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Gilmer vs. Graham. State semi-final in Prosper Friday @ 7:00


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7 hours ago, d0tc0m said:

This has potential to be a great game.

Graham will not be intimidated by Gilmer. The Steers play very hard and their senior-heavy group has a lot of heart. And those seniors literally needed a miracle to keep their season alive last week against Celina. That might have shook them a bit and have given rise to just a bit more focus and edge leading up to this matchup with Gilmer.

The Steers also have plenty of speed — not to the degree of Gilmer, of course, but enough that they can run with the Buckeyes. Graham's defense, especially, has really nice closing speed. You'll be impressed with No. 20, along with their slightly-undersized but speedy defensive line. The LBs are all really good too. They fly to the football, fill gaps quickly and they're all sure tacklers.

Now, that said, the Buckeyes are going to have offensive sets that Graham, quite literally, has not seen this season. Until playing Celina last week, to my knowledge, Graham had not seen anything more than a two-receiver set all season. Celina threw multiple sets at the Steers a week ago, trips, twins, bunch, diamond, double-tight, unbalanced, etc. Graham adapted well, BUT, Celina's play calling is not anything like Gilmer's, so the Steers are going to have to make some adjustments on the fly and figure out how to chew up that green grass in a hurry, because Gilmer's got some dudes that can turn it on as soon as they have the football in their hands.

The Bobcats had some really good receivers (and a couple other good ones that were injured) but we do/did not have the Fluellen's. Those boys are difference makers and they will create some matchup problems for the Steers. I would also say Gilmer's RBs are much more polished than Celina's trio of sophomores, and that will pay dividends. There were times when Celina's RBs had some space, but those sophomores just aren't seasoned enough to know when to be patient and when to put a foot in the ground and explode. It was very evident watching them go up against Graham's senior LBs. Gilmer's running game, I think, will have some success.

Here's the kicker, though. Even if Graham's defense can shut down those passing lanes, even if they can contain the rushing attack, you still have to deal with Tennison, and the Steers don't have anyone that can run with him. Again, Celina's sophomore QB had some success running the football. He's not slow, but he's not going to burn you. But he was able to pick up chunks of yards when he needed to. Tennison is much more seasoned and much more athletic. I think Celina's QB (Noah Bentley) will be a better QB overall than Tennison by his senior year, but that's irrelevant to this game. Tennison has grown tremendously from what I've seen, and he's learned he doesn't have to press the issue, because of how well he can run the football. He's learned he can use his legs, pick up a first down and live to see another set of downs. He will be a big-time problem for Graham.

Now, offensively, Graham has some guys that are not going to blow you away, but they're just good football players. The obvious one is Daniel Gilbertson at RB. Not a burner, but not so slow that you can take him lightly. Runs extremely hard. Tough to bring down on first contact. Good pass-catcher out of the backfield. Reagan Carter at TE/WR is another one to watch. Big, big kid. Physical and has good hands in space. Now, Celina completely shut him down apart from one catch — which just happened to be the only offensive TD the Steers scored against the Bobcats. Matt Lindquist and Tre Alvarez (No. 4, most impressive to me) are other ones to watch. Alvarez is the one who somehow pulled down the miracle throw-and-catch last week to Save Graham's season. Lanham at QB is decent. Big kid. Strong arm. Mostly accurate. But he cannot do much with his legs and he's not going to be the one who beats Gilmer.

Last week, Gilbertson had one good drive against the Bobcats. We came out in a three-man front to try and get an extra body in space against those Steers receivers, and Gilbertson made some hay. But that was the only drive. We moved to a four-man front after that, and our receivers held up really well against Graham's receivers, and we shut down Gilbertson after that. So much so, they moved him out of the backfield and to receiver to try and get him in some open space. He had some big catches, but he's much more effective running the football. It was very evident that Gilberston was not used to getting stopped and popped hard like he was a couple of times. He bounced right back up, but he began running more tentatively after his first drive. If Gilmer is able to bottle him up, it could make for a tough night for the Steers.

Now, having watched Gilmer play several times this year (some big games some not so big) and having watched Celina play all their games, I would take Celina's defense over the Buckeyes right now. That will draw some laughs I'm sure, and possibly some ire from the Buckeye faithful, but I mean no disrespect. Gilmer's defense has a slight edge in speed over the Bobcats, but it's not as much as the folks from East Texas probably think. And I would say Celina's front and LBs are a bit ahead of Gilmer's. The Buckeyes defense — like Celina's was — has been getting progressively better and has been peaking in the playoffs. Celina's defense held the Steers to just one offensive touchdown. The other score came on the opening kickoff. The rest were just field goals, most of which were the result of a turnover or the Bobcats handing Graham good field position. I say that, because I think Gilmer's defense has the capability to similarly limit Graham.


