By JOE DODD
The Gilmer Buckeyes Black Flag Defense dominated the Sabine Cardinals in the District 15-3A opener Friday night at James Bamburg Stadium. The Buckeyes forced five first-half turnovers, returning two for touchdowns, as Gilmer jumped out to a 52-0 first half lead before settling for a 59-7 victory; their 30th consecutive win in district play.
The Cardinals also discovered how to slow down the Buckeyes’ offense in the second half, as press box officials were instructed to change the game clock from 12 minutes to 10 minutes for both the third and fourth quarters and run the clock non-stop the second half. That limited the Buckeyes to only nine plays and one touchdown after halftime.
That tactic left Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor concerned after the game. “We had 34 plays the entire game on offense. A normal game is 60; so our kids got short-changed by 26 plays,” explained Traylor. “We played about a half of football, and I’m really concerned about what it’s going to do for us in 35 days. I don’t know how we’re going to ask for our kids to be ready for that Liberty-Eylau game when they have not been tested here recently.”
Sabine looked like they were prepared to test the Buckeyes as the Cardinals’ first two plays accounted for 33 yards down to the Buckeyes 36-yard line. But the Buckeyes defense stiffened, forcing Sabine to punt three plays later from the Gilmer 44-yard line.
Gilmer (6-0; 1-0) entered the game as 63-point favorites, and the Buckeyes almost covered the spread in the first half despite the Buckeyes’ leading rusher Justin Johnson joining several other Gilmer starters on the sidelines with an injury.
Johnson’s presence was hardly missed as the hapless Cardinals (0-6; 0-1) tried in vain to stop sophomore quarterback Darian Godfrey and Johnson’s back-up, sophomore Jeremy Jackson. Godfrey passed for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 12 first half attempts, and added another 42 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Jackson recorded Johnson-like statistics, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. “Jeremy Jackson had his first start of his career and played really well,” praised Traylor.
Godfrey helped get the Buckeyes on the scoreboard first when he found a wide-open Hunter Harrison for a 21-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive giving Gilmer a 7-0 lead with 8:13 remaining in the first quarter. “They played one safety and he bit on the fake,” explained Harrison on how he got behind the Sabine safety.
The Cardinals turnover woes started on the following kickoff when the Buckeyes’ Braylon Webb recovered the high kick at the Sabine 27-yard line. Four plays later, Godfrey scored on a 1-yard run with 6:20 left to play in the first quarter. Jake Ashley kicked the second of his five extra-points for a 14-0 Buckeyes’ lead.
On the Cardinals next play from scrimmage, Gilmer’s Zach Jones intercepted a Josh Herrod pass at the Sabine 44-yard line. Two plays later, Godfrey hit Houston Tuminello for a 33-yard touchdown, making the score 21-0 with 5:21 still to go in the opening quarter.
Sabine’s Herrod was sacked on the Cardinals next play from scrimmage, then on the following play Herrod threw his second interception of the game to the Buckeyes’ Marlon Granville, who returned it 55 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 Gilmer lead with 4:27 remaining in the first quarter.
Gilmer’s fifth touchdown came with 9:12 to play in the second quarter when Godfrey connected with Lamar Harris on a 10-yard touchdown to cap an 8-play, 50-yard drive.
Two plays later, Herrod’s pass bounced off the shoulder pads of Christian Ivey, allowing the Buckeyes’ Vance Green to pick the ball out of the air and return it untouched 30 yards for the touchdown with 7:50 left in the first half. Adan Olivaris then kicked the first of his three extra-points after replacing Ashley.
Green said the interception return was what a defensive player dreams of. “I’ve always wanted to get me a touchdown on defense,” said the sophomore linebacker.
Following another punt on the Cardinals’ next possession, Gilmer kept to the ground, picking up 68 yards on only three runs, including Jackson’s first touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run with 1:22 to go in the half.
On the Cardinals’ next play from scrimmage, the Buckeyes’ Brennan Thompson picked off a Lie’Quan Byrd pass at his own 45-yard line and returned it to the Sabine 25-yard line with less that 20 seconds remaining on the first-half clock.
Instead of using one of his three time-outs, Traylor decided to put some pressure on his special team’s unit. “We just ran them out there like we had no time-outs and were trying to win the game,” said Traylor. “That might come in handy this year, you never know. I know this; if we had to do it, we’ll all feel better that we’ve done it once.”
