Gilmer 55, Spring Hill 28
By Elwyn Henderson
The Gilmer Buckeyes made the short drive to Spring Hill Friday night to take on the Panthers in a must-win game if they were to make to Phase 3 (the playoffs) in 2025. Both teams knew the loser would finish in 5th place and get ready for basketball season.
The Buckeyes definitely had the edge when it came to playoff experience but the Panthers came in with confidence and momentum after their blowout win over North Lamar a week earlier. In the end, experience paid off and the Bucks wrapped up another playoff sport for the 25 year in a row. The game wasn’t even close as Gilmer led from start to finish and when the contest ended the Buckeyes walked off the field with a 55-28 victory. The win moved Gilmer to 3-6 on the season and 2-2 in District 7-4A DII play while the loss dropped Spring Hill to 2-7 on the year and 1-3 in district play.
Spring Hill won the coin toss and elected to receive to begin the game. Miguel Castaneda kicked off and the kick was fair caught at the Panther 34.
Brody Proctor led his offense on the field for the first time but it was a quick 4 downs and out as Gilmer stuffed the runner on 4th down and got the ball at the Panther 42.
Zade Taylor brought the Buckeye offense on the field and after a 5-yard false start penalty Tayveon Horne ran 47 yards into the end zone for the first score of the night. The drive was just 11 seconds and after the PAT Gilmer led 7-0.
The Panthers began their next drive at their 23 and they found the end zone in 4 plays and moved the 67 yards in 1:56. Roc Williams added the extra point and the score was tied 7-7 with 9:03 left in the first quarter.
Gilmer’s next drive began at their 47 after an onside kick recovery and it took just 3 plays for the Bucks to find the end zone again. The score came on a 43-yard pass from Taylor to Trace Haynes with 8:19 left in the quarter. The point after was good and Gilmer took the lead back 14-7. The drive was 3 plays and took just 44 seconds off the clock.
The ensuing Spring Hill possession began at their 25 after a fair catch. On the second play of the drive Gauge Trossbach intercepted Proctor at the Gilmer 12 and returned the pick up to the Buckeye 36 and Taylor and company were in business again.
It was another quick scoring drive once again, as on the second play Taylor ran into the end zone from 32 yards out with 6:26 left in the quarter. Horne ran into the end zone for a 2-point conversion and Gilmer increased their lead to 22-7. The drive just took 30 seconds off the clock.
After another fair catch the Panthers set up shop on their 27 and began a lengthy drive down the field that culminated with a 4th down incomplete pass at the Gilmer 13 and the ball turned over on downs.
Taylor moved the offense down the with precision and the Buckeyes moved the 87 yards in 9 plays and 4:03 getting into the end zone for their fourth TD of the night when Horne ran into the end zone with 6:39 left in the first half of play. The extra point was good and Gilmer increased their lead to 29-7.
Spring Hill began their next possession after a return to the SH 29. On the first play Coleman Stout ran 71 yards for a Panther TD in 14 seconds. The point after was good and Spring Hill closed the gap to 29-14 with 6:25 left in the half.
The Panthers kicked onside and after bouncing for about 7 yards the home team recovered at the 43 and went back on offense.
Proctor led his charges the 57 yards into the end zone in 7 plays and 3:29 for a TD with 2:56 left in the half. The extra point was good and The Panthers were back in the game, trailing 29-21.
They went with another onside kick attempt again but Jackson covered the ball at the Gilmer 48 and Taylor led the Buckeye offense back on the field. They moved the 52 yards into the end zone in 3 plays and 35 seconds. The TD came on a 32-yard run by Horne with 2:21 left I the half, his third score of the game. The extra point was good and Gilmer led 36-21.
After a fair catch at the 32 Stout brought is unit back on the field but on the first play Stout was hit at the line of scrimmage and fumbled the ball and the Black Flag Defense recovered the ball at the Panther 32 with 2:11 left in the half.
Taylor led his teammates down the field on a 6-play, 68-yard TD drive that took 55 seconds off the second quarter clock. The score came on a 2-yard TD run by Horne with 55.1 seconds left till halftime. The score was Horne’s fourth TD of the game. The extra point resulted in a bobbled snap and there was no kick, leaving the score at 42-21.
SH ran one play for no gain threw an incomplete pass on the second play and gained 8 yards on the third play and the half came to an end and Gilmer was set to receive the second half kickoff.
Spring Hill kicked off onside as expected but Gilmer recovered and advanced the ball down to the Panther 33 where Taylor brought his offense on the field for the first time in the second half.
