Gilmer Buckeyes

By JOE DODD As the final seconds ticked off the Longview Lobo Stadium scoreboard, and both teams converged at midfield to shake hands; thousands of Gilmer Buckeyes’ fans stood in stunned silence, shaking their heads in unrehearsed unison, refusing to believe the 39-36 score that sent the state’s No. 1-ranked team home after the first game of the playoffs. After Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor congratulated Liberty-Eylau head coach Pat Brady, the Buckeyes’ boss found himself apologizing, instead of commenting on the next-round opponent. “I’m extremely sorry, I really am; to the team and the fans,” said a subdued Traylor in an interview with the Buckeyes’ Broadcasting Team. “Our team was good enough to do it, but we just didn’t get it done.” Despite a perfect 10-0 regular season record, and breaking a 46-year old Class 3A scoring record, the Buckeyes will watch the remaining month of the high-school playoffs from the sidelines. Traylor was quick to credit the Liberty-Eylau Leopards for hi...

High School Football Playoffs: Liberty-Eylau beats Gilmer at own game By LOUIE AVERY Texarkana Gazette LONGVIEW, Texas—Liberty-Eylau coach Pat Brady had a change of heart last Sunday while he considered his gameplan for 3A’s top-ranked Gilmer Buckeyes. “It seemed like everyone was saying you can’t get into a scoring fest with Gilmer,” Brady said a day after watching his Leopards shock the previously unbeaten Buckeyes, 39-36. “I decided early last Sunday that we had to pull out everything we have on offense and score as often as they scored.” The strategy worked well early in the game with both teams scoring on their first two possessions, but the game turned L-E’s way with two Gilmer turnovers in the third quarter. The Leopards scored 26 unanswered points to build a 39-22 lead, and then survived a furious rally by the Buckeyes in the final six minutes of the game. “Gilmer didn’t lose this game, we won it,” Brady said. “I think it all started with the schemes planned by the coaching sta...

From the Tyler Morning Telegraph From the Longview News-Journal Froom the Texarkana Gazette

Buckeyes begin title run By JOE DODD When the UIL’s bi-annual realignment was announced in February, both Gilmer and Liberty-Eylau knew that a trip to the football playoffs would mean a first round match-up between the two teams, since both schools shared the distinction of having the largest enrollment numbers in their respective districts. When Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine hit the store shelves this summer, that probable meeting was enhanced to include Class 3A’s preseason ranked No. 1 and No. 3 teams in an epic battle to advance to the second round. Now it’s here. The 10-0 Gilmer Buckeyes face the 7-3 Liberty-Eylau Leopards Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Longview’s Lobo Stadium. For Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor, and Liberty-Eylau head coach Pat Brady, the game is the culmination of a lot of anticipation. “I’ve known for a year that we were playing Liberty-Eylau,” said Traylor. “One of the things I’ve avoided talking about all year is the Gilmer game,” Brady admitted. “But I thi...

Photo / Jocelyne Carter CURTIS BROWN goes airborne for a pass during a 7-on-7 last summer at Buckeye Stadium. The Longhorns need him RIGHT NOW in the secondary, but fortunately he's still a Buckeye for at least the next month.

AP Poll after Week 10 CLASS 3A Team Rec Pts Pvs 1. Gilmer (6) 10-0 184 2 2. Cuero (12) 10-0 183 1 3. Giddings (2) 10-0 160 3 4. West Orange-Stark 10-0 144 4 5. Celina 10-0 119 5 6. Decatur 10-0 92 6 7. Madison 9-0 73 7 8. Wimberley 9-1 60 8 9. Liberty Hill 7-2 31 9 10. Hondo 10-0 25 10 Also receiving votes: 11, Sweetwater 5. 12, Snyder 4. 12, Port Isabel 4. 12, Palestine 4. 15, Abilene Wylie 3. 15, Hutto 3. 17, Bellville 2. 17, Diboll 2. 19, Royse City 1. 19, Monahans 1.