On paper, hard to go against Gilmer. In my head, having seen both teams, it's hard to go against Gilmer. But my gosh, Graham just plays so hard and physical, and has as much heart as I've seen from a team in a long time, that it feels sketchy to pick against them. And like I said, last week's scare might just have shown those seniors how quickly it can end. Perhaps it woke them up a bit more. Gave them the added boost they'll need against Gilmer.

If Graham can keep this game from getting blown open in the first quarter and a half, then watch out. You don't want the Steers to be within a breath of the game down the stretch. Their kicker is MONEY from waaaaay out. I mean, MONEY, and the offense is just efficient enough to be able to give that kid a chance a lot of times. But if Gilmer jumps out early and busts a couple of really long scoring plays, like they have the tendency to do, then it could completely break Graham's back and this one could get out of reach for the Steers.


In the end, I like Gilmer on the account of their sheer athleticism. I think it makes a difference this week. I'll take the Buckeyes by 14. But I'd be thrilled to see the Steers pull it off and serve me some crow. These are two great programs and you guys will have a lot of fun tomorrow night. Graham is a classy bunch. Gilmer is electric. State title appearance is on the line. What more could you ask for? Good luck to both teams! I hope it's a good, clean, hard-fought game that ends with both sides exhausted and no doubt about the final score.

Y'all be safe traveling to Prosper tomorrow!
 

Wasnt Celina like 5-5 before their loss to Graham, and you wont to compare Gilmer to Celina?? Gilmer will make their share of mistakes, but they are very explosive, and very talented, and their front 7 on D aint bad, I dont see Graham running the ball and keeping it close, they'll have to pass, to keep it close, Gilmers offense, will make its share of mistakesa aswell, but, they have talent to burn, and can hurt you from alot of angles, they have definitely evolved into an offense thats very hard to stop, all of us are hoping for a good game, especially this late in the playoffs, I think Graham may keep it close till the half, then its all Gilmer going down the stretch...Gilmer 48-21

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28 minutes ago, GTownballer said:

Wasnt Celina like 5-5 before their loss to Graham, and you wont to compare Gilmer to Celina?? Gilmer will make their share of mistakes, but they are very explosive, and very talented, and their front 7 on D aint bad, I dont see Graham running the ball and keeping it close, they'll have to pass, to keep it close, Gilmers offense, will make its share of mistakesa aswell, but, they have talent to burn, and can hurt you from alot of angles, they have definitely evolved into an offense thats very hard to stop, all of us are hoping for a good game, especially this late in the playoffs, I think Graham may keep it close till the half, then its all Gilmer going down the stretch...Gilmer 48-21

I mean yeah I compared Celina and Gilmer because I’ve seen both teams many times this season and I’m sensible enough to not put too much stock into records. I wouldn’t have compared Celina and Gilmer in, say, week 3 or 4, but yeah, at this point in the season, especially when we were a breath away from playing each other tomorrow night, I can make that comparison.

Like I said, no disrespect towards Gilmer in my comments at all. They’re a great team. I picked them to win lol. I was just giving some in-depth analysis from having watched both teams, and then having watched Celina play Graham, and understanding the matchups and schemes and overarching game philosophies of the teams involved.

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27 minutes ago, d0tc0m said:

I mean yeah I compared Celina and Gilmer because I’ve seen both teams many times this season and I’m sensible enough to not put too much stock into records. I wouldn’t have compared Celina and Gilmer in, say, week 3 or 4, but yeah, at this point in the season, especially when we were a breath away from playing each other tomorrow night, I can make that comparison.

Like I said, no disrespect towards Gilmer in my comments at all. They’re a great team. I picked them to win lol. I was just giving some in-depth analysis from having watched both teams, and then having watched Celina play Graham, and understanding the matchups and schemes and overarching game philosophies of the teams involved.

Again we are hoping for a great football game, and no disrespect your way either, but we have had some history with Celina, and Graham, and I dont think any have been close....I think we handed Celina their worst playoff loss, in school history, in 2014, this offense has the same explosive capabilities, again lets hope for a great playoff game!

 

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14 minutes ago, GTownballer said:

Again we are hoping for a great football game, and no disrespect your way either, but we have had some history with Celina, and Graham, and I dont think any have been close....I think we handed Celina their worst playoff loss, in school history, in 2014, this offense has the same explosive capabilities, again lets hope for a great playoff game!

 

Lol oh I’m well aware of Celina’s history with Gilmer! I was playing when we matched up with y’all the first time in 2003. That Gilmer team was really good, but just then figuring out how to win. That worked out for them a year later, of course.

