CasualObserver70

Drop out LE and add Van. As down as LE has been the last several years, this district got stronger. Region 3 is going to be a killer region with China Spring and La Vega going back down. I don’t know if that influenced the UIL to keep Carthage in region 2 or not, but 4A D2 just got tougher.

Pine Tree’s reward for dropping from 5A to 4A is to get thrown into this murderer’s row district! But I agree they could be a dark horse.

Great News Pine Tree! You moved down from 5A to 4A! Terrible News Pine Tree! You moved into the District with Kilgore, Lindale, and Chapel Hill!

To do list for the next 7 months: 1. Spend the next month basking in glory of Gilmer state championship 2. Watch college football playoffs and NFL playoffs while thinking about Gilmer's state championship 3. Rewatch all of the Gilmer games of 2023 and try to find the Gilmer-Bellville game without having to dish out any money to Bally's 4. Pull up great Gilmer victories from past seasons on youtube. 5. Start going to Gilmer Track Meets (could see a state championship repeat from last year?) 6. Start watching Gilmer 7 on 7. 7. Get ready for Gilmer 2 a days. I think I can make it thanks to William Greene He's got about 15 years of Gilmer football games on Youtube.

The Football season is over, and Duncanville has won another State Championship and Desoto has won another state championship, cementing them as the 2 best football programs in the state of Texas. However, I'm betting it won't as mean as much in Duncanville or Desoto as it will in Gunter, or Timpson, or Gilmer. Because the heart of small towns is their football team. Gilmer is like most small towns. It's a friendly, close-knit community, but it is still a very divided community. Divided by religion, culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomics. However, on a Friday night, everybody is a Buckeye. The bond to the Buckeyes goes beyond denomination, economics, race, and everything else in the community. But this is not just true on Friday night. It's true throughout the year. When unspeakable tragedy hit the Gilmer community, the football team rallied around the city and the city rallied around the football team. It was the selling of football shirts that helped provide for the families and pay for the services. It was to football coaches who were putting out extra seats at the funeral. It was the football players who loved on and surrounded a teammate. The whole town came together around the football team. It's why the emotional release was so huge on Friday. It's why Metzel spoke with tears in his interview. He wasn't a head coach talking about a game; he was a pastor, a mentor, and a community member talking about how young students became young men and carried the hopes and hurts of their town. It's why we love the Gilmer broadcasters: as homerish as they can be at times, they love the kids and know them personally. It just means more in a small town. I know the same could be said this year for Timpson and Terry Bussey. For these small towns, football becomes a reminder of what we can do and be when we put aside our differences and come together for a common goal. Hopefully, we can learn to move this from the football field and into our everyday actions with those in our community.

I actually think the same thing. The Carthage and PG offense was better than Bellville’s offense. Once Gilmer made 2nd half adjustments, they were able to shut Bellville down for the most part. That didn’t happen with Carthage or PG. As far as the closeness of the game, Tate had a clear TD if Tennison doesn’t under throw him for the interception, and Gilmer ended the game on the Bellville 9. I thought I heard someone say Bellville had punted twice all season. They punted 3 times in the second half last night. But most importantly I thought Gilmer was the tougher, more physical team. That was definitely not the narrative before the game.

Metzel has been to 3 state championships in 4 years as head coach. Knocked out last year by the eventual champion Carthage. More importantly, he has established a culture that permeates through the program. I know everyone likes to complain about the coach, but it’s hard to argue with that kind of success.

Thanks for the props! So here it is: 1. Gilmer was +1 in the turnover battle, and that was the difference in the game. 2. That being said, Gilmer took a knee inside the 10 to end the game. If Bellville kicks the field goal (instead of the interception) who’s to say Gilmer doesn’t win yet another game this year on another game ending field goal? 3. I’m not sure if Henderson is the best Buckeye of all time. I think I might still give that to Stump or Kris Boyd. But this was the best individual season of any Buckeye ever. Routinely got hard yards after first contact. 4. Gilmer Defense. Wow. Best showing of the year. And that side of the ball is pretty young for Gilmer. Ditto about Gilmer Dline being a beast next season. 5. This was supposed to be a showdown between the speed of Gilmer and the strength of Belleville. But Gilmer was the more physical team almost all night long. 6. 99 was a great player, but not a game wrecker. He made some plays, but Gilmer did a good job of running away from him or allowing him to overrun the play and take himself out of the action. He didn’t have near the impact on the game as Mack did in that 2014 game. This was just a great season and a great group of kids for Gilmer. The team and the entire community came together. I could do a whole different post on Gilmer, state championships, and tragedy. Football season is over, but loving and supporting these kids will continue. Hopefully this helped some small way in the healing process.

You can say that again. Most miserable I think I’ve ever been at a football game. There was no way to stop the wind from cutting through everything you were wearing.

I will give 3 possibilities to this game based on previous State Championship games the Buckeyes have been in: 1) 2007 vs. Liberty Hill. Liberty Hill ran the Wing T, and it's motion, reverses, misdirection, and trap plays gave the Gilmer defense fits. But the key to the game was the Liberty Hill Defense: It totally (along with the 50 mph wind) shut down the Gilmer passing game, and the game was never close. It that's the case this year, with Bellville defense being able to shut down Gilmer offense, I see a similar result. 2) 2004 vs. Jasper. Both teams had explosive offenses, Gilmer with the pass and Jasper with the weird snap it to any of 3 people option they ran. Both teams relied on big plays from the defense to get key stops, but both teams really couldn't stop the other team most of the game. If that happens, this game will be a shootout with the team making the fewest turnovers winning. 3) 2014 vs. WOS. West Orange Stark came in with a good offense and a GREAT defense. Gilmer struggled throughout the 1st half but finally figured some things out on defense and let their athletes be athletes on offense and outsored WOS 28-0 in the 2nd half for the championship. If that's the case, the key to the game will be making key defensive adjustments and getting the ball to Henderson, Tate, Webb, and Noble. I think the most likely scenario is 2007 or 2014. Bellville might have one of the best defensive players in the state, but does that make it one of the best defenses? I don't know. But Gilmer has not been totally stopped by even great Defenses: They've been able to score on Kilgore, Carthage, and PG. Can they score on Bellville? Can they get some key stops against the Wing T? I can't answer that. I'm looking forward to Friday, and I'll be cheering like crazy for the Buckeyes.

Go on YouTube and search Official Gilmer Buckeyes

Ok, a few quick observations: 1. As mentioned earlier, GR had no answer for Gilmer running game. Great game by the Oline. 2. The GR passing game was legit. Lots of crossing routes that created natural runs, they would flood the zone and find the open receiver (#3 Usually) and their wide receiver screens were well executed. But they just made a few too many mistakes. 3. This game reminded me of some Gilmer teams from the past: they scored in bunches. This was a 14-7 game and the next thing you know it’s 42-7. 4. Got to agree with MetalHead about the 4th quarter. GR could have decided to run the ball and the clock (the refs were every time they had the chance.). But they kept throwing and that led to the 2 late TDs. 5. I don’t think GR had seen a team with this kind of speed, or anything close to this type of speed, all year. And not just Henderson. Every Gilmer player when he was in the open looked like he was going to go for 7. Great win Buckeyes!! Now go get that ring!!

79-42 final. Glen Rose had no answer to the Gilmer running game. I’m guessing Gilmer had 500+ rushing yards.

Gilmer played excellent for the first 16 minutes of the game. Unfortunately for Gilmer, there is no such thing as a safe lead with this defense, and the Glen Rose screen game is brutally effective. Gilmer will have to keep their foot on the gas the entire second half.

Congratulations to Timpson!! Go win it all now!!