By LOUIE AVERY Texarkana Gazette LAST WEEK: Atlanta’s Brandon Stiger scored on fourth down in overtime to earn the Rabbs the District 16-3A championship with a 20-17 victory over the Leopards. THIS WEEK: The Leopards challenge second-ranked Gilmer in 3A bi-district play Friday night at Longview High School’s Lobo Stadium. OFFENSIVE STANDOUTS: The L-E coaching staff bragged on the offensive line. Quarterback Will Middlebrooks did not enjoy a great night throwing the ball, but still threw 41 and 62-yard touchdown passes to Jermaine Waller and LaMichael James respectively. Middlebrooks kicked a 34-yard field goal in overtime and averaged 57.5 yards punting, including 78 and 73-yard kicks. James had 4 catches and also rushed for 80 yards. DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS: Junior linebacker Charles Jones had 13 tackles, 2 behind the line of scrimmage. He also caused a fumble. Cory Cook had 10 tackles and recovered a fumble, while Stedmon Dewberry was credited with 9 tackles. PAT BRADY’S POST-GAME COMMEN...

NORMAN (AP) - Oklahoma receiver Manuel Johnson will not play Saturday against Baylor after being knocked out on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the Sooners' game against Texas Tech this weekend. Johnson, who has 23 catches for 255 yards this season, had started the previous three games before the No. 16 Sooners (8-2, 5-1 Big 12) opened in a three tight end set against the Red Raiders. "They're not having him do anything yet. They'll start getting him into some lifting and some exercising the middle of the week but he won't play this week," coach Bob Stoops said. Johnson was hospitalized after the game Saturday but returned home on Sunday. "He's all right. He looks normal. He got a concussion. A real bad concussion is what he had," said Malcolm Kelly, a fellow receiver and one of Johnson's roommates. "He came home yesterday, laughing and joking like there wasn't nothing wrong. He's cool." Johnson had just caught a 4-yard pass when ...

The Gilmer Buckeyes (10-0) will take on the Texarkana Liberty-Eylau Leopards (7-3) at Lobo Stadium in Longview on Friday night, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. This is a Class 3A Division I bi-district game. The winner will face the winner of the Mabank-Tyler Chapel Hill game.

From the Texarkana Gazette

From the Longview News-Journal From the Tyler Morning Telegraph By JOE DODD The Gilmer Buckeyes claimed their sixth straight undefeated district championship Friday night at Jack V. Murphy Stadium in Gladewater as the Buckeyes dominated the Bears 49-21. Gilmer improved their district winning streak to 29 games, and finished regular season play with a perfect 10-0 record for the third time in the past four years. The Buckeyes jumped out to a commanding 28-0 first quarter lead, and then held on as Gladewater used ball control, big plays, and Gilmer fumbles to play the Buckeyes to a 21-21 draw for the remaining three quarters. “You have to give Gladewater credit. Their kids played hard and never quit,” said Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor. “It was a good wake-up call for us the last three quarters; so we’ve got a lot to work on,” added Traylor, who will lead the Buckeyes against Liberty-Eylau in the first round of the playoffs this Friday night. Gilmer’s Jamell Kennedy returned the opening...

By JOE DODD The Gilmer Buckeyes have a lot at stake Friday night when they travel the 15 miles south to Jack V. Murphy Bear Stadium to take on longtime rival Gladewater in the final game of the regular season. With a win, the Buckeyes will capture their sixth consecutive undefeated district championship. With a win, the Buckeyes will complete their third undefeated regular season in the past four seasons. With a win, the Buckeyes will extend their district winning streak to 29 games. With a loss… well, Buckeyes head coach Jeff Traylor doesn’t want to think about what a loss would do. “Obviously if we lose, we’re sharing the district championship with Spring Hill and Gladewater, and that’s worse than kissing your sister,” said Traylor. Traylor leads his Buckeyes into Bear country with a perfect 9-0 season record, and a number one state ranking according to many polls. Gladewater (4-5 overall, 3-1 district) enters the game as 36-point underdogs, needing a win to assure them of a playoff ...

