LATE RALLY AND SPECIAL TEAMS HEROICS PROPEL BUCKEYES PAST KILGORE 14-6

By Mary L. Kirby

KILGORE — In a defensive slugfest that tested their grit until the final whistle, the Gilmer Buckeyes Junior Varsity mounted a thrilling second-half comeback to defeat the Kilgore JV 14-6 at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium.
Kilgore striking early with a first-quarter touchdown put the Buckeyes on their heels. After both defenses traded stops through a scoreless second quarter, Gilmer went into the locker room trailing 6-0.
Refusing to back down, the Buckeyes found their spark in the third quarter with a touchdown to tie the game, before dominating the fourth quarter to take the lead and secure a gritty victory.
Gilmer’s offense ground out 210 total yards, heavily relying on a physical run game that accounted for 130 yards. Brayden Granville was the undisputed star of the night, putting the team on his back by scoring two rushing touchdowns and punching in a crucial 2-point conversion to spearhead the second-half comeback.
Granville and Tristan Crocker formed a lethal backfield duo, combining for 119 rushing yards (Granville with 62 yards on 10 carries, and Crocker with 57 yards on 9 carries). Their production was heavily aided by the stellar play of Crockett Tefteller, Madden Perkins, and Colton Fuentes, who anchored the offensive line and won the battle in the trenches.
Quarterback Phoenix Ross added 80 passing yards on the night. Ross spread the ball effectively, connecting with Bryce Bewley for a team-high 39 yards and Kaleb Tipton for 27 yards to keep the Kilgore defense honest.
After giving up an early score, the Buckeye defense completely locked down, pitching a shutout over the final three quarters. Gilmer’s front seven constantly disrupted Kilgore’s game plan, led by a ferocious performance from Donny Brooks, who racked up 7 total tackles and a whopping 3 tackles for loss (TFL).
Lincoln Dodd led the team in total stops with 7 tackles (6 solo) and a TFL, while Selleck Byrd and Kaleb Tipton each added a TFL to stop Kilgore’s momentum. Trampus Neal (5 tackles, 1 Pass Break Up) and Aiden Cunningham (1 PBU) paced a disciplined secondary that refused to let Kilgore past the secondary in the second half.
With less than three minutes remaining and holding onto a narrow lead, the Buckeyes executed a high-stakes gamble on special teams. Kicker Alexis Casteneda delivered a perfectly placed 25-yard onside kick, which was alertly recovered by Derion Brinkley. The spectacular play effectively ran out the clock and sealed the hard-earned win for Gilmer.
The JV Buckeyes will look to build on this emotional victory as they return home next week. Gilmer is scheduled to host their next matchup Thursday (tonight) at Jeff Traylor Stadium, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.