Gilmer Buckeyes

From TheOldCoach.com : A relative unkown Gilmer's Gus Johnson earned MVP honors for the running backs showing great burst, good size and quick feet.

By MARY L. KIRBY “The road to championships are paved with peaks and valleys,” former Dallas Cowboy Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin told the audience at the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Gilmer Buckeyes Ring Ceremony presented by Brookshire’s at the Gilmer Civic Center Saturday. “It is a football family that wins a championship.” “Teams can handle peaks, but the valleys are handled differently,” said the owner of a National Champsionship ring from the University of Miami and three Super Bowl rings. “Football teams fail in the valley; a football family bonds in the valley,” Irvin pointed out to the full house. “You got to be a football family.” Irvin pointed out that he had many opportunites to talk to groups from pee wee to professional who had fallen short of their goal. Those individuals want to know what it takes to be a champion, to reach their goal. “But that is not the case this time,” Irvin said as he paced the Civic Center stage. “This is the first time that I get to stand an...

ETEX Telephone Coop Inc. plans on televising tonight’s Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Gilmer Buckeyes Ring Ceremony presented by Brookshire’s live to their E-vision customers. The ceremony will be held at the Gilmer Civic Center and is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ETEX Channel 1. The ceremony will honor the 2009 Class 3A-DI State Champion Gilmer Buckeyes football team by presenting players and coaches their championship rings. A silent auction of football memorabilia will be held before the ceremony starting at 5:30 p.m. There will only be an extremely limited number of tickets for sale at the door, on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $10 each. Mike Craig Ford-Mercury is the presenting sponsor of the ceremony’s keynote speaker, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. Former Gilmer Buckeyes and current Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Manuel “Manny” Johnson and former Longview Lobos and current Washington Redskins wide receiver ...

Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin will be the keynote speaker tonight at the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Gilmer Buckeyes Ring Ceremony presented by Brookshire’s. The ceremony will be held at the Gilmer Civic Center, starting at 7 p.m. A silent auction of football memorabilia will start at 5:30 p.m. Irvin, a native of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida starred at St. Thomas Aquinas High School before going on to national prominence at the University of Miami. Irvin helped lead Miami to the 1987 National Championship and left the Hurricanes as the career leader with 143 receptions, 2,423 receiving yards and 26 touchdown receptions. Irvin declared for the 1988 NFL Draft after his junior season at Miami and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th pick in the first round. He was the last first-round pick made by the Cowboys under Dallas’ long-time head coach Tom Landry. Irvin became the first rookie receiver to start a game in 20 years and respon...

Ford Motor Company and Mike Craig Ford are partnering to help raise money in support of Gilmer High School as part of Ford’s Drive One 4 UR School program. Gilmer community members have the opportunity to participate and help raise up to $6,000 for Gilmer High School by test driving a Ford vehicle at the school. This one-day event will take place on March 20 (today) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ford Motor Company and Mike Craig Ford will donate $20 to Gilmer High for every person from a unique household who test drives a Ford vehicle. Participants will be raising money for Gilmer Athletic Boosters. In 2009, the Mike Craig Ford Drive One 4 UR School events raised 12,000.00 for Upshur County High Schools. Each test drive will last approximately 5 minutes. Participants must be 18 or older and have a valid driver’s license. Limit one test drive per household. A large group of student volunteers will be on hand to help school supporters test drive a variety of Ford vehicles, including the Taurus, ...

The Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Gilmer Buckeyes Ring Ceremony presented by Brookshires tickets will go on sale Monday, March 15 at First National Bank, Gilmer National Bank and the Gilmer High School Field House. Tickets cost $5 and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets will cost $10 at the door. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 27 at the Gilmer Civic Center. A silent auction of Buckeyes memorabilia will start at 5:30 p.m. and the ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. The Civic Center seats 1,100 people, but only about 600 tickets will be available for sale to the general public due to tickets reserved for players, coaches, their families, and sponsors. The ceremony will be televised live by Etex and may be simulcast to an overflow outdoor tent if ticket demand warrants. Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and Hall of Fame member Michael Irvin will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony. Former Buckeyes’ star and current Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Man...

PLANO — Six outstanding student-athletes have been honored as Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Year. In Class 3A, it’s Gilmer Buckeye Quarterback Darian Godrey. Those honored in other classes include: • Class 5A: Jeremy Johnson, QB, John Tyler High School, • Class 4A: Scotty Young, QB, Ryan High School, Denton • Class 2A: Nate Jeffery, RB, Caddo Mills High School, • Class 1A: Traylon Shead, RB, Cayuga High School, • Private: Johnny Catalano, QB, Trinity Christian Academy, Addison Following is the capsule summary about Godfrey as a Player of the Year winner: 3A: Darian Godfrey, Senior Quarterback, Gilmer High School: What do the Buckeyes do now? With Darian Godfrey starting at quarterback for the last three years, Gilmer went 41-3, becoming a dominant power in 3A. When you look at the 6-1, 190-pounder’s numbers, you know that Coach Jeff Traylor has his work cut out for him. In leading Gilmer to a 15-0 record and the 2009 state title victory over Abilene Wylie (...

Seven Gilmer Buckeyes signed Letters of Intent on Wednesday, committing them to attend the colleges of their choice for the next four years as scholar-athletes. As many as three more Buckeyes may also receive scholarships, making this one of the most productive classes of Athletic Director Jeff Traylor’s career. The group was led as they were on the football field by the decision of Darian ‘Stump” Godfrey, their quarterback who was named Friday the Offensive Player of the Year in Class 3A on the Collin Street Bakery/Texas Sports Writer Association All State Team. Most of the other players signing scholarships were also listed on the team, which reflects playoff accomplishments as well as regular season play. The weekend before the signings, Godfrey traveled to Albuquerque, N.M. to visit the University of New Mexico. The week before his trip to the Mountain West Conference member, he went to see the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Those two schools visited the quarterback in ...

