The 11-under Gilmer Bobcats took the football field for a final time and walked away as the winners once again.
Gilmer traveled to Chestatee last Saturday for the Mountain Athletic Conference’s “Super Bowl” and ran all over the War Eagles on their home field.
The Bobcats reached the end zone on seven of eight offensive possessions and added a special teams touchdown as they lit up the scoreboard.
The Bobcat defense held strong in the second half as the offense continued to score for a 53-27 victory.
“We came in with a good game plan, and these coaches did a good job of getting us to that game plan,” head coach B.J. Chancey said. “The first quarter was a little rough, but we settled down and finally started playing some ball. I’m just overall proud of the boys because they stepped up and took care of business like I knew they could.”
Gilmer’s wing-T offense averaged 12.3 yards per rush attempt. The Cats rolled up 333 rushing yards and tallied 394 total yards on the night.
Fullback Bubba Callihan wrecked the War Eagles nearly every time he touched the ball. He finished the game with 295 all-purpose yards, which included 170 yards rushing on 10 attempts, two of two passing for 61 yards and a 64-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Each team scored on its first two offensive possessions. Gilmer’s first scoring drive spanned 48 yards, lasted three plays and ended when A.J. Callihan rushed 6 yards around the right side.
Its next score covered 47 yards on six plays. This time it was Bubba Callihan who took the ball in from a yard away.
Meanwhile, Chestatee scored on a six-play, 48-yard drive. Its next drive needed one play, which was a 49-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-13 lead with 2:40 left in the first quarter.
The ensuing kickoff was fielded and returned 64 yards by Bubba Callihan for Gilmer’s third score of the night and a 20-14 lead.
Chestatee lost its quarterback for the remainder of the game on its third drive. He scrambled for six yards around the left edge and was waylaid by Bubba Callihan. The War Eagles turned the ball over on downs and Gilmer took over at its 26.
Over the remainder of the game, Chestatee lined up a running back at quarterback. They relied on him almost exclusively to move their offense on the ground.
On the first play of Gilmer’s next drive, Bubba Callihan took a sweep around the right side before cutting back across the field. He outran the War Eagle defense for a 74-yard touchdown.
Gilmer led 26-14 with 5:10 left in the second quarter. Chestatee added a final touchdown before the half on a four-play, 44-yard possession. The War Eagle running back broke two tackles on a 42-yard touchdown run to cut Gilmer’s lead to 26-21 at the break.
Gilmer recovered an onside kick to start the second half. However, the play was negated because an inadvertent whistle by a referee. Chancey protested the whistle and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The War Eagles made the best of their opportunity and scored on the first play of the drive on a 54-yard run.
Chestatee slipped ahead 27-26, but its lead would be short-lived.
Gilmer ran a reverse on its next possession, and Bubba Callihan passed to a wide open Peyton Chancey. The 58-yard touchdown grab capped the three-play, 51-yard drive for a 33-27 lead.
Gilmer forced a War Eagle punt and took over on Chestatee’s 31-yard line. A.J. Callihan motored around the right side to pay dirt on the drive’s first play. The successful conversion made the score 40-27 in Gilmer’s favor with 2:47 remaining in the third.
Chestatee fumbled on its next drive and Chancey was there to recover for Gilmer. Chancey then rushed for 27 yards on first down to move Gilmer across midfield.
Two plays later, Bubba Callihan took a counter around the left side for a 48-yard touchdown to cap the three-play, 65-yard drive.
Trailing 47-27, Chestatee’s next possession stalled at its 43. Following a 21-yard scamper by A.J. Callihan, Chancey gained 8 more on the ground. A.J. Callihan then ran for 14 yards and a touchdown for a 53-27 Gilmer lead with 3:34 to play.
Gilmer attempted a pass on the conversion, which is not allowed once the margin reaches 25 points. B.J. Chancey was given a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which led to his ejection from the game.
Gilmer held the War Eagles on downs on their final possession of the night.
Aside from Bubba Callihan’s five touchdowns, A.J Callihan finished with 82 yards rushing and three touchdowns on seven carries. Chancey added 79 rushing yards on eight attempts.
Chestatee totaled 253 yards on the night and its go-to running back had 137 yards on 24 attempts.
“This means the world to me,” B.J. Chancey said of the championship. “There has been a lot of work put into tonight. There’s a lot of work put into this by coaches, the kids and the parents with all the mommas bringing the kids to practice.
“It’s just an overall effort. That’s one thing I’ve been blessed with since I’ve been coaching this group since they were 6 years old. We’ve had a great group of parents and what I call a ‘Bobcat family.’ It takes a whole family to get done what we got done tonight.”
Gilmer finished the season with an 9-0 overall record.