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 games by an average score of 58-9, Traylor insists that his team hasn’t played well since their 49-12 win over Atlanta four weeks ago. Traylor hopes his team is ready for a big step up the competition ladder. “They are the kind of team that just scares me to death,” said Traylor, about Spring Hill.
Why would the Panthers scare Traylor? “They’ll be tougher than the teams we played; they’ll be better conditioned, and they’ll be stronger,” said Traylor, who credits Spring Hill head coach Robert Bero for his concern. “That’s Coach Bero; that’s what he does; all of his teams are that way.”
Few coaches command the respect that Bero does. With a career record of 102-46-3, Bero settled at Spring Hill in 2000, after leading the Longview Lobos to 93 wins in 12 seasons, along with a berth in the Class 5A state championship game in 1997. Bero worked as the Panthers offensive coordinator for five seasons, before assuming the head coaching duties in 2005. “They are very well coached,” stated Traylor. “Robert Bero was a great coach at Longview ; he’s a great coach at Spring Hill. I think he does as good a job at coaching as anyone we play against.”
Bero isn’t the only reason that Traylor and the Buckeyes respect Spring Hill. “They’ve got a great program,” Traylor said. “They’ve won a lot of big ball games. They’ve played deep in the playoffs. They’ve got players playing division one football.” Traylor could just as easily be describing his own team with that statement; as the Buckeyes and Panthers have the most wins of any 3A teams in East Texas since the 2000 season. Gilmer is 68-13 in that time frame, while Spring Hill is 58-22.
It’s only fitting that these two teams should meet with the district lead on the line. “They’re 3-0 and we’re 3-0,” said Traylor. “Whoever wins Friday is guaranteed a piece of the championship. He’s (Bero) telling his kids right now; if they can beat us they win the district championship. They have nothing to lose; those are teams that are scary.”
Bero agrees with Traylor about the importance of Friday’s game. “We’re both 3-0 and I think the winner will be the district champions without a doubt,” said Bero, who is 9-9 at Spring Hill. “It ought to be a good football game between two good football programs.”
The Panthers enter Friday’s game with the Buckeyes as 33 point underdogs according to one internet rating service. But that doesn’t bother Bero, or his team. “There’s enough hype out there about Gilmer, and justifiably so; but we’re not going to play the hype. We’re going to go over there and play the Gilmer Buckeyes,” stated Bero.
Traylor says don’t let Spring Hill’s three loses fool you. “If their tailbacks hadn’t gotten hurt, I believe with all my heart that they are 8-0,” said Traylor. “If Shankle, Fudge, and Garcia had stayed healthy, Spring Hill wouldn’t have lost a game.”
Bero said that he doesn’t worry about what could have happened without injuries to his best running backs. “Those are things that happen. We don’t usually talk about our injuries. We’re going to show up Friday, and I think our kids are going to give a great effort. I’ll be very upset with our football team if we didn’t go over there and play extremely hard for 48 minutes; and I think we will.”
Traylor echoes Bero’s sentiments regarding injuries. “We’re very beat up,” Traylor said. “We’re as unhealthy as we’ve ever been this time of year. Healthy teams don’t win championships; tough teams do. We’ll play with who we’ve got; and we’ll just try to get it done with who we have left.”
While Spring Hill is expected to be without the services of Demikel Shankle and Jake Fudge, Gilmer’s best player, Curtis Brown will try to play in his final home game after missing the past three games with an ankle injury. The Buckeyes offense didn’t miss a beat while Brown was gone, averaging 528 yards and 59 points in his absence, but how can they not improve with the return of a player that accumulated 877 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns, in just slightly over four games?
“I don’t think you’re ever going to stop Gilmer,” said Bero. “There are too many quality players, and with that offense that they run, there’s a lot of space on the field, and when you put great athletes in space, they’re going to make plays. We just hope to try to eliminate some of the big plays for Gilmer.” Bero said there is only one way to do that. “I think number one, you’ve got to keep their offense off the field, and that’s a whole lot easier said than done,” stated Bero. “What we’ve got to be able to do is control the ball; control the clock’ and keep their offense, as much as possible, on the sidelines.”
So far that strategy has failed other teams; as the Buckeyes lead the state with a 56 points per game average, despite only averaging about 18 minutes of possession time per game. “It’s kind of a catch-22,” commented Bero. “You want to sit there and kind of ball control, and control the clock, but you have to be able to put points on the board when you do that. It’s not just a matter of being on the field and making first downs; you’ve got to be able to control the clock and put points on the board.” But, Bero cautions; “Don’t get in a scoring battle with them because I don’t think you’re going to win a scoring battle with them.”