From The Gilmer Mirror : The University Interscholastic League has moved the Gilmer Buckeyes back to their traditional Region II in Class 3A in District 16-3A. The other teams in 16-3A are Carthage, Gladewater, Longview Spring Hill, Pittsburg and Henderson. Gilmer has the fourth-largest enrollment in the new district, so it is almost certain that it will be in Division II come playoff time. This is the first time Gilmer and Carthage, the defending 3A state champions in Division I and Division II respectively, have been in the same district since 1997 when they were in District 16-4A together. Henderson, which is moving down from Class 4A, was also in that district. The range of enrollment for 3A schools is now from 430 to 989 in high school. Gilmer High School turned in an enrollment of 628 for this realignment, its lowest number in many years. The bi-district opponent for the Buckeyes will come from District 15-3A, whose schools include Texarkana Liberty-Eylau and Pleasant Grove, Pari...

By MARY L. KIRBY A crowd of several hundred gathered along Titus Street and the square in Gilmer to honor the Class 3A Division I champion Gilmer Buckeyes Thursday evening. The parade was led by a convertible driven by Gilmer Supt. Rick Albritton and carrying Diedra and Cade Camp with the state championship trophy. Varsity, junior varsity and eighth grade cheerleaders and the Buckeye Band preceded the arrival of a flatbed trailer carrying the members of the team. At the Yamboree Bandstand by the fountain on the courthouse square, the players and coaches were greeted by Jeff Rash, the public adddress announcer for the Gilmer home games, school board representatives, Pigskin Bob and Harlan the Sports Guy of KYKX FM radio, SFC. Matt Rifley of the Texas National Guard and Christopher Stonebraker of MaxPreps.com. For five years, the National Guard and MaxPreps.com have combined to honor a select 50 teams across the country as being the best from their region among the 16,000 schools whose s...

The Gilmer Athletic Booster Club will present the PARADE OF CHAMPIONS on Thursday, January 14, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. The parade will stage at the Gilmer Care Center and proceed up Titus Street to the Fountain on the Square. Please line up on Titus Street and follow our Champions to the Fountain where festivities and ceremony will take place. Buckeyes to be honored as one of best high school football teams in U.S. BREAKING NEWS: In the event of rain, there will be a special presentation in the conference room at the Field House and everyone is invited to attend, BUT the parade would then be held on January 21st. This is ONLY if it rains. If it is not raining, the parade and presentation will be held as planned on the square. The Parade of Champions, in honor of the 2009 State 3A Football Champion Gilmer Buckeyes, will be Thursday, said Buckeye Booster Club President Bridget Fowler. She said the parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will proceed south on Titus St. to the Courthouse Square in Gi...

APSE Class 3A all-state football team Stump Godfrey wins Offensive Player of the Year HuddleUpTexas.com's 2009 Class 3A Texas high school football all-state teams Two State Titles, Total Domination Define Memorable Decade For Buckeyes

From The Gilmer Mirror : The 2009 state champion Gilmer Buckeyes will assemble for the final time as a team on Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. at the Field House located at the northeast corner of Buckeye Stadium. This is your chance, Buckeye fans, to have members of the team autograph any memorabilia or souvenirs you have collected from the team’s storybook run to the Class 3A Division I title in undefeated fashion. If you cannot be there in person, please bring any items you want signed to the Field House by that time.

Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby STATE CHAMPIONS Class 3A Division I for 2009 include, from left, front row, Christian Nation, manager, Kedon Franklin, Dylan Bowman, Tristan Holt, Justus Cheatham, Daniel McLaren, Luis Castro, Braylon Webb, Casey Shelton, Luke Turner, Tim Cregler, Renoire Horton, Vance Green, Adan Olivares, Coach Randall Canady, Darian “Stump” Godfrey, Alec Bradshaw, Paul Chesnut, Xavier Easley, Slade Morris Jordan Abron, Caleb Mosley, Traylon Webb, Jamar Todd, Ben Turner, Tre Washington, Chris Miller, Tevin Godfrey, Darius Parker; second row, Coach Tommy Edwards, Kavin Patton, Brandon Barnes, Ben Griffith, Marlon Granville, Vondrick Nelson, J.T. Beecham, Travis Carter, Eddie Fluellen, Gus Osborne, Harvy Horton, MarQualon Tate, Ty Barr, Tamil Harris, Chad Tennison, Jordan McCraven, Sam Davidson, Gavin Holt, Ricky Hohnson, Jeremy Jackson, Dakota Cannon, John Stone, Mikey Wilson, Duncan Goodrich, Jordan Traylor, Matt Fluellen, Lelon Montgomery, Ben Martin, Coach Alan ...

By JOE DODD The top ranked and undefeated Gilmer Buckeyes will try to win the school’s second state championship when they face the Abilene Wylie Bulldogs today at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The matchup between the Buckeyes and the Bulldogs in the final state title game this decade is a fitting tribute to the two most dominant teams in class 3A since 2000. Gilmer has won more games this decade than any other class 3A team, going 111-17 since 2000. Abilene Wylie is close behind with a 106-26 record. The Buckeyes and Bulldogs will be playing in their third state final in the last 10 years. Both teams won a state title in 2004. Gilmer and Abilene Wylie have combined for nine semifinal appearances this decade, including the 2007 Class 3A Division I semifinal that pitted the two teams against each other for the first time. That game wasn’t decided until the Buckeyes’ Lamar Harris scored on a 34-yard pass ...