BUCKEYE BEAT by PHILLIP WILLIAMS | A riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, aka how Pittsburg upset Gilmer

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was posted late because of technical difficulties beyond our control. The headline is actually from a quote by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. But we thought it also accurately described what happened at Jeff Traylor Stadium Friday night. Here’s our own Phillip Williams with his account of the game. Oh, and Gilmer fans, take note: the game at Center this week will be on Thursday, a 7 p.m. start, and not Friday.

GILMER — Pirates in the olden days on the high seas were berated for buccaneering booty–and with Gilmer’s annual East Texas Yamboree festival rides swirling just blocks away Friday night, the Gilmer Buckeyes found themselves being taken for a ride when Pittsburg Pirates kicker Jeremias Flores booted the Buckeyes into a unthinkable upset undoing as time expired in a weird wargame.

Flummoxed by four turnovers–all involving their usually adept quarterback Zade Taylor–and with their fans not awarding plaudits to the contest’s officiating crew–the Buckeyes yielded Flores’ 32-yard eleventh-hour lethal field goal as Pittsburg garroted Gilmer, 58-56, abruptly discontinuing the state-ranked hosts’ 5-game triumph streak.

Pittsburg’s feat at Jeff Traylor Stadium left it 4-3 for the year, 1-1 in District 8-4A Division 2 disputations, while Gilmer slumped to 5-2, 1-1 in conference clashes, and likely leaving Buckeye fans as disgruntled as the skyscraper-high price of turkey legs at the Yamboree.

Gilmer had vanquished two previously unbeaten teams in its last two games. It seemed likely they’d bury the Pirates at sea.

The game was featured by major swings in momentum as Gilmer lost a 15-point lead to fall behind by 14, only to regain a 1-point advantage with just 1:15 left. As it turned out, that gave Pittsburg just three seconds too long for Gilmer to pilfer the Pirates.

That was the amount of time on the clock when the fatal field goal play began and took up all remaining seconds, setting off an exuberant celebration by the visitors’ fans.

Star individual performances were numerous for both sides. For Pittsburg, QB Kevin Johnson heaved three TDs, ran for another and threw a 2-point conversion, runner Tamar Palmer scored a trio of touchdowns, and Seven Duffey caught two TDs while running for a third.

For Gilmer, Kaden Canady wowed the crowd by returning both a kickoff and punt for scores, while runner Kipton Neighbors produced three TDs and workhorse runner Tayveon Horne charged for two scores and a 2-point conversion. (Horne was out of the game for a time in the second half with an injury).

The more than 3-hour conflict was chaotic almost from the outset. For one thing, the lead changed hands several times, and this gunfight featured considerable oddity in the kicking game before coming down to the stirring ending–fittingly, it seemed, decided by a kick.

Taylor’s first faus pax occurred when the Buckeyes took the opening kickoff and bounced in five plays to the Pirate 22, only to have defender Kevin Johnson–the same Kevin Johnson who played quarterback for his team–purloin a pass at his team’s 10.

Pittsburg made some progress, but ended up punting into a catastrophe when Canady returned it 74 yards to Beulah Land with 5:48 left in the inaugural quarter. Alan Sanchez’s PAT kick was wide, leaving it 6-0.

Gilmer, which has now frequently kicked off onside in two straight outings, promptly recovered one such boot at the Pirate 49. And on the ninth play afterward, Horne hastened three yards up the middle to TD Town with 2:29 still left in quarter one.

When he ran over a 2-point conversion for an encore, making it 14-0, it appeared the Buckeyes might be en route to easily drowning the Pirates.

Pittsburg, however, unearthed a life preserver and, when another Buckeye onside kick was ruled to be too short at the Gilmer 49, the Pirates stultified the hosts on the sixth play afterward. Johnson upped a 30-yard scoring bomb on a fourth-down play to Seven Duffey. (Yes, his name is Seven.)

A flawed snap on the PAT kick try resulted in the holder throwing incomplete in trying for two points, making it 14-6 with 1:14 remaining in the first period.

Gilmer, however, revived on its ensuing possession, motoring 75 yards to tally on Kipton Neighbors’ 9-yard jaunt with 10:40 left to Twirling Time. Sanchez airlirfted the first of six straight successful PATs, putting Gilmer up 21-6 and again creating the impression this was the Buckeyes’ night.

But the Buckeyes’ onside kick failed, and the Pirates righted their ship by chomping up 53 yards to reach TD Territory on Tamar Palmer’s 2-yard hop. Flores’ kick made it 21-13 with 7:28 left to the Band Break.

Then came a fluke that may well have been a turning point.