Now, 2014 was something else. Gilmer was unbelievable that year, no question, but they weren’t THAT much better than the Bobcats. Celina imploded early in the 1st quarter, and as our announcer said, talking about that very game during last week’s broadcast, it turned into “the biggest nerf game ever.” If Celina had played their absolute best and cleanest game that season ... I still think Gilmer would’ve won by a couple TDs. But it wouldn’t have been as abysmal or comical as it turned out. The Bobcats got back on top the following year.

I have no doubts this Gilmer team is great. They’re fun to watch. Actually the most entertaining Gilmer squad I’ve seen since Traylor’s departure. Metzel seems like a much better fit than his predecessor, to be honest. But this Buckeyes group isn’t anywhere near that 2014 team. They’ve got some dudes, there’s no question, but they don’t have THOSE dudes lol.

If all else holds equal and this is a clean, fairly mistake-free game by both sides, and there’s no controversy, I’ll stick with my Gilmer-by-14 pick. If Graham makes even just a slip-up or two, I’ll take Buckeyes by 3-4 TDs. If Gilmer plays sloppy, or flat, or makes a bunch of mistakes, itll make the Buckeye faithful jumpy down the stretch. I promise you, you do not want to let Graham go into halftime believing they’ve got a shot.

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If you watched the Graham/Celina game, you would have noticed that Celina was only a shell of its past. The only reason I knew who was playing was seeing those putrid orange uniforms.   If Graham had not run the opening kickoff back for touchdown, I believe there would have been a different outcome.  That game was a hard to watch.  If Graham has any chance, it will be FAKE NEWS that comes to there aid. 

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46 minutes ago, BringBacktheVEER said:

If you watched the Graham/Celina game, you would have noticed that Celina was only a shell of its past.

Just curious, but what do you mean?

Also, I agree with your other assessment. If not for that opening kickoff, we'd be talking about Celina vs Gilmer tonight.

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8 minutes ago, SHillBuckeye said:

Question for Celina Fans. I saw an interview and it was stated Graham runs the 10-1 defense that Celina runs. Is this true? 

 

I didn't see them in a true 10-1, nor did I see them in a 10-1 Special or really any true variant.

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You really don't see anybody run a true 10-1 or Special anymore. Celina hardly ever runs it anymore, even. Aaron Ford is our defensive coordinator, son of Butch Ford, who developed the defense with G.A. Moore way back in the prehistoric days. Those men won a whole bunch of ball games and state championships between Celina and Pilot Point. But by-and-large, the 10-1 isn't designed for modern offenses.

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6 minutes ago, d0tc0m said:

You really don't see anybody run a true 10-1 or Special anymore. Celina hardly ever runs it anymore, even. Aaron Ford is our defensive coordinator, son of Butch Ford, who developed the defense with G.A. Moore way back in the prehistoric days. Those men won a whole bunch of ball games and state championships between Celina and Pilot Point. But by-and-large, the 10-1 isn't designed for modern offenses.

Thanks for the information. I wouldn’t think that 10-1 defense would work out too well today. 

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On 12/10/2020 at 8:24 AM, d0tc0m said:

This has potential to be a great game.

Graham will not be intimidated by Gilmer. The Steers play very hard and their senior-heavy group has a lot of heart. And those seniors literally needed a miracle to keep their season alive last week against Celina. That might have shook them a bit and have given rise to just a bit more focus and edge leading up to this matchup with Gilmer.

The Steers also have plenty of speed — not to the degree of Gilmer, of course, but enough that they can run with the Buckeyes. Graham's defense, especially, has really nice closing speed. You'll be impressed with No. 20, along with their slightly-undersized but speedy defensive line. The LBs are all really good too. They fly to the football, fill gaps quickly and they're all sure tacklers.

Now, that said, the Buckeyes are going to have offensive sets that Graham, quite literally, has not seen this season. Until playing Celina last week, to my knowledge, Graham had not seen anything more than a two-receiver set all season. Celina threw multiple sets at the Steers a week ago, trips, twins, bunch, diamond, double-tight, unbalanced, etc. Graham adapted well, BUT, Celina's play calling is not anything like Gilmer's, so the Steers are going to have to make some adjustments on the fly and figure out how to chew up that green grass in a hurry, because Gilmer's got some dudes that can turn it on as soon as they have the football in their hands.

The Bobcats had some really good receivers (and a couple other good ones that were injured) but we do/did not have the Fluellen's. Those boys are difference makers and they will create some matchup problems for the Steers. I would also say Gilmer's RBs are much more polished than Celina's trio of sophomores, and that will pay dividends. There were times when Celina's RBs had some space, but those sophomores just aren't seasoned enough to know when to be patient and when to put a foot in the ground and explode. It was very evident watching them go up against Graham's senior LBs. Gilmer's running game, I think, will have some success.

