The streak is over.
Gilmer High hosted archrival Pickens last Friday, and the Dragons had no answer for the Bobcats’ rushing attack. GHS racked up 329 yards on the ground, and most of it came by attacking the heart of the Dragons’ defense.
After three first-half lead changes, the Bobcats took over in the second half. Gilmer reached the end zone on all three possessions while taking advantage of two PHS fumbles. By the final buzzer, the Bobcats claimed a 35-24 victory.
The win snapped Pickens’ eight-game winning streak dating back to 2014. The two rivals did not play in 2021.
“It was great for our kids that they were on a team who has not beaten Pickens (since 2013),” said head coach Paul Standard. “They can say they’re the ones who broke the streak. The second thing, is our kids were able to come off a tough defeat (versus Lumpkin County) where we got beat bad and had a great week of practice. Then they came out and played four quarters of hard-nosed football tonight. I was proud because our kids played a full game, and had to answer back and forth.
“We got behind twice, and sometimes that’s been tough for us to deal with. They were able to come from behind on two different occasions and then the defense had to make a couple stops.”
Four Bobcats achieved a double-digit tackle tally. Leading the way were Aspen Hataway, Hayden Morrison and Bo Cronic with 11, while Kyle Cowart added 10 more.
For the second week in a row, leading rusher Wyatt Stokes was sidelined with an injury. Freshman fullback Peyton Chancey stepped in and rumbled for 133 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts.
Junior quarterback Issac Rellinger manned the Bobcats’ option attack and added 90 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Pickens received a steady dose of Chancey and Rellinger on Gilmer’s first drive, and halfback Douglas Callihan was there for a 19-yard run that moved the Cats across midfield.
Rellinger scored on a 14-yard keeper, and Noah Turner’s extra point gave GHS a 7-0 lead 2:12 into the game.
The five-play, 73-yard drive was aided by three PHS penalties. The Dragons also managed to line up in the neutral zone on the extra point and were then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when Turner sent the ball through the uprights.
Pickens’ shotgun, wing-T offense gained four first downs when they received the ball, but Hataway was there on third down for a 7-yard sack. The teams traded punts, and PHS returned to offense at its 32-yard line.
The Dragons depended on quarterback runs and tailback Miguel Salto when not throwing quick passes. They settled for a 23-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
Gilmer’s third drive of the half ended with an interception. Rellinger’s pass was tipped in the secondary before it landed in the hands of a Dragon defender.
PHS gained possession at its 38 and scored on the fifth play, which was a 3-yard quarterback draw. The score moved Pickens ahead 10-7 with 4:07 left in the half.
Callihan had a big reception on the fifth play of Gilmer’s next drive. He hauled in a 31-yard pass from Rellinger to give GHS a first down at Pickens’ 37. Following consecutive 10-yard runs by Rellinger, Chancey hit the middle for 8 more. Rellinger handled the rest on a 9-yard keeper. The touchdown gave GHS a 14-10 halftime lead.
Pickens needed just four plays to regain the lead in the third quarter. A 70-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Jones gave PHS a 16-14 edge after Bobcat Grant Ballew blocked the extra point.
GHS began its first of three straight touchdown drives from its 32. After Rellinger and Chancey moved GHS to midfield, halfback Cowart took a counter play 45 yards to the 5-yard line. Chancey crossed the goal line on the next play and GHS led, 21-16.
Pickens’ next drive lasted just four plays when Cronic stripped the ball from a Dragon receiver and Tyler Wright recovered for GHS.
Gilmer’s offense took over at its 42. Chancey rushed for 40 total yards on four carries. The offense was flagged for chop block before Chancey ran for 12 more yards and a first down. From the 15, Rellinger carried twice, and his second was for an 8-yard touchdown.
The 11-play series saw GHS pull ahead 28-16 with 12 minutes to play.
PHS responded with a nine-play, 79-yard possession that concluded with a 17-yard touchdown pass. The score trimmed the Cats’ lead to 28-24 with 6:27 left in the game.
Gilmer’s offense was there to produce once again. After runs by Chancey and halfback Hunter Britain, Hataway ran for 19 yards on three consecutive carries. Following a pair of Chancey runs, Britain rushed three straight times starting from the 11-yard line.
His last carry was for 1 yard and a touchdown to cap the 10-play, 59-yard drive.
Leading by 11 points with 3:24 to play, GHS was ready to deliver the knockout blow. On the Dragons’ third play, an errant snap was recovered by Callihan. He returned it 47 yards to the Dragons’ 22.
The win improved Gilmer’s record to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in region play. GHS holds a 36-28-1 series lead over Pickens.
Standard discussed a pivotal sequence of plays that began in the first half and spanned into the second.
“It was great to be able to score before halftime,” he said. “They came out and scored to take the lead in the second half. Then we took the ball right down the field, scored and went ahead.
“The next biggest part was the defense creating a turnover, and we went back down and made it a two-score game. From that point, they were playing catchup, and our defense made the stop. Those were some huge parts of the game where our kids could have faltered but they stood tall.”
Players of the game: sophomore Austin Green and Issac Rellinger (offense), senior Aspen Hataway and sophomore Bo Cronic (defense), freshmen Peyton Chancey and Douglas Callihan (two-way players) and seniors Noah Turner and Hayden Morrison (special teams).
Scout Team players included Riley Duggan, Morrison, Ethan McCollum and John Oliver.
GHS hosts Dawson County Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.