Six red cards were issued in a testy Elite Eight soccer matchup between region rivals.
No. 16 Gilmer High traveled to No. 8 Northwest Whitfield last Tuesday for the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state playoffs, and the visiting Bobcats were behind early.
A Bobcat red card put them a man down in the first half, and a second half fight led to an eight-versus-eight matchup.
GHS trailed throughout, and though there was plenty of space to operate in the second half, the Cats could not catch the Bruins and lost, 3-1.
Head coach Taylor Johnstone discussed Northwest’s early goals and the trouble they had covering the Bruins tall, rangy striker.
“He did well with his body position and was very aggressive. I think he just outplayed us,” Johnstone said. “He did good at finding the ball, unfortunately for us. He was definitely one of the standout players on their team and he stood out that night.”
Northwest continually attacked from the right wing and sent balls to the far post. This led to the Bruins’ first goal 3:36 into the match.
Three minutes later, GHS answered. Bobcat defender Carter Gearhart’s long pass found a charging Brayner Ortiz, who was fouled in the box. Senior Jorge Flores tied the score with a successful penalty kick.
In the 10th minute, Northwest went ahead for good twith a cross to the far post for a goal.
“It was a wild first 10 minutes with them scoring first off a bad cleared ball, which was met by their No. 6 with his head,” Johnstone said.
“That was unfortunate because we were trying to lock him down, and he had two goals against us. We responded well when we attacked after and got a goal ourselves. They scored again off a deflection off our player on a clearance. We kind of had a breakdown on defense.”
With 14 minutes left in the half, a Bobcat and Bruin jostling led to a red card for the former. Northwest received a yellow card for its role, but GHS was down a man.
Nine minutes later, a long Northwest free kick was met in the box with a header for a 3-1 lead.
“There were a lot of nerves that were involved early,” said Johnstone. “When they got that third goal, we kind of lost our composure when we gained a red card and had to go a man down. It was unfortunate, and I’ve talked to that student and we have a plan of action for all that stuff.”
Aggressive play continued in the second half, and a fight between the two squads broke out after just seven minutes of play. Three Northwest players received red cards and were ejected. Two GHS players were issued red cards. Johnstone said that video of the incident shows one of the ejected Gilmer players was trying to break up the action, not instigate it.
“That was something we discussed as a team, and it’s unacceptable,” Johnstone said. “That’s not our program, and it doesn’t represent our school and county very well. It kind of puts a blemish on the season the way we ended it. It’s a learning experience, and I hope it never repeats itself.”
GHS attacked over the remainder of the game while Northwest defended. Long shots by Gearhart and Ortiz followed. A shot from distance by Flores was the Cats’ best strike, but it was saved as well.
“It was one of the wildest things I’ve ever seen playing eight on eight for 32 minutes. That’s kind of unheard of,” Johnstone said.
GHS ended the season with a 14-4 record, its best ever. The Cats netted 52 goals while holding opponents to 15, and both are new program standards. GHS hosted and won its first-ever playoff game against Cairo, 4-0. The Cats then went on the road and toppled No. 1 seeded Whitewater in the Sweet 16, 2-1.
“Overall, the season was a great success,” said Johnstone. “We were 7-1 on the road. The boys worked hard and put in a ton of time in the weight room.
“After we lost to Northwest during the regular season, I was curious to see how we’d respond. The boys were still ranked pretty high in the state, which allowed us to host and win our first playoff game. Through the adversity of not beating Northwest the first time, we won the final three games of the regular season and then two in the playoffs.”