The Gilmer Bobcats took care of business against the Murray County Indians last Friday.
GHS controlled the pace of the game with its deliberate rushing attack while the defense held Murray scoreless in the first half. The Bobcats built a formidable lead scoring 28 unanswered points, and even though the Indians were finally able to find some offensive success, it was all too late as Gilmer came away with a 34-21 road victory.
“I thought the defense was the key to the first half,” head coach Paul Standard said of the Bobcats, who forced four first-half punts that were bookended by takeaways while the offense opened a 21-0 lead.
“We get a turnover (on Murray’s first drive), ran a base play in our offense and fumble it, which is a Debbie downer. Then we make a stop, run the same play again and score. It’s not rocket science, and it wasn’t like we drew up some new deal; it was the same play.
“The key was our defense, and our offense really got some confidence. And we had those young linemen. There were no seniors in that offensive line tonight. I look forward to getting those two (Tony Olea and Wyatt Ledford) back, but what great experience for those other guys.”
Gilmer limited the Indians to 219 yards of offense. Murray’s opening drive was halted when Bobcat Hayden Morrison recovered a errant lateral on the game’s third play. However, GHS fullback Brock Titus fumbled two plays later and the Indians’ offense returned to the field.
MCHS punted, and it took GHS just one play to put points on the board. Titus got redemption when he shot through the middle of Murray’s line for a 35-yard touchdown. Kicker Talyn Curtis made his first of four extra points, and Gilmer led 7-0 four minutes into the game.
Gilmer’s third drive drained 9:21 off the clock and covered 92 yards on 14 plays en route to the end zone. GHS overcame 20 yards in penalties, which proved to be a theme for the night. Titus ran for 20 yards on the drive and halfback Kobe Stonecipher added 39 more.
The only time Gilmer went to air was on the 14th play from Murray’s 35. On second down, quarterback Seth Darling rolled to his right and delivered a strike to Stonecipher just before getting hit. Stonecipher made the catch at the 25 and broke a tackle at the 15 before racing into the end zone for a 14-0 advantage with 7:57 left in the half .
Bobcat Dominic Tarantino blocked the Indians’ ensuing punt, but Darling was intercepted on first down when GHS took over offensively. Following Murray’s fourth punt, Gilmer’s third touchdown march started at its 31 with 3:45 on the clock.
Titus rumbled through the line on first down and across midfield for a 25-yard run to begin the drive. Titus and Stonecipher traded the next five carries before GHS faced third down and 12 from the Indians’ 21. Darling rolled to his right once more and this time fired a bullet to Tarantino, who broke to the sideline to get wide open for a touchdown catch.
A Will Kiker interception ended the Indians’ final drive of the half as GHS enjoyed a 21-0 lead.
Four straight touchdowns were scored to begin the second half. Gilmer was up first, and the six-play, 76-yard drive was highlighted by a 56-yard option pitch to Kiker around the left edge. The play resulted in a first down at the Indians’ 11. Darling tested the left two plays later for an 8-yard keeper for six more points.
Gilmer’s lead stood at 28-0 with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
Murray’s final three drives of the game resulted in touchdowns. The first covered 64 yards on 11 plays as the Indians mixed the run and pass. A late hit out of bounds gave Murray a first down at Gilmer’s 6 before a touchdown pass on the ensuing play.
Down 28-7 with 4:33 in the third, Murray’s onside kick was recovered by Bobcat Avery Mosley. GHS drove 54 yards on 11 rushes for its final score. Stonecipher and fullback Wyatt Stokes handled all of the carries and the final was a 4-yard run through the right side by Stonecipher.
The extra point was blocked, and GHS bumped its lead to 34-7 with 10:05 remaining in the game.
The Indians responded quickly. A five-play, 64-yard possession ended with a 51-yard touchdown pass. Morrison recovered the next onside kick, and Gilmer took three minutes off the clock before punting.
Murray needed eight plays to score its last touchdown. The 64-yard drive was aided by a GHS pass interference penalty on an incompletion that landed three yards out of bounds. A 30-yard touchdown pass added six more points for MCHS, and Gilmer stopped the two-point conversion.
Morrison recovered another onside kick before GHS ran out the clock.
The Bobcats rolled up 327 rushing yards on the night mixing its triple option and wing-T plays. Standard noted the starting offensive line included a freshman, two sophomores and two juniors.
“If you can get those two concepts to work together, the way to defend one kind of contradicts defending the other in a perfect world,” Standard said. “That’s the way the offense should work and it’s a beauty. It makes the play calling a lot easier because the kids are executing.”
GHS was flagged 12 times on the night and four were holding penalties. Fortunately for the Bobcats, most did not derail drives.
“We got some penalties called and some were legit but some were not,” Standard said. “No one is used to seeing receivers and running backs block. Here’s the key: we got those penalties, but didn’t allow them to be a drive killer. To me, it’s turning the corner. We didn’t punt till the very end.”
The win evened Gilmer’s record at 1-1 and was Standard’s first on the Bobcats’ sideline. He wants the victory to help set the tone for GHS and is looking for a renewed enthusiasm from his team.
“I’m happy for our kids and our school. I’m proud of our kids and how hard they worked,” he said. “I want them to believe. We had that pride and school spirit tonight, and that’s going to get better. That’s what you want to see in high school, and I hope we can be a small part of that as a football program.
“We’ll build off this. I’m just happy to see those boys smile and have fun. I told them they’re one of the most business-like teams I’ve ever had.”
Standard added with a laugh, “We might have to do a celebration drill at practice Monday.”
GHS hosts East Jackson (1-1) Friday at Huff-Mosley Memorial Stadium at 7:30 p.m.