Gilmer Buckeyes

Mirror Photo UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS coaches made a courtesy visit to Gilmer High School recently where they met with the mentor of one of the state’s top Class 3A football programs, Gilmer Buckeyes Head Coach/Athletic Director Jeff Traylor. At right with his arm on the shoulder of his friend, Coach Traylor, is Texas Longhorns Head Coach Mack Brown. At left are two of Brown’s colleagues on the Texas staff, Greg Davis and Ken Rucker. Davis is the Longhorns’ offensive coordinator and also coaches UT quarterbacks while Rucker coaches the running backs at the Big 12 program in Austin.

By JOE DODD The Texas High School Coaches Association recently released their 2006 Academic All-State Football Team and four members of the Gilmer Buckeyes were selected to the elite team. Evin Wilson was named to the first team, while Jud Murry and Adam Turner were named to the second team. Dakota Bickerdike earned honorable mention honors. The teams are selected by a point system that awards points for GPA, class rank and SAT or ACT score. The student/athletes are then placed on teams according to the number of points they have earned. Criteria required to be nominated is an overall GPA of 92 or above, including grades 9-12 and the first six weeks of grade 12. Be a member of the team in good standing at the time of nomination, and be of good moral character. Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor praised the selection of four of his senior players. “Those kids really typify what athletics are supposed to be about,” said Traylor. Turner credits Traylor and his staff for prioritizing academics...

By JOE DODD Gilmer Buckeyes’ senior quarterback G.J. Kinne announced last week that he had accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Texas to play football for the Longhorns, despite giving an oral commitment to Big 12 Conference rival Baylor in July of last year. Kinne’s latest decision is sure to receive the same national attention as his previous moves. As a freshman in 2003, Kinne moved from Mesquite to Canton, where his father, Gary Joe Kinne had just been named the Eagle’s head football coach. Kinne the quarterback, helped Kinne the coach, turn around the Eagles program immediately. Canton went 8-4, and won their first playoff game since 1964. After two years at Canton, the Kinnes turned into a national story when an irate parent walked into the Canton field house and shot Gary Joe in the stomach. Kinne survived the shooting and returned to coach the Eagles for the 2005 season. Canton’s players responded with the school’s best season ever; a 12-2 record before losing to...

By JOE DODD Gilmer Buckeyes’ and future Texas Longhorn teammates G.J. Kinne and Curtis Brown will play in nationally televised football all-star games on Saturday, Jan. 6. Brown will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl starting at 12 noon on NBC. Kinne will play in the East Meets West High School All-American Football Game starting at 2 p.m. on ESPN-U. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, while the East Meets West High School All-American Football Game will be played at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Brown will play cornerback for the West Team despite seeing limited playing time on defense the past two seasons. Brown started at cornerback as a sophomore on the Buckeyes’ 2004 state championship team before moving to receiver his final two seasons. As a receiver Brown totaled 1,944 yards on 103 catches and scored 24 touchdowns. He also ran for 918 yards and scored 9 touchdowns on only 63 carries. Gil...

By JOE DODD Gilmer Buckeyes’ senior quarterback G.J. Kinne was named the Associated Press Class 3A Offensive Player of the Year, and teammate Curtis Brown was named to the first team defense, headlining a group of six Buckeyes honored by the AP. Kinne won the Offensive Player of the year award for the second straight year. In 2005, Kinne was selected after leading the Canton Eagles to the Class 3A Regional Finals, before losing to eventual state champion Tatum. After his father, Canton head coach Gary Joe Kinne left the Eagles for a position at Baylor, Kinne moved with his mother and step-father to Gilmer, and joined the Buckeyes for his senior season. Kinne’s season was nothing short of spectacular, but once again Kinne and his teammates suffered a playoff loss to the eventual state champion; this time to Liberty-Eylau in the first round. Kinne finished the regular season with 2,962 yards, 43 touchdowns and only one interception, while completing 149 of 218 passes, helping the Buckeye...

By JOE DODD Thirty-seven players and the Gilmer Buckeyes’ coaching staff were honored recently when the District 15-3A Football Team was announced. The Buckeyes finished the season with a 10-1 record, and the Associated Press’ No. 1 ranking in Class 3A. “We’re extremely proud to have that many kids make it. I take great pride in that,” said Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor. “Whenever you work hard, you get rewarded; and that’s a good thing.” Buckeyes’ quarterback G.J. Kinne was named the district’s Most Valuable Player after passing for 3,261 yards and 47 touchdowns, while completing 68 percent of his passes. Kinne also ran for an additional 9 touchdowns, and suffered only one interception on the season. That one interception came on Kinne’s first pass as a Buckeye. Jamell Kennedy was chosen as the district’s Offensive MVP, after totaling 906 total offensive yards and 9 touchdowns on 30 catches and 26 rushes. Kennedy moved to receiver for his senior season after being named first team al...

His No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners have earned the right to play No. 9 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 1. It sure beats the Alamo Bowl. In spite of the loss to Texas, OU won the Big 12. Rhett Who?

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...