Joe Dodd: 2026 Gilmer at Pine Tree Game Info & Notes

GILMER at LONGVIEW PINE TREE

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026 • Pirate Stadium • Longview, Texas • 7:30 p.m.

GILMER BUCKEYES	LONGVIEW PINE TREE PIRATES
Class 4A Division II • District 8	Class 4A Division I • District 8
2025: 4-7 overall, 3-2 district	2025: 8-5 overall, 4-2 district
Head Coach: Alan Metzel • 7th season • 64-19	Head Coach: Jason Bachman • 5th season • 26-20
Enrollment: 878.5	Enrollment: 1,266.5

GAME SITE

• Pirate Stadium opened in 2013 and has a listed capacity of 6,429 with an artificial playing surface.
• Gilmer is 4-0 at Pirate Stadium since it opened: Pittsburg 48-0 in the 2013 area playoffs, Pine Tree 68-20 in 2014, Atlanta 24-15 in the 2015 regional final and Pine Tree 41-25 in 2025.
• This is the season opener for both teams and a non-district game.

TONIGHT’S MAIN STORYLINES

• The matchup is essentially even on paper. PigskinPrep.com rates Gilmer at 163.95 and Pine Tree at 160.91; adding its three-point home-field adjustment gives Pine Tree a 163.91 game rating.
• Gilmer enters 2026 ranked No. 9 in Class 4A Division II by PigskinPrep.com. Pine Tree is No. 13 in Class 4A Division I.
• Both teams return the quarterbacks who started this matchup a year ago: Gilmer senior Zade Taylor and Pine Tree senior Colton Croft.
• Pine Tree has reached the playoffs three straight seasons and is coming off an 8-5 regional-semifinal season. Gilmer is trying to rebound from a 4-7 season, only its second losing season since 1996.
• Gilmer’s 2026 team-selected motto is “All In.”

LONGVIEW PINE TREE — 2026 SNAPSHOT

• Head coach Jason Bachman enters his fifth season. Pine Tree went 10-2 in 2024 and 8-5 in 2025, giving the Pirates 18 wins over the past two seasons.
• The Pirates advanced three rounds in 2025, defeating Lumberton 35-0 and Houston Yates 35-27 before a 48-10 loss to Fort Bend Crawford.
• Pine Tree returns six offensive starters and five defensive starters, with 19 returning lettermen listed by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
• The Pirates’ 2026 district includes Bullard, Henderson, Jacksonville, Kilgore, Lindale, Palestine and Tyler Chapel Hill.

PINE TREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• QB Colton Croft, Sr. (6-4, 215): threw for 2,369 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2025. He is one of the key reasons Pine Tree enters 2026 with continuity on offense.
• DB/WR Bosston Johnson: one of Pine Tree’s top two-way athletes and a returning playmaker. He caught 46 passes for 835 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025.
• RB/LB Ja’Karius Timmons: rushed for 708 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025.
• DB/WR Desmond Williams and DB/WR Rashaad Wofford give Pine Tree additional athleticism on the perimeter.
• DL/FB Bryk Bratton and DL Derek Kalulu are among the top juniors, while WR/LB D’ayden Ingram is a sophomore to watch.

GILMER — 2026 SNAPSHOT

• Gilmer finished 4-7 in 2025, only the program’s second losing season since 1996. The Buckeyes nevertheless reached the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season.
• The 57-49 bi-district loss to Athens marked the second consecutive season Gilmer failed to reach at least the third round. Gilmer’s 17-year streak of reaching at least the third round ran from 2007 through 2023 and ended with a second-round loss to Sunnyvale in 2024.
• Alan Metzel’s first four Gilmer teams went 52-8, reached three state championship games and won the 2023 Class 4A Division II state championship. Gilmer is 12-11 over the past two seasons.
• Gilmer returns considerably more varsity experience than it had a year ago after injuries forced numerous younger players into expanded roles during 2025.
• Metzel called the 2026 schedule the toughest Gilmer has played in roughly 25 years. Gilmer’s five non-district opponents went a combined 49-16 in 2025.
• The Buckeyes’ two preseason scrimmages came against Class 4A Division I opponents Lindale and Henderson. Gilmer held a 392-213 total-offense advantage against Lindale.

GILMER OFFENSIVE PERSONNEL

• QB Zade Taylor, Sr.: completed 151 of 249 passes for 2,155 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2025 while rushing for 660 yards and seven scores. He accounted for 2,815 yards of offense and 29 touchdowns.
• RB/LB Tayveon Horne, Jr.: rushed for 991 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025 and caught 21 passes for 184 yards and another score.
• WR/OLB Kipton Neighbors, Jr., a move-in from Mineola: as a sophomore in 2025 he passed for 904 yards, rushed for 1,333, caught 303 receiving yards and accounted for 29 touchdowns.
• Freshman WR/S Kaden Canady opens the season listed with the first unit at receiver. He scored 25 touchdowns on 47 touches in junior high and is also a nationally regarded baseball prospect.
• Sophomore WR/CB Landon Wallace, a move-in from Jacksonville, scored on a 66-yard run in the Henderson scrimmage.
• Senior QB/ATH Jaxon Jenkins gives Gilmer experienced quarterback depth. As a sophomore at Collinsville in 2024 he threw for 3,517 yards and 38 touchdowns and rushed for 1,156 yards and 18 scores.