Bero credits an unlikely source for his concern. “Everybody wants to talk about Kinne and the offense; and they are extremely talented and very good. But I think the one thing that is overlooked at Gilmer a lot of times is that they play pretty darn good defense.”
Traylor agrees that the Buckeyes’ defense will be an important factor. “If we play like we did Friday (against Mineola ) on defense; we’ll really struggle to beat Spring Hill,” commented Traylor, who added, “Their quarterback Chris Lee started as a sophomore; he can throw the ball. Their fullback Travis Vickery started as a sophomore against us in 2004; he’s still back there. Max Garcia is a good athlete at tailback. Their offensive line; all of them are good. They all started last year. Their receivers, Jacob LeTourneau and Robby Garcia, are good players. They get in a million formations and they run a few plays. They do a really good job with their offense.”
The Panthers do a good enough job to average 339 yards and 28 points per game. That will challenge Gilmer’s Black Flag defense, which is allowing 230 yards and 15 points per game. Spring Hill’s challenge is more daunting; contain a Buckeyes’ offense with a defense that has allowed 293 yards and 21 points per game. But Traylor is quick to point out. “They’ve always given us fits defensively,” said Traylor, who has a 2-1 record against the Panthers, but only managed a scoring average of 23 points.
Traylor said his team welcomes the challenge. “It’s our last home game; it’s the last time the seniors will play here. I think we’ll play really hard Friday. I just believe our kids are ready to play.”
Did you know?
Gilmer holds an 8-2 all-time advantage over Spring Hill. The two teams first met in 1950, with the Buckeyes winning 7-6. The two teams didn’t meet again for over 30 years, until Coach Traylor’s junior season in 1984, when Gilmer beat Spring Hill 37-0. The Panthers gave Traylor his second-worst loss of his career in 2000 with a 41-21 defeat. The last time these two teams met was in the 2004 Area round of the Class 3A playoffs at Lobo Stadium. The Buckeyes won 28-11, on their way to a perfect 16-0 season and the team’s first state championship.
Scout Team
Players of the Week
Offense: Kurt Potter
Defense: Chase Carroll
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER’S WES WYNNE breaks through the line to drop Cory Jones in the Mineola backfield last Friday night. The defense hopes to continue its string of strong performances here against Spring Hill Friday night, Nov. 3.
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 games by an average score of 58-9, Traylor insists that his team hasn’t played well since their 49-12 win over Atlanta four weeks ago. Traylor hopes his team is ready for a big step up the competition ladder. “They are the kind of team that just scares me to death,” said Traylor, about Spring Hill.
Why would the Panthers scare Traylor? “They’ll be tougher than the teams we played; they’ll be better conditioned, and they’ll be stronger,” said Traylor, who credits Spring Hill head coach Robert Bero for his concern. “That’s Coach Bero; that’s what he does; all of his teams are that way.”
Few coaches command the respect that Bero does. With a career record of 102-46-3, Bero settled at Spring Hill in 2000, after leading the Longview Lobos to 93 wins in 12 seasons, along with a berth in the Class 5A state championship game in 1997. Bero worked as the Panthers offensive coordinator for five seasons, before assuming the head coaching duties in 2005. “They are very well coached,” stated Traylor. “Robert Bero was a great coach at Longview ; he’s a great coach at Spring Hill. I think he does as good a job at coaching as anyone we play against.”
Bero isn’t the only reason that Traylor and the Buckeyes respect Spring Hill. “They’ve got a great program,” Traylor said. “They’ve won a lot of big ball games. They’ve played deep in the playoffs. They’ve got players playing division one football.” Traylor could just as easily be describing his own team with that statement; as the Buckeyes and Panthers have the most wins of any 3A teams in East Texas since the 2000 season. Gilmer is 68-13 in that time frame, while Spring Hill is 58-22.
It’s only fitting that these two teams should meet with the district lead on the line. “They’re 3-0 and we’re 3-0,” said Traylor. “Whoever wins Friday is guaranteed a piece of the championship. He’s (Bero) telling his kids right now; if they can beat us they win the district championship. They have nothing to lose; those are teams that are scary.”
Bero agrees with Traylor about the importance of Friday’s game. “We’re both 3-0 and I think the winner will be the district champions without a doubt,” said Bero, who is 9-9 at Spring Hill. “It ought to be a good football game between two good football programs.”
The Panthers enter Friday’s game with the Buckeyes as 33 point underdogs according to one internet rating service. But that doesn’t bother Bero, or his team. “There’s enough hype out there about Gilmer, and justifiably so; but we’re not going to play the hype. We’re going to go over there and play the Gilmer Buckeyes,” stated Bero.