The field goal unit responded, with Ashley’s kick sailing through the uprights with room to spare from 42 yards out as time expired in the opening half, giving the Buckeyes a 52-point lead.
The Buckeyes received the second-half kickoff, and started the first of only two possessions at their own 42-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson sprinted 52 yards around the right side for Gilmer’s final touchdown.
Sabine finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter following an 11-play, 55-yard drive that took up almost 12 minutes off the running clock before Herrod punched it in from a yard out.
The Buckeyes got the ball back with about 7 minutes to play, but Webb took a knee eight plays later to finish the game just 22 minutes after the second-half kickoff.
Gilmer finished with 148 fewer yards than their team average entering the Sabine game, and according to Traylor, those losses add up for each of his players. “Those kids care. They pick up the newspaper; they look to see who the leading rushers are and the leading receivers. Those kids have pride; they want to be the best. Our kids don’t have a chance with the clock running the way it has.”
And while Traylor is not happy about his players’ statistics, and the lack of playing time for his back-ups, he’s more concerned about preparing to face defending state champion Liberty-Eylau in the opening round of the playoffs. “Our kids have not played into the fourth quarter since the Richwood game. I’m extremely concerned about game conditioning,” Traylor stressed. “We have not played a team near like Liberty-Eylau yet, and they’re coming round one and I’m worried about it.”
STATISTICS
Gilmer Sabine
18 First downs 7
9-14-3-0 Passing (c-a-td-int) 4-14-0-4
127 Passing yds 57
20-241 Rushes-yds 19-37
368 Total yds 94
19:00 Time of possession 25:00
4-20 Penalties-yds. 2-22
0 Fumbles lost 1
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 T
Gilmer 28 24 7 0 59
Sabine 0 0 0 7 7
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
HOUSTON TUMINELLO (4) breaks downfield away from the Cardinal defenders as he head for the end zone in the first half of Gilmer’s 59-7 win over Sabine. Ben Griffith (19) accompanies the Buckeye receiver.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
DARIAN GODFREY (10) carries Cardinals with him into the end zone for a touchdown. Other Buckeyes pictured include Zach Jones (3) and Houston Tuminello (4).
The Gilmer Buckeyes Black Flag Defense dominated the Sabine Cardinals in the District 15-3A opener Friday night at James Bamburg Stadium. The Buckeyes forced five first-half turnovers, returning two for touchdowns, as Gilmer jumped out to a 52-0 first half lead before settling for a 59-7 victory; their 30th consecutive win in district play.
The Cardinals also discovered how to slow down the Buckeyes’ offense in the second half, as press box officials were instructed to change the game clock from 12 minutes to 10 minutes for both the third and fourth quarters and run the clock non-stop the second half. That limited the Buckeyes to only nine plays and one touchdown after halftime.
That tactic left Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor concerned after the game. “We had 34 plays the entire game on offense. A normal game is 60; so our kids got short-changed by 26 plays,” explained Traylor. “We played about a half of football, and I’m really concerned about what it’s going to do for us in 35 days. I don’t know how we’re going to ask for our kids to be ready for that Liberty-Eylau game when they have not been tested here recently.”
Sabine looked like they were prepared to test the Buckeyes as the Cardinals’ first two plays accounted for 33 yards down to the Buckeyes 36-yard line. But the Buckeyes defense stiffened, forcing Sabine to punt three plays later from the Gilmer 44-yard line.
Gilmer (6-0; 1-0) entered the game as 63-point favorites, and the Buckeyes almost covered the spread in the first half despite the Buckeyes’ leading rusher Justin Johnson joining several other Gilmer starters on the sidelines with an injury.
Johnson’s presence was hardly missed as the hapless Cardinals (0-6; 0-1) tried in vain to stop sophomore quarterback Darian Godfrey and Johnson’s back-up, sophomore Jeremy Jackson. Godfrey passed for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 12 first half attempts, and added another 42 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Jackson recorded Johnson-like statistics, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. “Jeremy Jackson had his first start of his career and played really well,” praised Traylor.
Godfrey helped get the Buckeyes on the scoreboard first when he found a wide-open Hunter Harrison for a 21-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive giving Gilmer a 7-0 lead with 8:13 remaining in the first quarter. “They played one safety and he bit on the fake,” explained Harrison on how he got behind the Sabine safety.