By JOE DODD To understand just how thoroughly the Gilmer Buckeyes dominated the Spring Hill Panthers, you just have to look at the numbers. Gilmer quarterback G.J. Kinne passed for 429 yards and five touchdowns. The Buckeyes’ offense had 457 total yards, while the Buckeyes’ defense held the Panthers to only 112 total yards. And those were only the first-half statistics, as Gilmer jumped out to a 41-7 lead at intermission, on their way to a 55-7 victory over the Panthers. Kinne finished with 456 yards passing and five touchdowns, while completing 15 of 21 passes. The Buckeyes’ offense finished with a season-high 684 total yards, including 211 yards rushing, as Gilmer improved their season record to 9-0 and their district record to 4-0. Spring Hill managed just 176 total yards, as the Panthers fell to 5-4 for the season, and 3-1 in district play. The win was the Buckeyes’ 28th straight in district play, dating back to the 2000 season; and the team’s 20th consecutive win at Buckeye Stadiu...

By MARY L. KIRBY Things have been cooking at Gilmer High this fall, and those working in the Buckeye Stadium press box benefit from the culinary explorations of the Food Preparation Class. While all the members of the class prepare food for the press box on Friday evenings, some of the members of the class have also been on the field as members of the Black Flag Defense of the Gilmer Buckeye football team. Hannah Henderson, Teasia Brooks, Sting Salgado, Wes Wynne, C.J. Kyle, Tia Hall, Kaci Crawford, Erica Flatt, Dominique Buchanan, Dunterius Goodman and Aston Grigsby worked together to prepare a different menu for each of the four home football games this fall. After the food is finished, Wynne, Kyle, Buchanan and Goodman prepare for the evening’s activities on the field. The four are starting members of the defense. In the press box, visiting scouts, camera crews from both teams, representatives of the media, public address announcer Jeff Rash, his spotters and others snack off the va...

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From the Tyler Morning Telegraph From the Longview News-Journal

By JOE DODD The Gilmer Buckeyes (8-0, 3-0) will close out their 2006 home schedule Friday night at Buckeye Stadium when they host the Spring Hill Panthers (5-3, 3-0) in a showdown of District 15-3A’s top two teams. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The Buckeyes will try to extend their district win streak to 28 games and their home win streak to 20 games with a victory over the Panthers. Gilmer is also attempting to win its sixth consecutive district championship without a loss. The winning streaks alone are reason enough for Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor to expect a big game from his Buckeyes, who are ranked either at or near the top in statewide 3A polls. “I don’t think these kids want to be the ones who stop that,” said Traylor, who has guided his alma mater to an amazing 69-13 record in his 7th season as head coach. That motivation has been lacking at times over the past three games, as Gilmer started district play against teams with a combined record of 3-21. Despite winning all three...

By JOE DODD The Gilmer Buckeyes exploded for a season-high 628 total yards en route to a 62-12 victory over the Mineola Yellowjackets Friday night in Mineola. The Buckeyes’ sported a balanced offense that gained 319 yards passing and 309 yards rushing to garner the team’s 27th consecutive district win. With the win, Gilmer improves their season record to 8-0, and their district record to 3-0. Mineola falls to 2-6 on the season, and 1-2 in district play. The Buckeyes’ 62 points marked the fourth time this season that the Buckeyes have eclipsed the 60-point plateau, and left quite an impression on Mineola head coach Steve Wells. “That team right there is one of the best 3A teams that I’ve seen,” said Wells. “I think they have a legitimate shot to win it all.” Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor was quick to downplay Wells’ remarks. “We were okay,” said Traylor, who improved his career record to 69-13 with the 50-point win. “I was proud that so many kids were productive on offense. We had a lo...