Here's the kicker, though. Even if Graham's defense can shut down those passing lanes, even if they can contain the rushing attack, you still have to deal with Tennison, and the Steers don't have anyone that can run with him. Again, Celina's sophomore QB had some success running the football. He's not slow, but he's not going to burn you. But he was able to pick up chunks of yards when he needed to. Tennison is much more seasoned and much more athletic. I think Celina's QB (Noah Bentley) will be a better QB overall than Tennison by his senior year, but that's irrelevant to this game. Tennison has grown tremendously from what I've seen, and he's learned he doesn't have to press the issue, because of how well he can run the football. He's learned he can use his legs, pick up a first down and live to see another set of downs. He will be a big-time problem for Graham.

Now, offensively, Graham has some guys that are not going to blow you away, but they're just good football players. The obvious one is Daniel Gilbertson at RB. Not a burner, but not so slow that you can take him lightly. Runs extremely hard. Tough to bring down on first contact. Good pass-catcher out of the backfield. Reagan Carter at TE/WR is another one to watch. Big, big kid. Physical and has good hands in space. Now, Celina completely shut him down apart from one catch — which just happened to be the only offensive TD the Steers scored against the Bobcats. Matt Lindquist and Tre Alvarez (No. 4, most impressive to me) are other ones to watch. Alvarez is the one who somehow pulled down the miracle throw-and-catch last week to Save Graham's season. Lanham at QB is decent. Big kid. Strong arm. Mostly accurate. But he cannot do much with his legs and he's not going to be the one who beats Gilmer.

Last week, Gilbertson had one good drive against the Bobcats. We came out in a three-man front to try and get an extra body in space against those Steers receivers, and Gilbertson made some hay. But that was the only drive. We moved to a four-man front after that, and our receivers held up really well against Graham's receivers, and we shut down Gilbertson after that. So much so, they moved him out of the backfield and to receiver to try and get him in some open space. He had some big catches, but he's much more effective running the football. It was very evident that Gilberston was not used to getting stopped and popped hard like he was a couple of times. He bounced right back up, but he began running more tentatively after his first drive. If Gilmer is able to bottle him up, it could make for a tough night for the Steers.

Now, having watched Gilmer play several times this year (some big games some not so big) and having watched Celina play all their games, I would take Celina's defense over the Buckeyes right now. That will draw some laughs I'm sure, and possibly some ire from the Buckeye faithful, but I mean no disrespect. Gilmer's defense has a slight edge in speed over the Bobcats, but it's not as much as the folks from East Texas probably think. And I would say Celina's front and LBs are a bit ahead of Gilmer's. The Buckeyes defense — like Celina's was — has been getting progressively better and has been peaking in the playoffs. Celina's defense held the Steers to just one offensive touchdown. The other score came on the opening kickoff. The rest were just field goals, most of which were the result of a turnover or the Bobcats handing Graham good field position. I say that, because I think Gilmer's defense has the capability to similarly limit Graham.


On paper, hard to go against Gilmer. In my head, having seen both teams, it's hard to go against Gilmer. But my gosh, Graham just plays so hard and physical, and has as much heart as I've seen from a team in a long time, that it feels sketchy to pick against them. And like I said, last week's scare might just have shown those seniors how quickly it can end. Perhaps it woke them up a bit more. Gave them the added boost they'll need against Gilmer.

If Graham can keep this game from getting blown open in the first quarter and a half, then watch out. You don't want the Steers to be within a breath of the game down the stretch. Their kicker is MONEY from waaaaay out. I mean, MONEY, and the offense is just efficient enough to be able to give that kid a chance a lot of times. But if Gilmer jumps out early and busts a couple of really long scoring plays, like they have the tendency to do, then it could completely break Graham's back and this one could get out of reach for the Steers.


In the end, I like Gilmer on the account of their sheer athleticism. I think it makes a difference this week. I'll take the Buckeyes by 14. But I'd be thrilled to see the Steers pull it off and serve me some crow. These are two great programs and you guys will have a lot of fun tomorrow night. Graham is a classy bunch. Gilmer is electric. State title appearance is on the line. What more could you ask for? Good luck to both teams! I hope it's a good, clean, hard-fought game that ends with both sides exhausted and no doubt about the final score.

Y'all be safe traveling to Prosper tomorrow!
 

not sure you know this..thats just the second game for the running back,he was on jv and is a sophmore,are starting running back has been out since early in the second round of the playoffs

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10 minutes ago, sumitstock said:

not sure you know this..thats just the second game for the running back,he was on jv and is a sophmore,are starting running back has been out since early in the second round of the playoffs

You talking about Gilmer's RB?

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