By JOE DODD
When the 4th-ranked Gilmer Buckeyes (4-0) take the field Friday night at Buckeye Stadium against the Atlanta Rabbits (1-4) they will be defending more than just a 22-game home winning streak; revenge will be on their minds.
How could revenge be a motivating factor for the Buckeyes who dominated Atlanta 49-12 last season?
Leave it to Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor to explain. “You could almost say Atlanta cost us the state championship last year for two reasons,” figured Traylor. “One, they went and made Liberty-Eylau madder than a hornet by beating them in week 10; and two, they beat us to death physically.”
That would be the same Liberty-Eylau team that upset the number one ranked Buckeyes a week later in the first round of the playoffs before eventually claiming the state championship trophy.
Traylor claims his team never fully recovered after their physical game against the Rabbits. “The last time the Gilmer Buckeyes played healthy was that night. And a lot of the reason we were not healthy the rest of the year was from playing them. They put three [players] out that night.”
Last year’s loss to Gilmer left the Rabbits with an 0-6 record to start the season, despite claims from Traylor that the Rabbits were a good football team. “Last year, what I said about them still proved to be true,” stated Traylor. “They won their district, they beat the state champions, Liberty-Eylau, and they went to the second round of the playoffs. They were a good team last year.”
The Rabbits’ historically tough schedule has again proved difficult for Atlanta. “They have played a killer schedule,” Traylor said. “They are 1-4 against a very tough schedule.” The Rabbits opened the season with an impressive 17-0 win over 4A Dallas Wilson before losing four straight to 4A teams Hallsville, Kilgore, Mt. Pleasant and Texas High.
Atlanta head coach Ben Scharnberg said the Rabbits have a purpose in scheduling tough games. “I’ve seen a lot of football teams go 10-0 and 11-0, and not go any farther than what they should,” said Scharnberg. “We’re preparing ourselves for the last four; that’s our district race.”
Scharnberg’s theory has worked before. In 2003, the Rabbits started the season 1-4 before winning their final eleven games on their way to the state championship. The 13-0 Buckeyes were the Rabbits’ victim in a 34-14 quarterfinal loss that season.
“In 2003 we played a very important ball game and we were very fortunate to come out on the top end that night and to go on and accomplish some great things,” admitted Scharnberg. “Gilmer has done those same great things since then.”
Since then, the Buckeyes have compiled an amazing 40-3 record, including the school’s first state football title with a perfect 16-0 season in 2004. Meanwhile, the Rabbits have managed only a 12-25 record since their state championship season.
“We just don’t have the kids that we used to have here in Atlanta,” explained Scharnberg. “Don’t get me wrong; we’ve got great kids with great hearts and great character, but we just don’t have the number of athletes that we used to.”
“They’re not the 2003 state champion Atlanta Rabbits,” agreed Traylor. “But they’re a good football team.” Traylor thinks the Rabbits are more dangerous this season because of their move to the spread offense. “They’ve got a good offensive plan this year,” continued Traylor. “I think it’s a great plan for the Atlanta Rabbits; they’ve got speed. Those six skill kids can run. That quarterback, Devon Lockhart, can go. That tailback, Kelvin Ivory (5-8, 170, 4.3) can go. They’ve got a very good receiver in Courtney Houff (6-1, 185, 4.4). Whenever you’ve got three good players on offense, you can score points.”
Traylor should know; his teams have consistently been among the top scoring teams in the state for the past five years, and this year is no exception as the Buckeyes rank number one in Class 3A with 52 points per game. Buckeyes’ quarterback Darian Godfrey leads the way with 1,071 total yards and 15 touchdowns. Running back Justin Johnson heads the Buckeyes’ rushing attack with 560 yards and seven touchdowns on only 44 carries. Gilmer receivers Houston Tuminello, Lamar Harris, and Devane Clark have combined for 731 yards and eight touchdowns on 41 catches.
Asked whether the Rabbits could slow down the Buckeyes’ potent offense, Scharnberg replied, “I don’t know whether or not we can. We’ve got to hope that y’all make a lot of mistakes, and we play extremely well. I don’t know whether we can, but we’re going to give it a shot. We’ve never shied away from anybody yet.”
Scharnberg is most concerned about his team’s seven players who start both ways. “Depth is really hurting us right now. It’s going to wear us down. We’ve played some awful good competition already and we’ll hang with them, but in the second half it just wears us down”
“We’d love to win the ball game,” surmised Scharnberg. “It’s a test for us. Gilmer’s an awful good football team. Jeff and his staff do a great job. It’s going to be a tough battle for us.”
Traylor is excited about the chance to host the Rabbits. “We love playing at home. Our crowd is so good. Our kids love playing at home. It’s fun. It’s an environment where kids like to play. I’m excited about this game because I like playing good people. I have a lot of respect for Ben Scharnberg and his program. His tenure there has been remarkable.”
Did you know?
Scharnberg’s 173 wins ranks him number four among Class 3A coaches. 148 of those victories have been with Atlanta.
The Rabbits will be attempting to win their 500th game in school history. Atlanta’s overall record is 499-322-32.
Atlanta has a 26-13 record in 39 games against Gilmer. The two teams first met in 1925 with Gilmer winning, 27-14.
