Backbreaking loss ends Bobcats’ season
Ten minutes and 23 seconds stood between Gilmer High and the state playoffs.
The GHS Bobcats held a 22-point lead last Friday at Huff-Mosley Memorial Stadium with their first state playoff berth since 2014 on the line.
However, over the White County Warriors’ next four possessions, they struck for touchdowns, and the final came with only seconds on the clock.
Gilmer was unable to score on its last offensive play, and the Warriors celebrated their 38-35 playoff spoiling victory.
“It was a very tough loss for our guys against a good offensive football team,” said head coach Paul Standard. “To their credit, they didn’t quit. I don’t think our guys quit at all.
“Things just snowballed there in 10 minutes. In my 38 years (as a coach), I’ve lost a lot of football games, but that’s one I’ve never experienced. It was an extremely tough loss for our players and coaches, fans and community. We put so much into this season and into this program, and it was tough.”
The teams emerged from the locker room in the second half with Gilmer leading, 35-13. White received the kickoff and strung a long drive together that took 6:43 off the clock. The 15-play series ended when the Bobcat defense stopped the Warriors 2 yards shy of the goal line.
After carries by Bobcat halfback Hunter Watkins and fullback Brock Titus moved GHS to its 32, halfback Mason Smith’s 32-yard run advanced the Cats into White territory. Back-to-back Titus carries gave Gilmer a first down at the 14, which is where the drive stalled when quarterback Issac Rellinger’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
The series shaved 6:54 off the clock, and White took over down by 22 points with 10:23 left in the game. WCHS quickly gained first downs on the drive with four completions and two runs. Its last rush was a 7-yard touchdown to trail 35-19 with 8:30 to play.
GHS was forced to punt, and Rellinger’s 42-yard boot pinned the Warriors at their 6-yard line. The 6-play drive concluded with passes of 22 and 47 yards with the latter accounting for six points, and Gilmer’s lead was cut to 35-25 with 3:38 on the clock.
GHS was forced to punt again, but Rellinger did not handle the long snap cleanly. He then opted to run, and was tackled at the Cats’ 33. On the ensuing play, a touchdown pass made the score 35-32 with 3:04 remaining.
CHS then did exactly what it needed and recovered the onside kick at its 46. Three straight rushes followed before a tackle for a 5-yard loss by linebacker Aspen Hataway.
Facing fourth down and 15 from Gilmer’s 34, the Warriors’ 31-yard completion gave them first and goal. A 1-yard run three plays later moved them ahead for good, 38-35.
The Cats got the ball back with 11 seconds on the clock. Rellinger was forced to scramble, and he ran for 53 yards before he was hauled down inside the Warriors’ 10-yard line.
The defeat dropped Gilmer’s record to 5-5. While it did snap their 7-year streak of losing records, they were denied a winning record.
Since Pickens defeated Wesleyan, if Gilmer had won, it also would have snapped the Cats’ postseason drought, which now stands at eight seasons.
“I’m a big believer that you try to take something negative and turn it into a positive,” said Standard, who has been the Cats’ head coach for two seasons. “Our young men practiced and trained and did everything we asked when this senior class took over after the Union County game a year ago. I couldn’t be more proud of these 13 seniors we have and what they’ve done for our program.
“They were the guys and the glue that held us together when we took over. It’s no mystery, the program was in as bad of shape as I’ve ever heard about. It was a lot worse than I imagined, but suffice to say, these seniors held us together and took the lead this year and led our team in a first-class manner. They left us with a great legacy, but we can all learn from what happened versus White, including the head coach.”
Before disaster stuck, Gilmer’s offense was rolling in the first half. GHS scored on five straight possessions to start the game. Those drives needed 10, one, 10, two and four plays, respectively.
The first drive covered 68 yards and was extended by a WCHS penalty when GHS lined up to punt after three offensive plays. Rellinger, Smith, Titus and Watkins powered the offense while halfback Will Kiker’s carries were limited because of an injury.
Gilmer gained five first downs, and Titus’ 3-yard run plus Watkins’ conversion gave GHS an 8-0 lead 7:32 into the game. The next touchdown came when Watkins shot around the left side on first down for a 47-yard score.
Gilmer’s third touchdown march spanned 66 yards. Rellinger connected with Smith for a 4-yard touchdown and Jackson Martinez added the extra point.
Following a kickoff return by Smith all the way to White’s 24, Rellinger’s keeper around the left side went for 10 yards and a touchdown on the second play.
Gilmer’s fifth and final scoring drive of the half was 48 yards. It culminated with a 36-yard gallop by Watkins around the left edge.
White’s first drive of the game ended on downs. Its second was 53 yards and needed three plays and concluded with 36-yard touchdown run. The Warriors’ third possession also resulted in points. The five-play, 64-yard series culminated with a 57-yard draw for a touchdown.
White’s shotgun offense rolled up 544 yards of offense.
Gilmer topped 330 rushing yards for the sixth time this season and finished with 382. Watkins led the way with 113 yards on just nine carries, and Rellinger added 109 on 13 attempts. Both Titus and Smith tallied 75 yards on the ground.
Hataway made 14 total tackles on the night, Smith was there for 10, and Grant Ballew made nine stops.
Gilmer’s five wins are its most since 2014. At Clear Creek Middle, the eighth-grade group has had plenty of success over the years and lost in the semifinals of the playoffs. The seventh graders won their conference title, and Gilmer’s sixth graders won their league championship last Saturday.
“I think we have a solid foundation at the high school with our kids now going into their third year with us,” Standard said. “They understand the expectations, and we have groups coming in who have had success. Kudos to all three groups, to the seventh and eighth grade with coach Willie Dodaro and his staff. And coach Mark Hice and his (sixth-grade) staff have had a great two-year run with this season culminating with a championship.
“Knowing that we’re all as one ‘Gilmer football,’ it’s exciting to be a part of that. I think it will continue to get better because of the foundation.”