Gilmer is back in the state football playoffs.
The Bobcats secured their spot among the best 32 teams in Class 3A when they went on the road last Friday and demolished the Ridgeland Panthers. The victory also marked the 200th of head coach Paul Standard’s career.
RHS had no answer for Gilmer’s rushing attack and the Bobcat defense held the Panthers to 164 yards of offense. The Cats took a 17-point lead into the half and tacked on three more touchdowns over the final two quarters. The Panthers reached the end zone late versus GHS reserves, and the 38-6 triumph marked Gilmer’s sixth win of the season.
“I was really proud of our guys. We’re playing a team that doesn’t have a great record (2-8) and we’re coming off a big emotional win last week, and it’s easy to have a letdown. It can happen,” Standard said. “We played with great intensity and emotion throughout the game and were very physical. That was really important. We didn’t have a lot of field time (the week at practice because of weather).
“We had some penalties that were penalties and some that were called I did not agree with. Ridgeland is a very athletic team, and they had two opportunities to score. I’m proud of our defense for stopping them twice inside the 10-yard line. In my mind, it was a shutout because they scored on our young guys. Our varsity defense pitched a shutout. I’m really happy with our overall defensive play. Overall it was a great night.”
Fullback Peyton Chancey ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns to bring his season rushing tally to 1,035. Halfback Hunter Britain ran away from RHS defenders all night and finished with 154 yards on just 12 attempts.
GHS had a short field after recovering Ridgeland’s opening squib kick at its 49. Fullback Madden Hopkins handled four of the six carries for 36 total yards. His final run was for a 3-yard touchdown. Carter Gearhart’s first of five successful extra points gave GHS a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game.
RHS had prime field position as well from the Cats’ 49. They benefited from a pair of 15-yard penalties to progress to the 3. Safety Bo Cronic made a tackle for a 3-yard loss on second down, and cornerback Mason West intercepted the Panthers in the end zone on the ensuing play.
Hopkins continued to pound the middle of the Panthers’ defense while Britain hit the edges. On the 11th play, Britain took an option pitch to the right and went untouched on a 35-yard touchdown run.
Down 14-0 in the final minute of the first quarter, RHS took over at its 12. West and linebacker Douglas Callihan made a tackle for a 5-yard loss on second down. Later when facing third down, Jack Puckett, Robert Pim and David Bright made a stop for a 3-yard loss to force a punt.
GHS punted as well, and Callihan’s 39-yard quick kick pinned RHS at its 2. On the fifth play, there appeared to be some miscommunication between Panthers. The RHS receiver stopped his route short as the quarterback unleashed a deep pass. West was there to run under the ball for his second interception of the night.
GHS put a 55-yard drive together and had to overcome 25 yards in penalties. Gearhart booted a 27-yard field goal as the half expired for a 17-0 advantage.
Ridgeland turned the ball over on downs three times in the second half while only achieving one first down. On their second drive of the third quarter, they attempted a fake punt, which was easily stopped by GHS.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats scored three more unanswered touchdowns. The first was an 11-play, 82-yard possession. Chancey carried six times for 47 yards. His seventh rush for a 1-yard touchdown and 24-0 lead with 2:53 left in the third.
Following Ridgeland’s failed fake punt, the offense went to work at the 50. On the third play, halfback Cheyne Smith took a handoff across the left, broke two tackles and took a defender into the end zone for a 32-yard score.
Gilmer pushed its lead to 31-0 with 47 seconds left in the third. The Cats’ final touchdown drive spanned 24 yards on five plays. Chancey handled all five carries and his last gave GHS a 38-0 edge with 7:37 to play.
RHS scored its lone touchdown on a 69-yard, five-play series against GHS backups.
With a 38-6 lead, fullback Heath Hice iced the game away with a first down run before Gilmer knelt to end the night.
Gilmer enters the state playoffs as the No. 22 seed and will take on Frederick Douglass High School (7-3) in Atlanta next Friday. This is the Cats’ third consecutive trip to the state playoffs.
“One of our goals was for this senior class to be the second in school history to make the playoffs three years in a row,” Standard said. “They’ve done that, and I’m proud of them. The second thing was if they do that, then next year they’ll give that senior class the opportunity to be the first to make it all four years. I’m excited for them.
“If you’re playing someone in the playoffs you’ve never played, that is helpful to us because of what we run offensively. You don’t see it very often, and that’s an advantage for us. We don’t have a big senior class but they have been so instrumental and have been a key part of the past two years and obviously this year. I’m really happy for those guys.”