For the second year in a row, the Gilmer Bobcats reigned supreme over the Pickens Dragons.
The Bobcats never trailed at any point of the game last Friday, and the Dragons battled back twice to tie the score in the second half. Overtime was needed, and the Bobcats went ahead once again. Pickens was denied on its conversion attempt to cement Gilmer’s 35-34 victory.
The game was the 66th meeting between the rivals, and the Bobcats’ triumph was their 37th of the series. It marked Gilmer’s first win at Pickens since the Bobcats’ 21-13 victory in 2012.
“I’m proud of how our kids fought and overcame our own mistakes and miscues,” said head coach Paul Standard. “Those things happen, and I’m sure they made some miscues and mistakes we took advantage of. It’s just one of those nights, and we made one less mistake than they made.
“The resilience of our kids and the way they battled was just phenomenal. You have to experience these types of games in order to really do it when it counts when we get into region play. Obviously against your rival this is a big win.”
How the game concluded
PHS was down 28-21 with 8:18 left in regulation. The Dragons’ spread attack found most of its success through the air, and some trickery allowed them to tie the score. On the fourth play of the drive, PHS ran a reverse pass. The Bobcats bit on the run, and receiver McCord Purdy passed to a wide open Sawyer Purdy. The 54-yard connection and extra point tied the game with 6:29 on the fourth quarter clock.
Gilmer’s final drive mimicked much of its success from the night as multiple backs ran behind a dominant offensive line. Quarterback Issac Rellinger, fullback Wyatt Stokes and wingbacks Douglas Callihan, Grant Ballew, Kyle Cowart and Hunter Britain all gained yardage on the 14-play drive.
Gilmer advanced to Pickens’ 10-yard line and positioned the ball in the middle of the field. Kicker Carter Gearhart stepped up to attempt the field goal with 26 seconds remaining. His 26-yard boot sailed just wide left, and Pickens killed the remaining seconds off the clock.
In overtime, each team received possession at the opposing team’s 15-yard line. Stokes tested the middle twice before Callihan gained 6 yards for a first down off the left edge. After a 4-yard pickup by Britain, Stokes ran for a 1-yard score. Gearheart split the uprights on the extra point for a 35-28 lead.
Pickens was facing third down and 5 on its possession, but the Bobcats’ eighth penalty of the night gave PHS a fresh set of downs. Running back Landon Poole’s 5-yard touchdown run on the ensuing play drew Pickens within a point.
The Dragons lined up for a two-point conversion for the win. PHS quarterback Hayden Jones rolled to his right, and while a receiver did find some open space, he threw a dart into the dirt to prompt a Bobcat celebration.
“What I told our boys, I was going to tell them the same thing whether they had hit the two-point conversion,” Standard said. “The kids just played their tails off for 48-plus minutes. Our defense at times made some really good plays. Our offensive line played phenomenal again. Our quarterback did a phenomenal job of directing it. We had a lot of guys cramping, and fighting and coming back.”
Pickens only stopped the Bobcats when they got in their own way. GHS had its best offensive night of the season with 507 yards. The Cats rolled up 411 rushing yards and have averaged 331 yards on the ground per game.
Both Stokes and Rellinger scored a rushing touchdown and topped the century mark with 126 and 117 yards, respectively. Rellinger also completed 2/4 passes for 96 yards and another score. Callihan caught both passes and added 34 rushing yards on four carries.
Ballew was a disruptive force for the Bobcat defense, especially on the Dragons’ first quarter drives. He made nine total tackles and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Memphis Lewallen, who led GHS with 11 total tackles.
How it started
Ahead of the fireworks of the second half, GHS follies kept Pickens in the game early. Gilmer thundered out of the gate after receiving the opening kickoff. Cowart took a toss sweep to the short side of the field. Blocks from Callihan and linemen Blane Banks and Logan Hightower helped spring Cowart, and he made a defender miss before darting down the sideline for a 77-yard touchdown.
Gearhart’s first of five successful extra points followed, and GHS led 7-0 just 39 seconds into the game.
Cowart then came through on defense with an interception on Pickens’ third play from scrimmage. Gilmer’s offense took the field at its 48, and eight straight runs moved the ball to the Dragons’ 2-yard line. Primed to go up by two scores less than six minutes into the game, Stokes fumbled, and the Dragons recovered at the 2.
