GILMER BOWS OUT | Sunnyvale gets out of Sulphur Springs with win; Buckeyes’ season comes to an end

EDITOR’S NOTE: ETBlitz.com has so enjoyed having Gilmer native and writer Phillip Williams covering the Buckeyes this year, his 53^rd season out of 54 to watch Buckeyes football. We hope that you’ll comment the same on this story, and encourage Phillip to come back for at least one more season of the Buckeyes in 2025! – Mitch

By Phillip Williams

Exclusively for ETBlitz.com

SULPHUR SPRINGS – Even in the throes of this Yuletide season, one would have a decidedly dreadful time this morning convincing the Gilmer Buckeyes of the old axiom that ’tis “better to give than to receive.”

That’s because the defending state Class 4A Division II czars bestowed an uncharacteristic, and lethal, five turnovers on the Sunnyvale Raiders on Thursday night as Sunnyvale guillotined Gilmer, 27-17, in an area playoff upset to render kaput the Buckeyes’ chances of repeating as state kingfish.

Word has it that the Buckeyes were headed to the Sulphur Springs Police Department to file theft charges on the Raiders, who purloined three passes (returning one for a TD) and filched two fumbles at Gerald Prim Stadium.

In the process, Sunnyvale toted up leads of 10-0 and 13-7 before falling behind 17-13 at Twirling Time, only to outscore Gilmer 14-0 afterward.

Ironically, Sunnyvale had seen a 10-0 lead over the Buckeyes evaporate in last year’s post-season party, when a Gilmer field goal with three seconds left propelled the Buckeyes to victory, 41-38.

Thursday, however, marked the first time in the teams’ quartet of meetings–all in Playoff Paradise – the Raiders ever managed to barricade the Buckeyes, who once beat Sunnyvale when that team was 10-0 and Gilmer, 4-6!

Gilmer ended its 2024 season at 8-4 after going 13-3 last year. Sunnyvale, meantime, leaped to 9-3.

The Cliff’s Notes version of Thursday night’s story is that the Buckeyes not only bludgeoned themselves with a giveaway program, but, as one press box observer noted, dropped numerous passes by starting QB Brady McCown. McCown also threw one interception (the “pick six”) before Cadon Tennison replaced him fairly late in the third quarter.

Tennison, quarterback for last year’s state titlelist, had played that position only sparingly this season and been re-assigned to such duties as catching passes since McCown, a transfer from Jacksonville this year, was anointed the starting position at field general.

But, having not played his old position in many weeks, the mobile Tennison was perhaps rusty and couldn’t galvanize Gilmer’s offense enough to score–although, as the press box observer noted, he did move the ball. Tennison also, however, flung two interceptions, one near game’s end.

Gilmer’s turnover travails started early, setting the tone for what was to come. On the game’s second play from scrimmage, Buckeye runner Trillyon Butler disgorged a fumble to Raider Drew Gardner at the Buckeye 26 (Butler wouldn’t touch the ball again till the second half, either.)

Gilmer’s Black Flag Defense managed to halt Sunnyvale after three plays at the 23, so able kicker Gabe Pendyala airlifted the first of his two field goals, a 40-yarder, with 10:18 left in the first quadrant.

Gilmer momentarily evened the turnover count soon after when Buckeye Brayden Pate swiped a sling from Raider QB Cayson Maupin, returning it to the Gilmer 27. But the Buckeyes went 3-and-out, punted 51 yards to the Sunnyvale 18, and soon found themselves victimized by a show-stopper.

On the third play afterward, Maupin found receiver Hudson Leonard wide-open somewhere around the Gilmer 40 and shipped him a stupefying 79-yard TD throw with 5:46 still left in the initial chapter. Pendyala rammed the first of his three successful extra points.

The teams must have felt deja vu at that point as Gilmer found itself trailing 10-0, just as it had last year. The Buckeyes rebounded this time, as they had in 2023–just not enough on this occasion to again vanquish the Raiders.

Later in the first quarter, Gilmer fumbled a Sunnyvale punt, only to pick it up and return it 18 yards to the Raider 35. From there, converting on fourth down at one point, the Buckeyes proceeded to Beulah Land in seven plays, with Alec Sims procuring the points on a 2-yard hop on the second quarter’s opening play.

Pate launched the first of his two successful PATs, making it 10-7 with 11:54 left to intermission.

Sunnyvale, though, counter-attacked by taking the kickoff and trooping 62 yards in eight plays to the Gilmer 13, substantially abetted by a 15-yard penalty, before Pendyala powered a 30-yard field goal with 9:28 left to Trombone Time.

Soon after, however, Gilmer – down 13-7— began staging what appeared to be the type of successful surmounting it had accomplished against the Raiders a year earlier.

After the teams exchanged punts, the Buckeyes plodded 53 yards in 11 plays with workhorse runner Zade Taylor tallying the TD on a 1-yard run. The PAT with 1:24 left to the musical break send Gilmer up 14-13.

Then Sunnyvale–whose offense wasn’t miscue-free itself–presented the Buckeyes a present when Maupin dispensed a fumble to Gilmer’s Shawn Johnston at the Buckeye 12 on the first play after the kickoff. The Buckeyes, though, could only reach the 7 and settled for Pate’s second field goal, a 24-yarder, with 32 seconds still left to Trumpet Time.

Up 17-13 after trailing by 10, things looked beatific for the Buckeyes.

That would prove an illusion.

After the Raiders took the second half kickoff, Gilmer forced a punt, only to have an earthquake suddenly strike the Bucks.

Starting from his 10, McCown rifled a pass which defender Garren James returned 18 yards for a TD with 10:11 left in the third.

The Buckeyes would never recover from that. Soon would come a fluke that dented them further as a punt bounced off an unidentified Buckeye and was recovered by an unidentified Raider at the Gilmer 34.

The Buckeyes repelled that threat, forcing a 3-and-out and a subsequent poor 18-yard punt to the Gilmer 23 before Tennison came in at his old post at quarterback.

In the fourth quarter, though, defender Gardner claimed another takeaway, this time by shoplifting a Tennison pass and returning it to the Gilmer 22. And the Buckeyes would pay for this one.

With the help of a 2-yard penalty, Sunnyvale reached TD Territory in six plays with Maupin ripping the final two yards with 4:23 left.

Gilmer, now in serious trouble with a 10-point deficit and little time to make it up, did manage to plod from its 25 to the Raider 28 only to have Tennison throw incomplete on fourth down. And on the game’s next to final play, an unidentified Raider stole Tennison’s last throw at the Sunnyvale 49.

Thus, the Sunnyvale Raiders rose to see sunny skies Friday morning. And the Gilmer Buckeyes awoke to having the black cloud of defeat hovering overhead, but knowing that 2025 might have a brighter finis.

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