SCOUT TEAM
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offense - Jason Humphries
Defense - Tanner Kern
When the 4th-ranked Gilmer Buckeyes (4-0) take the field Friday night at Buckeye Stadium against the Atlanta Rabbits (1-4) they will be defending more than just a 22-game home winning streak; revenge will be on their minds.
How could revenge be a motivating factor for the Buckeyes who dominated Atlanta 49-12 last season?
Leave it to Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor to explain. “You could almost say Atlanta cost us the state championship last year for two reasons,” figured Traylor. “One, they went and made Liberty-Eylau madder than a hornet by beating them in week 10; and two, they beat us to death physically.”
That would be the same Liberty-Eylau team that upset the number one ranked Buckeyes a week later in the first round of the playoffs before eventually claiming the state championship trophy.
Traylor claims his team never fully recovered after their physical game against the Rabbits. “The last time the Gilmer Buckeyes played healthy was that night. And a lot of the reason we were not healthy the rest of the year was from playing them. They put three [players] out that night.”
Last year’s loss to Gilmer left the Rabbits with an 0-6 record to start the season, despite claims from Traylor that the Rabbits were a good football team. “Last year, what I said about them still proved to be true,” stated Traylor. “They won their district, they beat the state champions, Liberty-Eylau, and they went to the second round of the playoffs. They were a good team last year.”
The Rabbits’ historically tough schedule has again proved difficult for Atlanta. “They have played a killer schedule,” Traylor said. “They are 1-4 against a very tough schedule.” The Rabbits opened the season with an impressive 17-0 win over 4A Dallas Wilson before losing four straight to 4A teams Hallsville, Kilgore, Mt. Pleasant and Texas High.
Atlanta head coach Ben Scharnberg said the Rabbits have a purpose in scheduling tough games. “I’ve seen a lot of football teams go 10-0 and 11-0, and not go any farther than what they should,” said Scharnberg. “We’re preparing ourselves for the last four; that’s our district race.”
Scharnberg’s theory has worked before. In 2003, the Rabbits started the season 1-4 before winning their final eleven games on their way to the state championship. The 13-0 Buckeyes were the Rabbits’ victim in a 34-14 quarterfinal loss that season.
“In 2003 we played a very important ball game and we were very fortunate to come out on the top end that night and to go on and accomplish some great things,” admitted Scharnberg. “Gilmer has done those same great things since then.”
Since then, the Buckeyes have compiled an amazing 40-3 record, including the school’s first state football title with a perfect 16-0 season in 2004. Meanwhile, the Rabbits have managed only a 12-25 record since their state championship season.
“We just don’t have the kids that we used to have here in Atlanta,” explained Scharnberg. “Don’t get me wrong; we’ve got great kids with great hearts and great character, but we just don’t have the number of athletes that we used to.”
“They’re not the 2003 state champion Atlanta Rabbits,” agreed Traylor. “But they’re a good football team.” Traylor thinks the Rabbits are more dangerous this season because of their move to the spread offense. “They’ve got a good offensive plan this year,” continued Traylor. “I think it’s a great plan for the Atlanta Rabbits; they’ve got speed. Those six skill kids can run. That quarterback, Devon Lockhart, can go. That tailback, Kelvin Ivory (5-8, 170, 4.3) can go. They’ve got a very good receiver in Courtney Houff (6-1, 185, 4.4). Whenever you’ve got three good players on offense, you can score points.”
Traylor should know; his teams have consistently been among the top scoring teams in the state for the past five years, and this year is no exception as the Buckeyes rank number one in Class 3A with 52 points per game. Buckeyes’ quarterback Darian Godfrey leads the way with 1,071 total yards and 15 touchdowns. Running back Justin Johnson heads the Buckeyes’ rushing attack with 560 yards and seven touchdowns on only 44 carries. Gilmer receivers Houston Tuminello, Lamar Harris, and Devane Clark have combined for 731 yards and eight touchdowns on 41 catches.
Asked whether the Rabbits could slow down the Buckeyes’ potent offense, Scharnberg replied, “I don’t know whether or not we can. We’ve got to hope that y’all make a lot of mistakes, and we play extremely well. I don’t know whether we can, but we’re going to give it a shot. We’ve never shied away from anybody yet.”
Scharnberg is most concerned about his team’s seven players who start both ways. “Depth is really hurting us right now. It’s going to wear us down. We’ve played some awful good competition already and we’ll hang with them, but in the second half it just wears us down”
“We’d love to win the ball game,” surmised Scharnberg. “It’s a test for us. Gilmer’s an awful good football team. Jeff and his staff do a great job. It’s going to be a tough battle for us.”
Traylor is excited about the chance to host the Rabbits. “We love playing at home. Our crowd is so good. Our kids love playing at home. It’s fun. It’s an environment where kids like to play. I’m excited about this game because I like playing good people. I have a lot of respect for Ben Scharnberg and his program. His tenure there has been remarkable.”
Did you know?
Scharnberg’s 173 wins ranks him number four among Class 3A coaches. 148 of those victories have been with Atlanta.
The Rabbits will be attempting to win their 500th game in school history. Atlanta’s overall record is 499-322-32.
Atlanta has a 26-13 record in 39 games against Gilmer. The two teams first met in 1925 with Gilmer winning, 27-14.
SCOUT TEAM
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offense - Jason Humphries
Defense - Tanner Kern
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