For the third game in a row, Gilmer High found itself in a tight region football battle.
The GHS Bobcats were in White County last Friday to end the regular season, and the two teams took turns scoring in the second half.
Six straight possessions ended with touchdowns, and the hometown Warriors were able to stop the Bobcats’ final drive to come away with a 35-28 victory.
While Gilmer was saddled with a loss, the Cats secured fourth place in the region and will return to the state playoffs for the first time since 2014.
“One of the things we talked about during the week was being able to go on the road and play well against a good team, which is something we really haven’t done this year,” said head coach Paul Standard. “I thought we did that, and we obviously made some mistakes along the way, starting with me. I thought our kids played extremely hard, and it was very similar to the last two games we were in (versus Pickens and Dawson County).
“It was a tough loss. I’m disappointed for our kids, but very happy in the sense that we finally overcame that hurdle. The next step is we have to go on the road again, play well and win. That’s not pressure, that’s just a fact.”
The Bobcats’ option game was fueled by a bevy of rushers who combined for 304 yards. Fullback Wyatt Stokes returned to his starting spot after missing the previous three games with an injury.
The Warriors deployed a well-balanced attack. Running back Ryan Fowler was there to pick up big gains on the ground, and quarterback Tripp Nix mostly depended on quick passes.
WCHS emerged from the locker room in the second half ahead, 14-7. Bobcat Kyle Cowart returned the kickoff 60 yards to White’s 35-yard line. It took just five plays, and halfback Douglas Callihan scored on an 18-yard option pitch to the right.
Noah Turner’s extra point evened the score at 14-14 less than two minutes into the second half.
White responded with a 56-yard drive. Nix took the ball across the goal line from 5 yards out on the drive’s eighth play.
Back down by seven, GHS put together a punishing 16-play, 75-yard drive that drained 9:05 off the clock. Stokes and halfbacks Grant Ballew and Hunter Britain took turns running the ball and moved GHS into Warrior territory.
Facing third down and 9 from White’s 40, Callihan hit the right edge for a 25-yard pick up. Four plays later, Stokes ran for a 4-yard score. The snap was high on the extra point, and holder Issac Rellinger was forced to scramble and his pass fell incomplete.
WCHS held a 21-20 edge with 9:43 left in the game. White recovered the onside kick at its 46 before Nix completed a 14-yard pass and ran for 19 more while they also benefited from a 15-yard Bobcat penalty.
A 6-yard touchdown toss capped the four-play drive as White extended its lead to 28-20.
GHS returned the kickoff to midfield and another 15-yard infraction advanced the ball to White’s 38. Aspen Hataway entered the game at fullback and carried four times for 28 yards, and his final was for a 17-yard touchdown run. He added the two-point conversion to tie the score at 28-28.
White started from its 20 and went to the air. A 33-yard completion and pass interference gave the Warriors the ball at the Cats’ 32. Nix tossed a 17-yard touchdown on the sixth play to put GHS back behind by seven with 1:37 left in the game.
Another WCHS 15-yard penalty on the kickoff gave GHS the ball at White’s 49. A holding penalty set GHS back before a 14-yard pass to Ryder Wofford. Rellinger was then sacked, and a pair of incompletions ended the Cats’ chances.
To begin the game, White scored on a seven play, 75-yard possession that concluded with a 30-yard Fowler touchdown run. GHS answered with its only touchdown of the first half. It spanned 80 yards on seven plays and culminated with Rellinger’s 47-yard touchdown keeper.
GHS tuned the ball over on downs and punted three times on its remaining drives of the first half.
White strung together a six-play, 56-yard series in the second quarter for its second touchdown. The Warriors pulled ahead 14-7 with a 1-yard Fowler touchdown.
WCHS also had a drive stall on downs, while one ended with a punt and another with a missed field goal. Bobcat defensive lineman Bryson Shubin-Gibbs had a pair of sacks in the first half, and Hataway had another to help slow the Warriors offensively.
GHS ended the regular season with a 6-4 record. The Bobcats scored 28.2 points per game, which is fifth most in school history dating back to 1945.
The Bobcats will face region champion Adairsville (8-2) Friday to start the playoffs. Standard previously scouted the Tigers when he attended their game versus Bremen.
“They’re the largest team we will have played this year,” Standard said. “They’re huge and they’re well coached. They kind of run an option-oriented offense from the pistol, and their quarterback can really throw it.
“We’re playing a tough team, but I think we can certainly play with them, and we’re excited about that opportunity. It’s been a long time since Gilmer has played in week 11.”
While the Bobcats are happy to return to the postseason for the first time in nine years, they have more on their minds.
“I don’t think our guys are satisfied with just being in the playoffs,” Standard said. “I know the coaches certainly are not, and we’re not going out there to just say ‘Hey, we made it.’ I want them to enjoy what they’re doing, but our intention is to still be playing in week 12.
“I feel like they can play with this group. It’s going to be another good game. Once you get into the dance, people don’t know you and how you do things. It makes things a little more difficult on both sides. I think there’s some advantage to what we do that will help us.”
Kickoff Friday in Adairsville is set for 7:30 p.m.