The Cardinals turnover woes started on the following kickoff when the Buckeyes’ Braylon Webb recovered the high kick at the Sabine 27-yard line. Four plays later, Godfrey scored on a 1-yard run with 6:20 left to play in the first quarter. Jake Ashley kicked the second of his five extra-points for a 14-0 Buckeyes’ lead.
On the Cardinals next play from scrimmage, Gilmer’s Zach Jones intercepted a Josh Herrod pass at the Sabine 44-yard line. Two plays later, Godfrey hit Houston Tuminello for a 33-yard touchdown, making the score 21-0 with 5:21 still to go in the opening quarter.
Sabine’s Herrod was sacked on the Cardinals next play from scrimmage, then on the following play Herrod threw his second interception of the game to the Buckeyes’ Marlon Granville, who returned it 55 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 Gilmer lead with 4:27 remaining in the first quarter.
Gilmer’s fifth touchdown came with 9:12 to play in the second quarter when Godfrey connected with Lamar Harris on a 10-yard touchdown to cap an 8-play, 50-yard drive.
Two plays later, Herrod’s pass bounced off the shoulder pads of Christian Ivey, allowing the Buckeyes’ Vance Green to pick the ball out of the air and return it untouched 30 yards for the touchdown with 7:50 left in the first half. Adan Olivaris then kicked the first of his three extra-points after replacing Ashley.
Green said the interception return was what a defensive player dreams of. “I’ve always wanted to get me a touchdown on defense,” said the sophomore linebacker.
Following another punt on the Cardinals’ next possession, Gilmer kept to the ground, picking up 68 yards on only three runs, including Jackson’s first touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run with 1:22 to go in the half.
On the Cardinals’ next play from scrimmage, the Buckeyes’ Brennan Thompson picked off a Lie’Quan Byrd pass at his own 45-yard line and returned it to the Sabine 25-yard line with less that 20 seconds remaining on the first-half clock.
Instead of using one of his three time-outs, Traylor decided to put some pressure on his special team’s unit. “We just ran them out there like we had no time-outs and were trying to win the game,” said Traylor. “That might come in handy this year, you never know. I know this; if we had to do it, we’ll all feel better that we’ve done it once.”
The field goal unit responded, with Ashley’s kick sailing through the uprights with room to spare from 42 yards out as time expired in the opening half, giving the Buckeyes a 52-point lead.
The Buckeyes received the second-half kickoff, and started the first of only two possessions at their own 42-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson sprinted 52 yards around the right side for Gilmer’s final touchdown.
Sabine finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter following an 11-play, 55-yard drive that took up almost 12 minutes off the running clock before Herrod punched it in from a yard out.
The Buckeyes got the ball back with about 7 minutes to play, but Webb took a knee eight plays later to finish the game just 22 minutes after the second-half kickoff.
Gilmer finished with 148 fewer yards than their team average entering the Sabine game, and according to Traylor, those losses add up for each of his players. “Those kids care. They pick up the newspaper; they look to see who the leading rushers are and the leading receivers. Those kids have pride; they want to be the best. Our kids don’t have a chance with the clock running the way it has.”
And while Traylor is not happy about his players’ statistics, and the lack of playing time for his back-ups, he’s more concerned about preparing to face defending state champion Liberty-Eylau in the opening round of the playoffs. “Our kids have not played into the fourth quarter since the Richwood game. I’m extremely concerned about game conditioning,” Traylor stressed. “We have not played a team near like Liberty-Eylau yet, and they’re coming round one and I’m worried about it.”
STATISTICS
Gilmer Sabine
18 First downs 7
9-14-3-0 Passing (c-a-td-int) 4-14-0-4
127 Passing yds 57
20-241 Rushes-yds 19-37
368 Total yds 94
19:00 Time of possession 25:00
4-20 Penalties-yds. 2-22
0 Fumbles lost 1
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 T
Gilmer 28 24 7 0 59
Sabine 0 0 0 7 7
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
HOUSTON TUMINELLO (4) breaks downfield away from the Cardinal defenders as he head for the end zone in the first half of Gilmer’s 59-7 win over Sabine. Ben Griffith (19) accompanies the Buckeye receiver.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
DARIAN GODFREY (10) carries Cardinals with him into the end zone for a touchdown. Other Buckeyes pictured include Zach Jones (3) and Houston Tuminello (4).
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