It may not have been pretty, but it was a victory.
Not many people around the Gilmer High School football program are concerned with style points, and the six points the Bobcats put on the scoreboard against the Gordon Central Warriors last Friday were enough.
GCHS hosted Gilmer for homecoming, and the Bobcats’ stingy defense and clock-draining drives proved to be the difference.
All of the game’s points came in the second quarter, and by the end of the fourth, it was GHS who secured a 6-3 triumph.
Gilmer head coach Kevin Saunders was beaming after the game when discussing the Cats’ effort.
“We were scrappy, that’s what we were tonight. The kids found a way and they played hard, which is something we’ve been doing all year and we’re getting better at it,” he said.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them. We didn’t play our best game, and probably played better against Fannin, but it’s still about this process. This whole thing is a learning process, and they found a way to win.”
Gilmer’s defense held Gordon Central’s shotgun attack to 107 yards of total offense, and the Bobcats were tested early.
GHS was forced to punt after three offensive plays to start the game. The kick fluttered out of bounds and gave the Warriors dangerous field position at Gilmer’s 25.
However, the Bobcats only gave up 7 yards, and Gordon Central’s 25-yard field goal attempt shot wide.
When Gilmer regained possession, it advanced 42 yards as fullback Ashton White and wingback Kobe Stonecipher each carried twice. But on first down from the 38, Stonecipher fumbled and GCHS recovered.
The Warriors had ball security issues as well, and spilled the ball on the ground after picking up a pair of first downs and advancing to the Cats’ 25-yard line. The botched snap was recovered by Gilmer’s Andrew Gooch.
After the teams swapped punts, GHS embarked on its lone scoring drive, which spanned 78 yards on 14 rushes and melted 8:03 off the second quarter clock.
Wingback Gray McClure and quarterback Spenser Smith joined Stonecipher and White in the Cats’ rushing attack as they plotted their way downfield.
The drive was highlighted by runs of 14 and 15 yards by Stonecipher while McClure picked up 17 more on a trap play.
Facing first and goal from the 7, Smith kept the ball up the middle for three consecutive runs with the final covering a yard for a touchdown.
GCHS took over offensively with 4:15 left in the half after Gilmer’s missed extra point.
From its 40, Gordon Central found itself short of a first down, and faked a punt on fourth down.
On the fake, a Gilmer defender leveled the Warrior passer shortly after he released the ball. He was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit, and the Warriors received a first down.
GHCS faced another fourth down at Gilmer’s 16 and was able to draw the Cats offside for a first down. After the ball was moved forward 5 yards, Gordon Central made a 25-yard field goal as the clock expired.
GCHS punted to begin the second half, and the Cats took over at their 35. Gilmer pieced together a 15-play drive that gained 58 yards and four first downs.
While the possession did not result in points and stalled at the Warriors’ 7, it did take 8:19 off the clock.
The teams swapped punts once again, and when Bobcat punter Seth Darling put his foot into the ball, it sent a spiral into the air that netted 43 yards and rolled out of bounds at Gordon Central’s 9.
The Warriors gained a first down but were forced to punt for the third time of the half after Kyle Allison sacked quarterback Sean Gray for a 9-yard loss on third down.
GHS took over at its 46, and White carried consecutively for 11 yards. His next attempt resulted in a fumble, and Warrior Josh Wilson recovered the loose ball and returned it 27 yards to Gilmer’s 40.
After GCHS ran for 5 yards on first down, Bobcat Will Bradburn sacked Gray for a 7-yard loss. Bradburn then forced an errant pass when delivering a hit to backup quarterback Clayton Hogue on the ensuing play.
The Warriors faced fourth down and 12 from the 42, and while they were able to complete the pass, Gooch, White and Braden Jenkins were all there to make the tackle short of a first down.
“We came out and bowed our necks and made a big sack and stuffed them right there,” Saunders said of the defensive stand. “That shows some of the character in these kids. We’re getting better at those things. It’s starting to mean something to them, and I couldn’t be more prouder.”
The game’s final drive began at Gilmer’s 37 with 3:34 on the clock. Three rushes netted 8 yards. When GHS lined up on fourth down, Gorden Central jumped offside.
The resulting penalty and first down allowed GHS to burn the final 1:53 of the game.
Saunders was happy with Gilmer’s team effort.
“They battled and they had to make plays and it wasn’t just one person making them,” he said. “We had different people making plays the whole time. The coaches called a great game. This is good for our kids and our community.
“We’re 2-1, and all I told the kids is we wanted to be 1-0 at the end of this week. We’re going to come back again next week and try to be 1-0 again. They’re learning how to win. It wasn’t pretty, but we got there.”
The last time GHS had a record of 2-1 or better was week three of the 2014 season. The previous time Gilmer won two games in a row was in October of the 2015 season.
“I never thought we’d be 2-1 at this point in the season,” Saunders said. “Did anybody else? Probably not, and for these kids, this is great.”
White led GHS with 11 total tackles, which included two for losses. Allison was there for eight stops, and Bradburn, Jenkins, McClure, and Kanaan Walker all tallied seven total tackles.
Gilmer will travel to Lumpkin County Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against the Indians.