Gilmer

Mascot: Buckeyes

Colors: Orange & Black

District: 17-3A

Enrollment: 701

Record: 14-0

Head Coach: Jeff Traylor (112-17 in 10 seasons at Gilmer)

Did you know? Jeff Traylor was an assistant coach at Big Sandy and Jacksonville before becoming Gilmer head coach.

Gilmer Buckeyes 2009 Season Results

Aug. 28 Jasper @ Nacogdoches, won: 42-14

The Buckeyes started the 2009 season with a trip to Homer Bryce Stadium on the SFA campus and came away with an impressive 42-14 victory over Jasper. Leading only 8-7 at the half, the Buckeyes erupted for 328 yards and 34 points after intermission.

Sep. 3 Rains @ Tyler, won 76-12

The Buckeyes made their annual trek to TMF Rose Stadium play in the Trinity Mother Frances Football Classic against a former district opponent. QB Stump Godfrey passed for 291 yards in only 17 attempts, completing 14 of them as Gilmer cruised to a 76-12 win after amassing a 48-0 halftime lead.

Sep. 11 @ Texarkana Liberty-Eylau, won 35-17

The Buckeyes trailed 17-9 as late as the third quarter, but finished strong. Stump Godfrey ran for three touchdowns, but the key play was his screen pass to Tristan Holt, who broke it for a 68-yard score, giving Gilmer a commanding 28-17 lead with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

Sep. 18 Kilgore, won 70-27

The 2009 motto “Code Red” was partially based on avenging Gilmer’s two losses in 2008 to teams featuring the color red and this was one of them. The Buckeyes stunned the 4A school by scoring on nine of their first 10 possessions before a standing-room only crowd of 5,000 for Homecoming.

Sep. 25 Daingerfield, won 43-20

In a game that pitted the state’s No. 1-ranked Class 3A and 2A teams against each other, Stump Godfrey passed for 279 yards to surpass 9,000 in his career as the Buckeyes closed out their predistrict schedule with a record of 5-0.

Oct. 9 @ Bullard, won 71-0

The Buckeyes began District 17-3A play on the road and cruised to their largest margin of victory since 1930. Gilmer’s Black Flag Defense held the Panthers to -7 on the ground and 77 total yards.

Oct. 16 Tyler Chapel Hill, won 45-7

Gilmer jumped out to a 28-0 lead by early in the second quarter and coasted to victory. Stump Godfrey passed for 283 yards and three TDs, crediting his receivers for making him look good during the Yamboree.

Oct. 23 @ Longview Spring Hill, won 66-14

Stump Godfrey celebrated his 18th birthday in style by passing for three TDs, becoming only the ninth QB in Texas high school history to pass for 100 TDs in his career. The Buckeyes scored 49 points in the first half.

Oct. 30 @ Gladewater, won 67-12

Tristan Holt scored on a 55-yard screen pass on the Buckeyes’ opening possession, setting the tone for another high-scoring win. The score after just one quarter of play was 32-12.

Nov. 6 Tatum, won 39-20

The Buckeyes jumped out to a 31-0 lead and wound up with the win to close out a perfect 10-0 regular season and a ninth consecutive undefeated district title. Tatum had the ball for about five times longer than Gilmer, frustrating the team’s quest to break its own state regular season scoring record.

Nov. 14 Jasper @ Tyler, won 57-21

“Code Red” failed to materialize for the second opponent as Chapel Hill missed the playoffs by a single point and Gilmer went into Division I, preventing a rematch with Division II “Red” Carthage. The first round was a rematch with Jasper, this time at TMF Rose Stadium. Gus Osborne, injured for much of the season, returned to run for 152 yards and three TDs as the Buckeyes seniors destroyed any supposed bi-district jinx from being ranked No. 1 all season.

Nov. 21 Waco La Vega @ Mesquite, won 44-16

The Pirates played the Buckeyes to a 3-3 tie for one quarter at Memorial Stadium, but after that, it was all Gilmer. Despite throwing no TD passes for only the second time in 41 games as starter, Stump Godfrey was pleased with the win and his coach, Jeff Traylor, said that winning was always his QB’s top priority.

Nov. 28 Navasota @ Lufkin, won 42-35

The Rattlers gave the Buckeyes a severe test as Gilmer came back to tie the game up right before halftime, 28-28. Halftime adjustments, though, worked in mostly shutting down Rattler QB Kye Hildreth’s high-octane offense. The Buckeyes lost Tristan Holt to an ankle injury after one quarter. Gus Osborne didn’t play at all and Vance Green was not healthy, but Marlon Granville took up the slack, running for most of the yardage on a time-consuming, game-clinching TD drive which came about after DB Ben Griffith had made a brilliant stop on 4th-and-5 on Navasota’s Thomas Sweed.

Dec. 5 Cuero @ Huntsville, won 42-36

The Buckeyes have played in a lot of exciting games over the last decade, but this one at Bowers Stadium on the campus of Sam Houston State University ranked with the best of them. Cuero jumped out to leads of 13-0 and 20-7, taking advantage of three Gilmer turnovers. At halftime, it was 27-21 in favor of the Gobblers, only the second time all year the Buckeyes had trailed at the half. But Stump Godfrey willed his team to victory in the second half, running for five TDs in all and passing for the other one. The Black Flag Defense came up big after Godfrey’s 68-yard TD run late in the game gave Gilmer a precarious lead, bending but not breaking as it held the Gobblers on downs at the Gilmer 5.

Dec. 12 Abilene Wylie @ University Park, won 43-26

In the Class 3A Division I state championship game at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University, Gilmer jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Wylie seemingly before the Bulldogs realized what had hit them. The game at first resembled a semifinal matchup at Texas Stadium against Snyder, a team in Wylie’s district, during the Buckeyes’ run to their first state title in 2004 (a 53-20 Gilmer rout), but Wylie closed the gap to only 24-14 midway through the third quarter. However, Stump Godfrey continued to be a man on a mission, passing for 295 yards and a TD and rushing for 148 more and two TDs. The Black Flag Defense proved the adage “defense wins championships” by stifling Wylie QB Matt Preston and his multiple offense most of the night. After University Interscholastic League officials awarded Gilmer the trophy after the game, Godfrey held the plaque up high for all to see. A few moments later he was heard to be on another mission. “Mrs. Camp! Mrs. Camp! Where’s Mrs. Camp,” Godfrey called out, amongst the hysteria. “Where is she?!” Finally, he found Diedra Camp, the widow of Buckeyes play-by-play man Matt Camp. “This is for you, Mrs. Camp,” Godfrey said, lowering the trophy from over his head and extending it toward her. “This is all for you.” Eyes watered as the two embraced in a heart-felt hug of gratitude, surrounded by the applause of Buckeye fans that knew the significance of the scene. (Thanks to Buck Cargal of HuddleUpTexas.com for his poignant description.)