
Game Notes
• Gilmer is 10-0 all-time against Emory-Rains, outscoring Emory 433-6 in 8 games from 1926 through 1941. After Emory consolidated to become Rains county after the 1958 season, the Buckeyes are 2-0 against the Wildcats with a 43-0 win in 2002 and a 56-14 win in 2003 when the two teams were in District 11-3A together. Overall Gilmer has outscored Emory-Rains 532-20 in 10 games.
• Jeff Traylor's 86 career wins at Gilmer is tied with Truett Rattan for 2nd all time.
• Traylor needs 4 wins to pass Henry McClelland as Gilmer's career wins leader.
• Gilmer's last home loss was to Pine Tree, 14-7 in 2002.
• Gilmer's last regular season loss was at Daingerfield, 26-17, in 2005
Scout Team
Players of the Week
Offense: Austin Hollingsworth
Defense: Zack Davidson
Mirror Photo / M.L. Kirby
BUCKEYE DEFENDER Gus Osborne catches up with Jasper QB Dominique Bailey in third quarter action last Thursday night in Tyler, with teammate Luis Castro close behind. Gilmer beat Jasper, 56-28, in the Trinity Mother Frances Football Classic opening game. This Friday night the Buckeyes celebrate Homecoming against the Rains Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Buckeye Stadium.
Most coaches will tell you that a football team improves the most in the week between its first and second game. If that's true, the Rains Wildcats may be in trouble when they visit Gilmer Friday night for the Buckeyes' homecoming. In Gilmer's first game, the Buckeyes soundly defeated the Jasper Bulldogs 56-28.
Despite the impressive win, Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor said the Buckeyes' have a lot of room for improvement. “I thought our conditioning wasn't as good as I wanted it to be,” Traylor stated. “Our receivers dropped way too many passes in the game. And we had too many penalties, which I attribute to the lack of conditioning as well. So those are the three aspects we are really concerned about right now.”
Traylor is also concerned about the Wildcats, who open their regular season under new head coach Brannon Kidd. “It's really hard to tell [what they do] because they have just scrimmaged, they haven't played a game,” said Traylor.
Kidd, who went 8-12 in two seasons at Ft. Worth Castleberry, concedes a slight advantage. “I think it may a little bit,” said Kidd. “But of course every scrimmage we've had, Gilmer's had coaches in the stands so they've got a good idea of what we're going to do. Of course we'll throw in some twists and wrinkles here and there.”
Kidd, who served as offensive coordinator at Keller Fossil Ridge under current Southlake Carroll head coach Hal Wasson, inherited a Wildcats team that returns 16 starters from a team that has made three consecutive playoff appearances.
“We've got a good bunch of senior leaders that have been there through the playoff runs they've had the last three years,” Kidd stated. “They seem confident. They don't seem worried or concerned with Gilmer. They are going to show up ready to play.”
Traylor is certain that the Wildcats will be motivated, especially since Gilmer scheduled them as homecoming opponent. “Don't think they won't be fired up about that. Nobody likes to be a homecoming mum.”
Another motivation for the Wildcats is their underdog status. One website lists Gilmer as a 27-point favorite. “I played at SMU right after the death penalty, so I'm used to being the underdog,” conceded Kidd. “It's an exciting experience I'm trying to sell to our kids and they seem to be excited about it.”
The Wildcats also seem excited about the challenge of learning the new offense that Kidd brought with him. “Going from a split veer to a spread offense it's had some challenges for them, but they have adapted well,” praised Kidd.
That adaptation was helped in large part by two returning senior starters, quarterback Taylor Marshall (6-3, 200, 4.7) and wide receiver Kolby Hoover (6-3, 195, 4.6). Marshall passed for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Wildcats' run-oriented scheme last season, while Hoover is one of the top returning receivers in Class 3A after catching 48 passes for 964 yards.
“We have a good passer, and he likes to throw the ball,” Kidd confirmed. “He's very good at throwing the ball."
Kidd admitted that his offense is predicated upon the talent he has. “I'm an old offensive lineman and if I can run it, I'm going to run it, but if I can put my team in a better situation by passing, I'm going to take it,” said Kidd. That philosophy was evident last season at Castleberry when Kidd took running back Chris Thompson and moved him to quarterback. Thompson responded with 2,353 rushing yards on 271 carries.
Kidd said his Rains team will be more even than Castleberry's was. “We're pretty balanced; I'd say we're probably 50-50 on what we do. We're going to try and do whatever the defense dictates.”
In addition to a balanced offensive attack, the Wildcats have plenty of big game experience. Last season Rains faced highly ranked Royse City in district play, eventual 2A-Div. I state champion Farmersville in non-district play, and eventual 3A-Div. II state champion Celina in the playoffs. “That's an impressive three right there. Royse City, Celina and Farmersville were pretty good teams,” stated Traylor. “And I understand that is why they wanted to play us; to keep playing great teams.”
“If you only play the teams you're supposed to beat, then you never get any better,” agreed Kidd, who is counting on his kid's experiences from last season to help them against Gilmer. “I think it helps them a lot. They've been in those big games before.”
Gilmer has been in plenty of big games, but homecoming is something that concerns Traylor every year. “You're always worried about distractions, but it's also nice to have a huge crowd, so it works both ways,” admitted Traylor, who wants his Buckeyes to be more focused on their preserving their current 25-game home and regular-season winning streak.
Kidd knows the task of stopping Gilmer's winning streaks will be a challenge. “We've got to play mistake-free football to beat Gilmer,” Kidd said. “We can't turn over the ball. We can't have penalties. The spread is run off momentum, and when you get those going in the right direction and then you kill that momentum, it's hard to get it back going.”
“You've got to try and focus on what weaknesses they do have, and try to exploit those weaknesses as best you can,” said Kidd, who added, “We don't see a lot of weaknesses in Gilmer right now. They are well coached and they are very disciplined.”
While the odds may be against the Wildcats, Kidd stated that nothing is decided until after kickoff. “On any given Friday, any team can win the game.”
Game Notes
• Gilmer is 10-0 all-time against Emory-Rains, outscoring Emory 433-6 in 8 games from 1926 through 1941. After Emory consolidated to become Rains county after the 1958 season, the Buckeyes are 2-0 against the Wildcats with a 43-0 win in 2002 and a 56-14 win in 2003 when the two teams were in District 11-3A together. Overall Gilmer has outscored Emory-Rains 532-20 in 10 games.
• Jeff Traylor's 86 career wins at Gilmer is tied with Truett Rattan for 2nd all time.
• Traylor needs 4 wins to pass Henry McClelland as Gilmer's career wins leader.
• Gilmer's last home loss was to Pine Tree, 14-7 in 2002.
• Gilmer's last regular season loss was at Daingerfield, 26-17, in 2005
Scout Team
Players of the Week
Offense: Austin Hollingsworth
Defense: Zack Davidson
Mirror Photo / M.L. Kirby
BUCKEYE DEFENDER Gus Osborne catches up with Jasper QB Dominique Bailey in third quarter action last Thursday night in Tyler, with teammate Luis Castro close behind. Gilmer beat Jasper, 56-28, in the Trinity Mother Frances Football Classic opening game. This Friday night the Buckeyes celebrate Homecoming against the Rains Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Buckeye Stadium.
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