Pittsburg kicked off and the ball was on the ground, a few yards in front of a Buckeye, who seemingly inexplicably didn’t touch it, allowing Pirate Brysen Walker to recover at the hosts’ 28.

That eventually led to Palmer swooping nine yards into Glory Land and Johnson dispatching a pass to Cam Doddy for the tying two-point conversion with 4:54 still left to intermission. 

Then some real weirdness surfaced.

The Pirates would kick off on four straight plays,with the first and third being negated by penalties against them, and the second voided by offsetting infractions.

Before long, though, Doddy filched a Johnson pass at the Pirate 9, and this proved another pivotal point. Johnson soon launched a 68-yard scoring sling to Doddy with 1:47 left to the musical interlude, and Flores banged the PAT, putting the visitors up 28-21 at Twirling Time.

Gilmer would actually outscore its foe by 35-30 afterward, but to no avail.

Controversy apparently surfaced on the second half kickoff when officials ruled Gilmer’s onside kick failed to go the necessary 10 yards, although at least three members of the media in the press box thought otherwise. (Other Gilmer fans disputed officials’ ruling that either this or another onside kick failed to travel the needed yards).

Whatever the case, Pittsburg got possession at the Gilmer 49 and on the second play afterward, Johnson rocketed another TD toss to Duffey of 30 yards, leaving Gilmer Mirror football writer Joe Dodd to astutely note that while Johnson had only completed three of several passes, they’d all resulted in touchdowns.

Flores rammed the first of three straight PATs with 11:46 left in the third, making it 35-21.

The Buckeyes got gallantly galvanized, churning 65 yards after the ensuing kickoff to procure points on Horne’s 7-yard trip with 8:10 left in the third. And now, having pulled within 35-28, Gilmer was ready to knot the score.

The Buckeyes forced one of the game’s few punts, and promptly tromped 72 yards to seize six points on Neighbors’ 6-yard roll with 3:58 left in the third.

Thus, by now, Gilmer had led by 15, then trailed by 14–but the affray was tied 35-35. Later, Pittsburg would regain the lead by 13, only to have Gilmer regain it by one before Flores’ Final Flourish.

First, though, with the score 35-35, came yet another fluke which proved another turning point. 

Gilmer kicked onside, and, incredibly, Palmer returned it all the way to the Buckeyes’ 1-yard line. After a rushing play for no gain, Duffey wheeled around right end for the TD with 3:16 left in the third.

Down 42-35, the Buckeyes valiantly stomped right back with an elongated scoring possession, ingesting 58 yards with the final 24 coming on Taylor’s run with 11:04 left in the firefight. It was uncharacteristically the only score he would hoof or heave for on a night that otherwise was not fortuitious for him. 

It’s now 42-42, and the Buckeyes forced a punt, only to have Taylor make another mistake by fumbling to Pittsburg’s Ashton Grant at the Gilmer 33. Another key play.

Abetted by a 15-yard pass interference penalty, the Pirates sailed to the end zone in only three plays as QB Johnson rolled right for the final two yards with 8:16 left.

Then another Taylor miscue–disgorging another lost fumble at his 27–led to what looked like might be a final blow to Gilmer. On the second play afterward, Palmer hot-footed 24 yards to Tally Town on a tackle-breaking travelogue.

But Gilmer blocked Flores’ PAT kick and soon, it would appear that might carry the day for the hosts with 6:31 left.

First, Canady tormented the Pirates with another stupefying kick return for a TD, this time 80 yards on the ensuing kickoff. Sanchez’s PAT made it 55-49 with 6:15 left, raising hope that the Buckeyes might prevail after all.

But first, yet another onside kick failed, and the visitors chewed up considerable time moving downfield, running nine plays until the Buckeye defense stopped them on fourth down on the last one at the Gilmer 23.

With 2:08 left, Gilmer would successfully start from there to hit the jackpot on its final possession–but in vain.

Abetted by a controversial pass interference call on Pittsburg, the Buckeyes bounced the 77 yards in just five plays with Neighbors nabbing the points on a 7-yard burst with 1:15 left. Sanchez’s kick made it look like his counterpart’s blocked PAT minutes before might lose Pittsburg the game as Gilmer led 56-55.

But ’twas not to be doom for the Jolly Roger contingent.

Pittsburg returned the kickoff to its 48 and rumbled in six plays to the Gilmer 15 before Johnson spiked the pigskin to stop the clock. Key plays in this offensive were Palmer’s 19-yard run and Johnson’s 14-yard heave to Duffey.

Out came Flores to kick the night’s only field goal, sending the Buckeyes to Davy Jones’ Locker after the Pirates looted their ship in this Ode to Offense on roiling waters.