Gilmer made a stop when it absolutely needed to.
The GHS Bobcats hosted Murray County last Friday for a football game that had its share of offensive firepower. But by the second half, both teams settled in defensively as yards were tougher to come by.
Murray’s final march used more than half of the fourth quarter clock, but the Bobcats denied the Indians on the goal line to preserve their 28-24 win.
“Their quarterback (Kaleb Jones) is really good, and we were overrunning him a bunch on the option,” said GHS coach Kevin Saunders. “In the second half, I thought we really played the offense better and didn’t give up a bunch of big plays. We still had a couple penalties, but that’s OK because we’ll keep getting better.”
The final drive
Both teams depended on the run but made plays through the air as well. GHS deployed its regular wing-T offense while the Indians relied on an option attack with Jones and running backs Davis Redwine and Carson Voiles as its centerpieces.
There were 10 total possessions in the first half while the second half was limited to four as both teams’ drives milked the clock.
With 6:53 left in the game, GHS led a 28-24, and Murray embarked on its final drive from its 20. The Indians ran the ball 11 times and passed three times on the possession, which included GHS getting flagged twice for pass interference.
A face mask penalty occurred on second down and gave MCHS a first down at its 41. Four straight rushes, which included a fourth down conversion earned Murray another fresh set of downs at Gilmer’s 48.
The first pass interference of the drive advanced Murray to the 33. From there, the Indians picked up 17 yards on three rushes, and 16 belonged to fullback Voiles.
From the 17, Jones kept the ball to the eight before a dive by Voiles resulted in first and goal from the 6 as the clock dipped under a minute.
After a 3-yard loss by Redwine, another pass interference moved the ball to the 5-yard line but did not result in a first down. A sneak by Jones set up a final play from the 2-yard line with eight seconds on the clock.
The Indians tried to catch the Cats off guard and went to the air. However, Jones was swarmed and smothered by a host of Bobcat defenders. Safety Hunter Watkins was the first on the scene as Jones’ final pass sputtered harmlessly to the ground.
GHS was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, and the offense had to take a final snap from the 1-yard line with four seconds still on the clock. Gilmer quarterback Spenser Smith snuck ahead to kill the clock to preserve the Cats’ hard-fought victory.
First half track meet
Murray received the ball to start the game and put together a 74-yard drive that needed nine plays. While the Indians made use of their ground game, they also went to the air where receiver Brannon Nuckolls proved to be a large dependable target.
Jones closed out the possession with three straight passes, which included a 33-yard touchdown to Nuckolls as MCHS led 7-0 less than four minutes into the game.
The Bobcats responded in commanding fashion. On first down, Bobcat fullback Ashton White shot through the middle of the Indians defense for a 44-yard gallop to the 21. After missing the Pickens game with a injury two weeks prior, wingback Gray McClure took the ensuing hand-off around the left side for a touchdown to cap the two-play, 40-second drive.
Adolfo Bautista’s extra points sailed wide, and Murray held a one-point lead.
MCHS needed 13 plays and 7:20 for its next points, and the drive started at its 30. The ground game was working off the edge and up the middle. The Indians slipped in a 10-yard pass to Nuckolls and moved deep into Bobcat territory.
On second down from the 11, Bobcat Cameron Weaver stopped Redwine 3 yards in the backfield. Another loss forced Murray to attempt a field goal, and the 33-yard kick split the uprights.
GHS trailed 10-6 with 34 seconds left in the first quarter. The Cats kept their running game churning with White and McClure as wingback Kobe Stonecipher joined the fray. White tested the middle while Stonecipher was there for runs of 11 and 21 yards.
Consecutive carries by McClure totaled 10 yards and gave GHS a first down at the Indians’ 12. From there, Stonecipher slipped around the right edge and into the end zone as GHS pulled ahead, 14-10, two minutes into the second quarter.
GHS forced a punt on the Indians’ next drive and Stonecipher made them pay. He returned the kick through the heart of Murray’s return team and raced for the goal line.
Stonecipher dragged an Indian nearly 10 yards to paydirt. He appeared to score easily, but Stonecipher was ruled down at the 1-yard line.
The 68-yard punt return was followed by a Smith sneak up the middle for a touchdown. The Cats extended their lead to 21-10 with 5:50 to play before the half.
Murray added another touchdown on its next drive that covered 71 yards on just six plays. The possession was highlighted by a 21-yard completion to Nuckolls before Jones broke tackles up the middle for a 26-yard touchdown keeper.
Putting the game away
The teams swapped possessions to end the half. GHS entered the third quarter ahead, 21-17. Gilmer did not score on its next drive but did melt seven minutes off the clock.
The drive stalled at Murray’s 35 and the Indians wasted little time. MCHS maintained its rushing attack but went to the air once more. Nuckolls was there to haul in the 31-yard pass. The 10 play, 75-yard drive ended when Voiles scored on an 8-yard dive.
The extra point gave Murray a 24-21 lead 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.
GHS scored the go-ahead touchdown on its next drive. The Cats needed only seven plays to traverse 75 yards, which took 4:33 off the clock.
Following a short gain and loss, the Cats faced third and 10. Smith dropped back on third down for only his third pass of the game. Seth Darling was there to snag the ball out of the air for a 25-yard gain and first down at the 50.
An ensuing third down from the 47 was answered by a 34-yard counter run by McClure. On first down, Stonecipher was stopped for no gain before he rushed for a 13-yard touchdown up the middle.
Bautista’s extra point made the lead 28-24 prior to Murray’s final fruitless drive.
“We had a bunch of kids step up and make plays tonight,” Saunders said. “Seth stepped up with two big-time catches. The third-down pass up over his head, that was huge. Then we just gritted it out on defense.
“We bowed our necks and played every play as hard as we could. That’s the sign of a team that’s getting better.”
MCHS ran 33 more plays than GHS and six Bobcats racked up double digit total tackles. Weaver and Kyle Allison had 12 each, Tyler Gatlin finished with 11 and Watkins, McClure and White were there for 10.
GHS is 1-1 and will continue its nonregion schedule Friday at East Jackson (1-0). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.