The offense moved with precision accuracy down the field and moved the 67 yards into the end zone in 7 plays over 3:15 before Horne caught an 8-yard TD pass for his fifth touchdown of the game. The score came with 8:45 left in the third quarter. The PAT kick was good and Gilmer felt certain they had the game under control and another trip to the playoffs wrapped up for the 25th consecutive season.
The Panthers began at their 29 after the ensuing kickoff and Stout led his team back on the field. The hosts moved down to the Gilmer 6 and on 3r and goal Atavian Ector intercepted Proctor and returned the ball up to the Gilmer 11 and the Buckeye offense took the field once again.
Taylor led the team on another touchdown drive as the offense moved the 89 yards in 9 plays and 3:21. The score came on the last play of the third quarter when Taylor hit Trossbach from 1 yard out moving the score to 55-21. The extra point was no good but the score put the game on ice beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Spring Hill began their next possession on their 28 as the final quarter began. Proctor and his unit moved the 72 yards to the end zone in 12 plays and 6:41. The score came on a 2-yard run by Stout with 7:19 left in the game. The extra point was good and the score was 55-28.
The kickoff went out of bounds and after a 5-yard mark off the Buckeyes set up on their 37 and Carter Johnston came in at quarterback in relief of Taylor to finish off the game. The team moved down to the Panther 16 and turned the ball over on downs with 1:54 left in the game after moving 51 yards in 11 plays and taking 5:25 off the clock.
Proctor brought his team back on the field for one last possession. They ran 3 plays and the clock expired, giving the Buckeyes a 55-28 victory.
Coach Alan Metzel fell ill before the game concluded and had to leave the field so after the game The Mirror talked with Assistant Head Coach Randall Canady to get his thoughts on the game. We began by asking him about the big win sending the Buckeyes to the playoffs for the 25th straigtht year.
“How about that; twenty-fifth straight year! We played a complete game but we’ve still got some things we can fix. Offensively, we moved the ball, Horne played well, offensive line blocked their butts off, our skill kids blocked well. Defensively, playing that type of offense you’ve got to play solid football. We busted a little bit but our kids kept grinding. The coaches got them right and we ended up playing well. Special teams were big. That was our best performance on special teams the whole year.”
We wanted to know his thoughts on Tayveon Horne’s five touchdown performance in the game.
“Well, I stopped counting after three! That kid is special. If you ask him he’s going to say that his offensive line blocked well. He’s a selfless kid. He’s a sophomore so he’s got two more years and we’re excited about that.”
Next we mentioned that to the Panthers credit they hung in and never quit during the game and the coach responded, “Those guys are pretty good. They can run that offense pretty good. They never quit so hats off to those guys and coaches.”
Then we asked about the great job the Black Flag Defense did all night in the game.
“We’re finally getting guys back and Coach Edwards and his staff, they do such a good job and I’m proud of those guys and I’m glad that I get a chance to work with them. That Black Flag Defense, they were on tonight.”
We also wanted to know his thoughts on the great job Zade Taylor did leading the offense in the game and about the unfair criticism some fans have been voicing.
“You know, Zade is a passionate person. He wants to win and he’s going to do whatever it takes to win. We talked to him. People are going to talk. You know, you can’t do anything about that. You can’t control those guys. He came out tonight and he played well.”
We then moved to next week’s final regular season game and pointed out the obvious fact that Gilmer will roll against North Lamar. As you would expect, Coach Canady’s response was true to what a great coach has to say.
“Well, the way this year’s going, I’ll tell you what—we’re going to do just like we do with everybody else. We want that win and we’re going to prepare to get that win and we’ll take care of the rest later.”
We went back to the fact that this is the 25th consecutive year Gilmer has made the playoffs and that not too many schools can say that.
“Not many schools can say that. That’s awesome because the way the season has been going we didn’t know what we were going to do. We just knew that we believed in our kids and we believed in our coaches to get the job done.”
As we began to wrap up our visit, we asked Coach Canady if he felt about where the team is now.
“We do and they (fans that are down on the team) can say what they want to say but not many people want to play the Buckeyes. They don’t want to play us. We’re going to keep getting better as these kids get healthier and we’re going to see what we do after that.”
We concluded by thanking the coach for talking with us after the game and mentioned to him that we knew he knew everyone in Gilmer was praying for him to get the kidney he got that has returned him to a normal life and he expressed gratitude to the people of Gilmer.
“I’m so thankful and I want to tell everybody that I really appreciate the support and that’s why Gilmer is a special place in my heart.”
The Buckeyes will make their final home appearance at Jeff Traylor Stadium in Gilmer next Friday night when they take on the North Lamar Panthers to close out district play on Senior Night before they get ready for Phase 3 of the season.