Posted 12:43 am Sunday, December 13, 2009
Gilmer Buckeyes Capture Second State Title
By PHILLIP WILLIAMS
Sports Correspondent
DALLAS -- The age-old puzzlement of what transpires when the irresistible force lurches into the immovable object was finally solved here Saturday night with decisiveness by the Gilmer Buckeyes as they procured the Class 3A Division 1 state championship.
Sports Correspondent
DALLAS -- The age-old puzzlement of what transpires when the irresistible force lurches into the immovable object was finally solved here Saturday night with decisiveness by the Gilmer Buckeyes as they procured the Class 3A Division 1 state championship.
The irresistible force, cloaked in the Gilmer offense's uniforms, poleaxed the purportedly immovable object, the Abilene Wylie Bulldogs' defense, on the strength of quarterback Darian "Stump" Godfrey's hoofing and heaving. Thus undefeated Gilmer buffaloed the Bulldogs, 43-26, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus.
Gilmer, which averaged more than 50 points per game in regular season, grasped the wheel even tighter than the final score showed, screaming to a 21-0 second quarter lead and never permitting Wylie to creep closer than 10 points afterward.
Although Godfrey had a savory swansong with two TD treks and two TD throws, Gilmer coach Jeff Traylor afterward hailed his defensive unit, which intercepted two of Wylie quarterback Matt Preston's aerial offerings.
"Everyone touted Wylie, which had surrendered an average of under 14 points per game, as having the 'number one defense,'" Traylor said, but "our defense was just so good tonight. We (had) thought our defense was pretty good, too."
Although the Buckeyes surrendered four TDs, one was scored by Wylie's defense -- and another came in the last 67 seconds, when the verdict was clearly in as the Bulldogs ended their campaign at 12-2.
After lauding his defense, Traylor was asked what his second state title meant compared to his first (in 2004). He replied, "I don't know ... It's been a fun 10 years (coaching his alma mater, where his record is 112-17)."
Saturday evening was certainly fun as the Buckeyes (15-0) witnessed Godfrey write finis to his 3-year reign as their field general with a bells-and-whistles performance, adding to his more-than-100 TD passes.
He completed 21 of 29 for 268 yards while dashing for 149 yards on 18 deliveries.
Gilmer ruled the first half with a ham-handed passing attack that left the Bulldog secondary in tatters, with the Buckeyes totting up a 24-7 lead at twirling time.
Gilmer opened fire swiftly, ingesting 79 yards in 11 plays to score on its opening possession after forcing a Wylie punt. Godfrey slipped a short pass to the left to Gus Osborne, who turned it into a 15-yard TD throw with exactly seven minutes left in the first quarter.
Adan Olivares airlifted the first of three straight PATs.
On their second possession after that, the Buckeyes rolled into Beulah Land again with a bizarre blast to polish off a 56-yard, 4-play offensive.
From the Wylie 29, Godfrey shipped a pass to Kedon Franklin, who snagged it only to fumble at the Bulldogs' 7. Teammate Caleb Denton alertly snatched up the pigskin and rumbled the remaining seven yards into the end zone for the strange score with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs were soon muzzled further when Gilmer's Luis Castro purloined Preston's pass at the Wylie 47. Overcoming a 10-yard penalty at one stage, the Buckeyes bustled to TD territory in six plays with Brandon Webb notching the score on a 1-yard trek.
The PAT left Gilmer up 21-0 with 8:12 left in the second quarter, but just when Wylie appeared nearly moribund, the Bulldog defense pulled a dandy.
Kolter Wright picked up Vance Green's fumble and thundered 28 yards for his team's only first-half TD. Austin Gray kicked the PAT with 5:33 left to the musical break.
However, Gilmer ended the half with Olivares pumping a 19-yard field goal as time expired.
Abilene finally activated its offense on its first possession in the second half, speeding 53 yards in six plays to score after a Gilmer punt.
Big bang in the TD trek was Preston's 35-yard airmail to Jon Miller, but the TD came on Preston's 3-yard toss to Joe Nasser. Gray pounded the PAT with 7:15 left in the third.
Down 24-14, Abilene Wylie never got as close again.
Gilmer soon detonated the dam despite being pinned on its 7-yard-line after the kickoff. Mainly via a 52-yard heave from Godfrey to Daniel McLarin, the Buckeyes whizzed 93 yards in only five plays to tally on Godfrey's 10-yard rumble.
After a high snap, Olivares's PAT try was wide with 6:01 remaining in the third.
Late in the third quarter, the Buckeyes began giving the ball to runner Marlon Granville, who hadn't carried before that. His fresh legs proved a plague to the Bulldog defense, as he delivered the pigskin on six of the Buckeyes' seven plays in a 64-yard scoring surge, notching the TD on a 2-yard burst.
Olivares rammed the PAT with 10:17 left in the clash.
But, once again lodged in a gaping hole, Wylie managed to partly extricate itself in winding 70 yards in only seven plays to tally on Preston's 4-yard lob to Gray. However, Preston's run for points failed with 8:30 remaining.
But, after a failed onside kick, Gilmer recouped that TD on Godfrey's 2-yard hike with 3:27 left. Olivares's kick was wide.
Abilene mustered a consolation TD with only 1:07 left as Preston tallied on a 1-yard keeper, but his pass for points failed.
