Gilmer High hosted Fannin County on the gridiron last Friday, but the outcome cannot be found in any record book.
While the rivals normally meet during the regular season, this year’s matchup was preseason scrimmage.
Varsity players took the field for the first three quarters and penalty flags flew early and often. While no official score was kept, the visiting Rebels were able to reach the end zone four times through 36 minutes of play. The Bobcats breached the goal line once and added a field goal.
GHS head coach Paul Standard assessed the Bobcats’ performance, saying, “I’m very proud of our kids and that they have really taken to what we’re doing. Obviously our depth is and is going to be a huge issue, and that worries me. Some of the young guys are going to have to grow up faster than they normally would, but I’m happy because I want to see these guys have success.
“If our young men continue to be coachable like they’ve been, we’re going to continue to get better. If our young men continue to stick together, and play together and fight for each other, we’re going to be just fine. We have a tough road ahead of us, but our kids have been great, and I’m proud of them.”
Gilmer’s option-based offense operated much differently from Fannin’s no-huddle shotgun attack, which spread the field with receivers and snapped the ball as quickly as possible.
The teams swapped punts to start the game, and Gilmer’s second drive started at its 45. A pair of quarterback keepers by Seth Darling moved GHS across midfield before Kobe Stonecipher took a sweep around the left edge for a 17-yard gain to Fannin’s 30. Fullback Brock Titus carried twice, and his second rush set up Gilmer with another first down at the Rebels’ 18.
On the ensuing play, Darling passed and hit Dominic Tarantino in stride. Tarantino was stopped short at the 1-yard line, and as he extended the ball to break the plane of the goal line, he lost possession and the referee deemed he was not down. The Rebels pounced on the ball and took over at the Cats’ 4.
The teams traded punts again, and Fannin finally broke through on the game’s seventh possession. Much of Fannin’s success through the air came via screen passes to receivers, and the Rebels put together an eight-play, 76-yard scoring drive.
FCHS mixed the pass with quarterback scrambles to move downfield. On first down from the Cats’ 18, a slant pass resulted in a touchdown. Fannin led 6-0 after a failed extra point attempt with 3:37 left in the half.
The Bobcats punted and fumbled the ball away on their next two drives. However, Gilmer’s opportunistic defense was there to make plays when its offense faltered. Two consecutive Fannin drives were stopped with interceptions by Bobcats Will Kiker and Hayden Morrison.
The latter gave GHS the ball at its 48 with a minute left in the half. Darling dropped back on first down and found a wide open Stonecipher in the middle of the field. With room to run, he made a defender miss and broke a tackle en route to the end zone to even the score.
Varsity players remained in the game for the third quarter, and Fannin scored on all three possessions. After GHS fumbled to start the second half, FCHS scored on a three-play, 66-yard drive that was capped by a 40-yard touchdown run.
The next Rebel drive covered 54 yards on eight plays. Fannin’s last touchdown possession spanned 70 yards and took six plays and was highlighted by a 37-yard screen pass to move deep into GHS territory.
Gilmer’s remaining points came on its last possession of the third quarter. Stonecipher got loose for another long run, which resulted in a 42-yard gain to Fannin’s 22. Three short runs set up fourth down from the 16, and freshman kicker Talyn Curtis booted a 33-yard field goal that crept over the crossbar. The six-play drive covered 44 yards.
The varsity portion of the scrimmage ended with a 28-9 score in Fannin’s favor.
Twenty-nine penalties were called through three quarters, and the Bobcats were flagged for 16 of them. On two occasions, penalties were offset. The teams combined for six 15-yard infractions that were either unsportsmanlike conducts or personal fouls.
“I told the players I’m never going to ask them to back down, but we’re going to play with class,” Standard said. “We cannot react to negative situations by putting ourselves in a bad place. We’re going to fix that.”
Standard added, “I saw some great things tonight. For Seth Darling’s first game in an option offense, he really did well. We had some guys that really showed a lot of guts and played a lot of snaps. I thought our kids played hard defensively. We’ve got a couple kids dinged up, and that’s why I’m glad we’re off next week.
“I was a little concerned if they were going to get starry-eyed, and they did not. We came out and played, and now I think they know how I’m going to be on a Friday night. Friday nights are a time for problem-solving. If I have to yell on Friday nights to get you to do something, then we’ve got bigger problems.”
JV plays the fourth
Junior varsity players took the field for the fourth quarter. A Rebel fumble on the opening drive was recovered by Kyle Cowart on the Fannin’s third play. On first down from the Rebels’ 38, Bobcat Mason Smith burst through the line for a touchdown run and added the two-point conversion.
FCHS turned the ball over on downs on its next drive, and GHS was back in business at its 32.
Curtis, Smith and Grant Ballew shared six carries as GHS picked up three first downs and advanced to the Rebels’ 4-yard line. Following a 5-yard penalty, Curtis took the ball into the end zone on a 9-yard run to cap the 8-play possession.
The conversion failed as the final buzzer sounded, and the JV Bobcats outscored Fannin, 14-0.
GHS hosts Pickens Aug. 20 to start the season.