Gilmer High’s football schedule will have a wide variety of opponents in 2022.
Some games will be against teams Gilmer — then Ellijay High — first met seven decades ago, others are versus some of the Bobcats’ longest standing rivals, and another is a first-time foe.
Ahead of the Bobcats’ six-game Region 7-3A schedule, they will take the field for four nonregion matchups.
First up is Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe on the road, who holds a 6-5 edge in the series versus GHS. The two schools have not met since 1993, and the Warriors were 1-9 last season.
Fannin County will come to Ellijay in week two, and the schools have not played since 2019 because of COVID and ensuing scheduling contracts and conflicts. GHS holds a 25-17-2 edge in the series, but FCHS has won the last four. The Rebels have been flying high recently with a 20-3 combined record over the past two seasons.
Gilmer hosts Murray County in week three, and the Cats topped the 1-9 Indians 35-21 last season. The two first tangled in 1951, and MCHS leads the series, 13-19-2. However, Gilmer has won four in a row.
The nonregion slate concludes on the road against Ringgold. The Tigers finished 10-2 last season and defeated GHS, 35-15. The teams have faced each other seven times dating back to 1954 with Gilmer winning five.
The Bobcats kick off their region schedule versus Wesleyan at home. It will be the first game between the schools, and the Wolves were 8-4 in 2021. The Norcross private school was founded in 1989 and has amassed a state championship, three region titles and a 180-103-1 record.
GHS is back on the road in week six at West Hall. The Spartans won four games a season ago, and one of their six losses came by a 26-21 margin at the hands of the Bobcats. Each team has won five times across the 10-game series.
Gilmer welcomes a familiar opponent in week seven when Lumpkin rolls into town. GHS owns a 25-10-3 advantage in the series, but the Indians have won three games over the previous four years including a 32-30 triumph last season. LCHS has posted a 3-27 record over the last three seasons with two of those wins coming against GHS.
The Bobcats will be on the road in back-to-back weeks, which begins with a trip to Jasper to meet rival Pickens. The Dragons were 4-5 last year, dropped down to Class 3A this year and are in the same region as Gilmer for the first time since 2019.
PHS is Gilmer’s longest standing rival, but COVID wiped out what would have been the 64th game in the series that GHS leads, 35-27-1. The Dragons have owned the Bobcats recently and are on a seven-game winning streak.
Dawson and Gilmer have played 10 times, and all of the Tigers’ wins came over the last three meetings. GHS lost 52-21 last season and DCHS finished with a 7-5 mark.
The regular season finale will come at home against White County. The Warriors have won 24 of the 37 games between the teams, which included a 52-25 victory over GHS in 2021. WCHS was 4-7 on the season that came to an abrupt halt versus eventual state champions Cedar Grove in the first round,79-0.