Traylor says don’t let Spring Hill’s three loses fool you. “If their tailbacks hadn’t gotten hurt, I believe with all my heart that they are 8-0,” said Traylor. “If Shankle, Fudge, and Garcia had stayed healthy, Spring Hill wouldn’t have lost a game.”
Bero said that he doesn’t worry about what could have happened without injuries to his best running backs. “Those are things that happen. We don’t usually talk about our injuries. We’re going to show up Friday, and I think our kids are going to give a great effort. I’ll be very upset with our football team if we didn’t go over there and play extremely hard for 48 minutes; and I think we will.”
Traylor echoes Bero’s sentiments regarding injuries. “We’re very beat up,” Traylor said. “We’re as unhealthy as we’ve ever been this time of year. Healthy teams don’t win championships; tough teams do. We’ll play with who we’ve got; and we’ll just try to get it done with who we have left.”
While Spring Hill is expected to be without the services of Demikel Shankle and Jake Fudge, Gilmer’s best player, Curtis Brown will try to play in his final home game after missing the past three games with an ankle injury. The Buckeyes offense didn’t miss a beat while Brown was gone, averaging 528 yards and 59 points in his absence, but how can they not improve with the return of a player that accumulated 877 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns, in just slightly over four games?
“I don’t think you’re ever going to stop Gilmer,” said Bero. “There are too many quality players, and with that offense that they run, there’s a lot of space on the field, and when you put great athletes in space, they’re going to make plays. We just hope to try to eliminate some of the big plays for Gilmer.” Bero said there is only one way to do that. “I think number one, you’ve got to keep their offense off the field, and that’s a whole lot easier said than done,” stated Bero. “What we’ve got to be able to do is control the ball; control the clock’ and keep their offense, as much as possible, on the sidelines.”
So far that strategy has failed other teams; as the Buckeyes lead the state with a 56 points per game average, despite only averaging about 18 minutes of possession time per game. “It’s kind of a catch-22,” commented Bero. “You want to sit there and kind of ball control, and control the clock, but you have to be able to put points on the board when you do that. It’s not just a matter of being on the field and making first downs; you’ve got to be able to control the clock and put points on the board.” But, Bero cautions; “Don’t get in a scoring battle with them because I don’t think you’re going to win a scoring battle with them.”
Bero credits an unlikely source for his concern. “Everybody wants to talk about Kinne and the offense; and they are extremely talented and very good. But I think the one thing that is overlooked at Gilmer a lot of times is that they play pretty darn good defense.”
Traylor agrees that the Buckeyes’ defense will be an important factor. “If we play like we did Friday (against Mineola ) on defense; we’ll really struggle to beat Spring Hill,” commented Traylor, who added, “Their quarterback Chris Lee started as a sophomore; he can throw the ball. Their fullback Travis Vickery started as a sophomore against us in 2004; he’s still back there. Max Garcia is a good athlete at tailback. Their offensive line; all of them are good. They all started last year. Their receivers, Jacob LeTourneau and Robby Garcia, are good players. They get in a million formations and they run a few plays. They do a really good job with their offense.”
The Panthers do a good enough job to average 339 yards and 28 points per game. That will challenge Gilmer’s Black Flag defense, which is allowing 230 yards and 15 points per game. Spring Hill’s challenge is more daunting; contain a Buckeyes’ offense with a defense that has allowed 293 yards and 21 points per game. But Traylor is quick to point out. “They’ve always given us fits defensively,” said Traylor, who has a 2-1 record against the Panthers, but only managed a scoring average of 23 points.
Traylor said his team welcomes the challenge. “It’s our last home game; it’s the last time the seniors will play here. I think we’ll play really hard Friday. I just believe our kids are ready to play.”
Did you know?
Gilmer holds an 8-2 all-time advantage over Spring Hill. The two teams first met in 1950, with the Buckeyes winning 7-6. The two teams didn’t meet again for over 30 years, until Coach Traylor’s junior season in 1984, when Gilmer beat Spring Hill 37-0. The Panthers gave Traylor his second-worst loss of his career in 2000 with a 41-21 defeat. The last time these two teams met was in the 2004 Area round of the Class 3A playoffs at Lobo Stadium. The Buckeyes won 28-11, on their way to a perfect 16-0 season and the team’s first state championship.
Scout Team
Players of the Week
Offense: Kurt Potter
Defense: Chase Carroll
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
GILMER’S WES WYNNE breaks through the line to drop Cory Jones in the Mineola backfield last Friday night. The defense hopes to continue its string of strong performances here against Spring Hill Friday night, Nov. 3.
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