Gilmer Bobcat turnovers and penalties allowed East Jackson to stay in the game.
GHS traveled to EJHS last Friday and the Eagles still had a chance in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats responded with three touchdowns over their last four possessions to put the game away for a 28-19 victory.
“It was ugly but we moved the ball all night. The kicking game was good, but we’re still making mistakes,” head coach Kevin Saunders said. “We can’t fumble the ball like that when we’re going in to score.
“Kobe (Stonecipher) had a great game and (wingback and outside linebacker) Gray (McClure) got hurt, and we were missing (linebacker and tight end) Kyle (Allison) tonight. We had some kids out, and some kids stepped up and made it look even uglier but we battled.”
GHS ran for 420 yards and averaged 8.6 yards per carry. Stonecipher led the way with 288 yards on 23 attempts and scored one touchdown.
White battered the middle of the Eagles’ defense for 74 yards on 14 rushes, and McClure topped out at 40 yards on three attempts and left the game early in the third quarter.
In the first half, Gilmer had five rushes of 20 yards or more, but a fumble and holding penalty kept GHS from scoring more than eight points through two quarters.
Both teams punted twice to start the game. On East Jackson’s second punt, Bobcat Cameron Weaver got a hand on the ball for a block.
GHS recovered the ball on the Eagles’ 3-yard line, and fullback Ashton White scored on Gilmer’s ensuing offensive play. GHS added the two-point conversion when McClure crossed the goal line around the left edge.
Gilmer’s fifth drive of the half started at the Eagles’ 36, but a botched center, quarterback exchange gave the ball back to East Jackson.
Gilmer’s next drive started at its 37 as Stonecipher, McClure and White moved GHS downfield. Facing fourth down and 4 from the Eagles’ 43, Stonecipher picked up 5 yards to keep the drive alive.
White then burst through the middle for a 27-yard gain and dragged defenders to the 11. Stonecipher scored on the next play, but the touchdown was negated by a holding penalty. GHS ended up turning the ball over on downs just inches shy of a first down at the 1-yard line.
Defensively, the Bobcats forced four East Jackson punts through two quarters.
When GHS scored its touchdown, the Eagles returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards to Gilmer’s 12. However, the Bobcats held on fourth down and goal from the 4.
When EJHS attempted a fake punt from its 37 in the waning seconds of the first quarter, Bobcat Seth Darling was there to make the tackle short of a first down.
East Jackson achieved one first down in the first half, and it only came when the Bobcats committed a personal foul after a failed third down conversion. That drive ended with Weaver’s second blocked punt of the half.
The Eagles received possession to begin the second half and started from Gilmer’s 43 after a short kick. EJHS blended the run and pass to cross midfield.
A second down run from the 30 concluded with a touchdown.
The failed conversion allowed GHS to hold an 8-6 lead two minutes into the third quarter. McClure broke loose for 30 yards on his only carry of the second half. But on first down from the 36, White fumbled and the Eagles were back in business.
EJHS took over at its 23 and progressed to its 49-yard line on three runs and a completion where it faced fourth down and 1. Marques Greene ran for 30 yards to the 21. A 17-yard touchdown pass two plays later gave EJHS the lead. GHS trailed 12-8 after the missed extra point.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on East Jackson following the touchdown proved costly. The 15 yards were assessed on the kickoff, and Hunter Watkins’ 30-yard return gave GHS first down at the Eagles’ 32.
It only took three rushes for GHS to score, and Stonecipher handled it all. His last carry covered 28 yards. Gilmer held a 14-12 edge after the failed conversion.
The Eagles punted on their next two drives. GHS responded with one punt, and its fourth drive of the half needed only three plays.
After an 11-yard gain by Stonecipher on first down, his next carry covered 62 yards to the Eagles’ 1. Quarterback Spencer Smith plunged in for the touchdown to cap the 74-yard drive.
Adolfo Bautista’s extra point made the score 21-12 in Gilmer’s favor with 6:53 left in the game.
The Eagles still had something left. They put together a 10-play, 64-yard drive that took 2:16 off the clock.
A pair of passes moved East Jackson across midfield before a 22-yard quarterback keeper by Greg Huggs to Gilmer’s 22. EJHS advanced to the 9 for a first down, and Huggs scored three plays later on a 6-yard keeper.
Gilmer led 21-19 with 4:37 to play and added a final touchdown. It took nine plays and the drive began at its 33. Stonecipher, White and Smith all rushed to move GHS to its 46. Following a first down at the Eagles’ 43, Stonecipher was off to the races once more.
He ran for 29 yards after he appeared to be stopped in the backfield and was finally tackled at the 11. Smith went straight up the middle for 10 yards on the next play before scoring from a yard away.
Bautista’s extra point was a pivotal kick as it would make it a two-possession game. But it did not occur until after two Bobcat false starts. Bautista split the uprights from 30 yards away to secure Gilmer’s victory.
EJHS received the ball with 37 seconds on the clock and gained 15 yards before it expired.
“All in all, the effort was good,” Saunders said. “We just have to clean things up. We felt we did fine. We still had another big stop toward the goal line. We just have to keep getting better and not let up. They have to learn to focus all the time. It’s still a learning process.
“We need to get healthy in the off week and I think we will. The kids played pretty physical tonight. We ran physical, and blocked physical and we were dinged and banged up a little bit. The kids battled and that’s the main thing. We found a way to win.”