Pickens’ best pass play of the night was a short dump off to running backs. The Dragons used it for a 19-yard gain to get out of the shadow of their own goal post. Pickens then faced third a down and 8 and a third and 11. In both instances, PHS achieved a first down because of GHS penalties.
On fourth and 9 from Gilmer’s 16, Jones completed a tunnel screen to McCord Purdy. Ballew stripped the ball loose as he neared a first down, and Lewallen recovered at the 8-yard line.
The Cats were forced to punt, and Callihan was deemed down when he received a low long snap at the Dragons’ 1. On the ensuing play, Poole ran across the goal line, and the extra point evened the score 1:37 into the second quarter.
The Bobcats rumbled down the field on just five plays. Callihan was there for a 14-yard run, and he hauled in a third down pass for a 62-yard gain down the middle of the field. He ran for 37 yards after making the catch to set up first and goal at the 5. Britain took the ball through the left side of the line on the next play for a touchdown to cap the 80-yard drive.
The score gave the Cats a 14-7 lead with 8:28 left in the half.
PHS continued to depend on short passes and screens, but punted and GHS took over at its 33. The seven-play series marked Gilmer’s longest touchdown drive of the night. The Cats added six more points when they converted third down and 4. Rellinger hit Callihan in stride once again down the seam for a 34-yard touchdown.
Gilmer pushed its lead to 21-7 with just 1:06 left in the half.
Fifteen of the 65 yards on Pickens’ drive were because of a GHS pass interference. Pickens passed its way downfield, and McCord Purdy’s 1-yard touchdown run capped the six-play drive.
Purdy then fielded the third quarter kickoff, and weaved through Gilmer’s coverage for a 90-yard touchdown return.
With the score tied 21-21, Gilmer’s next drive was highlighted by a 23-yard Rellinger keeper. However, GHS was forced to punt before Pickens did the same.
The Cats’ third possession of the second half resulted in points. Rellinger got loose once more, and this time his 39-yard keeper on the drive’s third play moved GHS to Pickens’ 30.
Runs of 4 and 6 yards by Stokes gave GHS another first down. On the ensuing play, Rellinger kept the ball again around the left edge. He broke a tackle at the 10, and the 20-yard touchdown run accounted for the final points ahead of the teams’ aforementioned drives of the fourth quarter.
Gilmer is off Friday and returns to action next Friday at Class 4A Westminster (1-2).
“It would be great if we could get some backups to really give us some minutes. That’s probably the biggest thing to me because we’re one injury away from losing two positions,” Standard said of the Cats’ final nonregion game of the season.
“We need to find some more guys who can give us some snaps on Friday night, and we’re going to be playing a great football team. They’ll be well prepared, they’re a good team, and we’ve got to go into the big city.”
Junior varsity
The JV Cats continued their season at Lumpkin County last Thursday and lost, 20-16.
The game started out about as well as it could for GHS. The Bobcats strung together a 16-play, 85 yard drive that took 8:54 off the clock. Cheyne Smith scored on a 23-yard run, and Jett Burrell made it 8-0 after getting the pitch from A.J. Callihan on the conversion.
LCHS found success on its first offensive possession, but the series ended on the Cats’ 22. That is where Burrell forced a fumble and teammate Landon Ledford recovered.
Callihan hooked up with McCoy Sutton for a 36-yard completion on Gilmer’s ensuing possession. While Gilmer advanced to midfield, a fumble ended the drive. The Bobcat defense held strong and denied the Indians to take an eight-point lead into the half.
Lumpkin emerged from the locker room and needed three plays to reach the end zone. An Indian receiver beat the Cats deep for a 59-yard touchdown.
GHS held an 8-6 edge, but the Indian offense was back on the field after holding the Cats on downs. LCHS converted a fourth down and pulled ahead with a 23-yard touchdown pass. Lumpkin led 14-8 after a successful conversion.
GHS put another long drive together, and it needed 11 plays to score. Sutton was hit on a 7-yard run and the ball spilled into the end zone, and Bobcat David Bright fell on the ball for a Gilmer touchdown. Callihan added the two-point conversion to put GHS back in front, 16-14.
Lumpkin answered through the air once more. The Indians completed a 45-yard pass to set up a 5-yard touchdown run.
Trailing 20-16, the last Bobcat drive ended with a sack, and LCHS killed the final two minutes to secure the win.