Gilmer found little room to run while Dawson County attacked through the air.
DCHS hosted the Bobcats last Friday, and the hometown Tigers’ fast-paced offense roared up and down the field. Dawson jumped ahead early and the Bobcats’ offense never got going as Gilmer was defeated, 35-0.
“They’re a physical team,” GHS head coach Kevin Saunders said after the game. “They were faster than us, more physical than us, and the most physical team usually wins.
“We got outcoached. I did a poor job of coaching and it is what it is. They whipped us and whipped us up-front and that’s what happens when you play a good football team. You can’t make mistakes like we did, and you’ve got to be able to block. We’ve just got to get better.”
The Tigers used four receivers most downs and snapped the ball as quickly as possible following each play. They relied on quick passes to receivers and running backs, and when they attacked vertically, they completed passes for long gains.
Meanwhile, Gilmer’s wing-T had little room to maneuver as Dawson controlled the line of scrimmage. GHS was limited to just 65 yards of total offense and it all came on the ground.
Gilmer punted five times in the first half, and the first three were answered with DCHS touchdowns.
The Tigers’ first score needed nine plays. The drive covered 62 yards and included five passes and four rushes. They completed passes of 13, 21 and 14 yards with the latter setting up first and goal from the 1.
Running back Isaiah Grindle made the catch and scored on the next play. Dawson led 7-0 6:23 into the first quarter.
The next drive spanned 70 yards on four plays. Dawson completed a 39-yard pass on first down. A running back came in motion across the backfield, received the ball and passed to a wide open Tyler Lane, who was eventually tackled at Gilmer’s 31.
A second down run by Grindle gained 28 yards to the 3-yard line, and he ran the ball across the goal line on the next play.
DCHS got the ball back once more ahead 14-0 with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. The Tigers used seven rushes and six passes and converted two fourth downs on the drive. The 61-yard possession concluded with three straight runs that covered 21 yards, and the last was a quarterback sneak by Zacchaeus Holtzclaw.
GHS achieved its second first down on its fourth possession but punted again. Gilmer’s defense forced the Tigers’ lone punt of the first half as the drive stalled when Kyle Allison sacked Holtzclaw for a 4-yard loss.
Leading 21-0 with 3:09 before the half, Dawson added more points. The 64-yard drive culminated on the fourth play. A quick pass to receiver Dakohta Sonnichsen went for a 52-yard score after he slipped two Bobcat tackles and raced to pay dirt.
Gilmer got another possession before the break, and quarterback Spenser Smith was intercepted on a final pass of the half.
Dawson received the ball to begin the third quarter with a 28-0 lead. On the second play of the drive, Holtzclaw found Lane open down the sideline for a 72-yard touchdown toss.
A running clock was soon initiated. Gilmer punted and turned the ball over on downs on its final two possessions.
GHS is 3-3 overall and will host the North Hall Trojans Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.