GILMER OFFENSIVE LINE / ISMAEL CAMARA

• Senior Ismael Camara (6-7, about 343) is committed to the University of Texas and is one of the nation’s most highly regarded offensive line prospects.
• Gilmer plans to use Camara beyond tackle, including fullback, tight end and defensive line, allowing the Buckeyes to move him to the point of attack. He is listed as the starting fullback on the opening two-deep.
• The first offensive-line unit includes Rashaad Buchanan, Van Songer, Eduardo Lara, Justice Byrd and Paxton Tyeskie. Buchanan is a three-year starter.

GILMER DEFENSIVE PERSONNEL

• Amare Garrett returns as an experienced two-way player after recording 68 tackles in 2025.
• Aaden Borelly-Brown, a junior move-in from Royse City, recorded 18 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five sacks and seven quarterback pressures last season while also forcing a fumble, recovering another and blocking a punt.
• Gilmer expects to rotate heavily along the defensive front, with as many as nine or 10 players potentially seeing action.
• The opening secondary includes Avian Phillips, Jerzyri Johnson, Aiden Thomas and Judson Dorsett with the first unit.
• Other defenders who drew preseason praise include Ryan Blume, Aryan Iley, Ayden Brown, Davion King, Austin Blakeley, Mayson McDonald, Zaylen Johnson and Tayveon Horne.

2025 MEETING — GILMER 41, PINE TREE 25

• Gilmer won last year’s opener at Pirate Stadium 41-25 after Pine Tree had closed within 19-17.
• Atavian Ector returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Zaylen Johnson recovered a live ball near the sideline, and three plays later Tayveon Horne scored to make it 34-17.
• Korey Lee returned a blocked Pine Tree field-goal attempt 80 yards for a touchdown late in the first half.
• Horne rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Taylor passed for 136 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 76 yards and another score.
• Pine Tree’s Roger Attaway rushed for 176 yards. Croft threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Rashaad Wofford.

SERIES HISTORY

• First meeting: 1941 — Gilmer 13, Pine Tree 0.
• Last meeting: 2025 — Gilmer 41, Pine Tree 25.
• Series record: tied 18-18-1.
• Gilmer has won eight of the 10 meetings since 2000.

ALL-TIME GILMER–PINE TREE SCORES

1941 Gilmer 13-0	1951 PT 34-12	1952 Gilmer 18-6
1954 Gilmer 8-7	1955 PT 7-6	1956 Tie 7-7
1957 Gilmer 25-2	1958 Gilmer 20-0	1959 Gilmer 26-7
1960 Gilmer 28-15	1961 Gilmer 22-6	1962 PT 30-0
1963 PT 20-6	1964 PT 21-16	1965 PT 41-7
1966 PT 15-13	1967 PT 50-0	1968 PT 28-6
1971 PT 34-0	1972 PT 15-6	1973 Gilmer 16-15
1974 PT 21-6	1975 PT 14-8	1996 Gilmer 14-7
1997 PT 24-7	1998 PT 49-27	1999 PT 16-6
2000 Gilmer 6-2	2001 Gilmer 17-14	2002 PT 14-7
2003 Gilmer 29-6	2004 Gilmer 48-7	2005 Gilmer 45-16
2014 Gilmer 68-20	2015 Gilmer 35-19	2024 PT 22-15
2025 Gilmer 41-25

GILMER HISTORICAL NOTES

• Gilmer began playing football in 1914 and has never had a winless season.
• Based on the current all-time results, the 2026 Pine Tree opener will be Gilmer’s 1,207th represented game.
• The Buckeyes have won four state championships — 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2023 — and have appeared in nine state championship games.
• Gilmer is one of the relatively small group of Texas programs with at least 100 playoff victories.
• The current master lists Gilmer at 102-35-1 in playoff games and 363-189-18 in district games.
• Since 2000, Gilmer is 23-3 in season openers.
• Gilmer enters 2026 having scored in 100 consecutive games. The last shutout loss was 14-0 to Pleasant Grove in 2018.
• The current all-time results contains 1,206 actual Gilmer games through the end of 2025 and calculates a 759-408-39 record. Because early-season research is still being reconciled, these are the current all-time results rather than a final declaration of the program’s historical record.

MORE GILMER HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• Gilmer’s 17 straight seasons reaching at least the third round of the playoffs (2007-2023) ended in 2024.
• From 2003 through 2023, Gilmer either won a state championship or lost in the playoffs to the eventual state champion 14 times.
• The Buckeyes’ nine state championship game appearances rank among the most in Class 4A history.
• Gilmer’s 2026 district includes Carthage and Pleasant Grove. Gilmer and Carthage have combined for 21 state championship appearances and 15 titles; adding Pleasant Grove brings the three programs to 24 appearances and 17 championships.
• All 17 of those championships have come since 2004.

PINE TREE HISTORICAL NOTES

• Pine Tree’s 10-win season in 2024 was its first since 1976.
• The Pirates followed with eight wins in 2025 and have reached the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.
• Jason Bachman enters 2026 with a 26-20 record at Pine Tree.

QUICK MEDIA NOTES

• Gilmer is 4-0 all-time at Pirate Stadium since the facility opened in 2013.
• The teams are separated by only 0.04 rating points after PigskinPrep.com’s three-point Pine Tree home-field adjustment — effectively a toss-up.
• Taylor and Croft combined for 45 touchdown passes in 2025.
• Gilmer has won the last two meetings played at Pirate Stadium, 68-20 in 2014 and 41-25 in 2025.
• Pine Tree’s 18 wins over the past two seasons are its best two-year total in decades.
• Gilmer has lost its most recent meeting with five of its first six 2026 opponents; Pine Tree is the lone exception.
• Gilmer’s five non-district opponents — Pine Tree, Chapel Hill, Kilgore, Sulphur Springs and Sunnyvale — combined for a 49-16 record in 2025.