GILMER KNOCKS OFF CARTHAGE | No. 1 stunned, but season continues / BUCKEYE BEAT by Phillip Williams

Such a house broke!– William Shakespeare in “Hamlet”

How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished.- II Samuel 1:27

The crown has fallen from our head. — Lamentations 5:16

GILMER — ‘Twas a stupefying streak which the No. 1-ranked Carthage Bulldogs proudly portaged going into Friday night’s donnybrook of a District 8-4A Division II dustup against the Gilmer Buckeyes–the team that had the temerity to terminate their 29-game winning spree just three years ago.

Only this time, the number was an even more stultifying 38 consecutive conquests.

Defending state champion Carthage (which has won that title 11 times), playing only a 9-game regular season schedule this year, strode into battle Friday evening with a 7-0 mark, 3-0 in district disputations. Gilmer, an almost perennial powerhouse itself which had suffered an unthinkable upset by Pittsburg just weeks ago, accessed the arena at 7-2 and 2-1.

Although it was considered a colossal clash, beholding that data made it appear quite likely that the Bulldogs would avenge their astounding playoff pratfall to Gilmer in 2023, which the Buckeyes procured en route to their own fourth state blue ribbon.

Friday eve at Jeff Traylor Stadium was even the game of the week for the late Dave Campbell’s Texas Football operation, which was present to behold the battle.

Only this time, the Bulldogs got bit.

In a dramatic duel which featured only one turnover, no punts, and two offenses which both seemed virtually insuperable, Gilmer runner Kipton Neighbors foisted four TDs; Buckeye Aiden Thomas thundered 40 yards for the winning TD on his only carry all night with only 48 seconds left; and Gilmer again checkmated a consternating Carthage Tour of Triumphs, 49-42.

Gilmer kicker Alan Sanchez airlifted his first two field goals of the season and all five of his PAT tries as well.

And this barrage of Buckeye blowtorches offset an impressive individual performance by Bulldog QB Jacob Dixon, who heaved three touchdowns and hoofed for another, but also committed the contest’s lone turnover, a fumble which likely was a major factor in the outcome.

The fray featured the lead changing hands several hands as the two largely landlubbing offenses ingested yardage like a gang of gluttons.

Carthage took the opening kickoff and tromped 70 yards to land the first Sunday Punch on Dixon’s 2-yard “tush push” sneak with 7:41 left in the first quarter. Jesus Lopez launched the first of his four successful PATs.

Gilmer rapidly retaliated, scooting 70 yards to reach Beulah Land on QB Zade Taylor’s 36-yard bomb to Kaden Canady with 6:39 remaining in the inaugural quarter.

Tied 7-7, Carthage bounded right back by hiking 68 yards to tally on Dixon’s 6-yard dispatch to JD Edwards in the end zone with 5:18 still left in the Ode to Offense’s opening quadrant.

Neighbors began his quest to be anything but a good neighbor to the Bulldogs with a 2-yard TD with 1:26 still left in the first period, which ended in a 14-14 knot.

And it was on Carthage’s next offensive, in the second quarter, when the possibly crucial turnover occurred.

The Bulldogs had plodded from their 40 to the Gilmer 7, only to have Dixon disgorge a fumble to Gilmer’s Aaden Borelly-Brown all the way back at the 23.

And from there, Gilmer picked up the torch and burned the Bulldogs.

Abetted by a 5-yard penalty which gave the Buckeyes a first down on a 4th-and-3 situation at one point, the hosts soon unleashed the Neighbors Nemesis again on a sterling 27-yard trip to TD Town in which he bounced off a wall of linemen and went to his left.

Down 21-14, the Bulldogs, however, would soon regain the lead. On the third play of their next offensive, following a long pass from Dixon to JD Edwards, runner Shawn Bundy bounced a yard to TD Territory and Colt Vickery ran over a 2-point conversion with 3:31 left to intermission.

Down 22-21, Gilmer got downfield far enough for Sanchez to bang his initial field goal, a 30-yarder, with just 13 seconds left to Music Time, giving Gilmer a 24-22 lead at the break.

The Buckeyes then took the second-half kickoff and afforded Sanchez another opportunity to kick the Bulldogs’ behinds as he slammed a 29-yarder with 7:02 left in the third period, making it 27-22. Unfazed, Carthage would come back to snatch the lead one last time as Dixon sent a screen pass to Bundy, who turned it into a 30-yard tally with 3:13 left in the third.

Dixon’s run for a 2-point conversion failed, Carthage now led 28-27.

But Neighbors soon whizzed 70 yards up the middle on another trip to TD Turf, and Taylor ran over a 2-point conversion to give Gilmer a 35-28 advantage with 2:20 remaining in the third. Carthage continued coming back as Dixon tossed a 3-yard, fourth-down TD to Bryston Price in the fourth quarter only to soon see another nifty from Neighbors, 21 yards this time with 7:06 left.

Down 42-35, Carthage had one last revival as it inched 55 yards into TD Terrain on Edwards’ 4-yard run to the right with 2:46 to go. The PAT tied it 42-42.

Was overtime imminent? Gilmer decided not.

After the ensuing kickoff and a 5-yard penalty left them seemingly in dire straits at their own 5-yard line, the Buckeyes would troop nearly the length of the field for the triumphant tally. On the sixth play afterward, the notable Neighbors would acquire 35 yards with 56 seconds to go–and on the next play, Thomas, who hadn’t touched the pigskin although able Buckeye runner Tayveon Horne missed the game with an injury, suddenly took a handoff and screamed 40 yards to the end zone.

Carthage still had the 48 seconds, and mustered a long kickoff return to the Gilmer 30. But here, the Bulldogs’ motor died as Dixon flung three straight incompletions before the Buckeyes drew a 5-yard penalty to make it 4th-and-5 from the 25.

Then Dixon threw another incompletion, sealing the snuffing of his team’s streak with 15 seconds left.

The Buckeyes, who end regular season at Spring Hill next Friday, and Bulldogs face the possibility of a re-match in Playoff Paradise. And one Gilmer fan was heard to say after Friday’s fight that the Buckeye win would be meaningless if Carthage, whose players showed clear dejection at game’s end, won the potential forthcoming second tilt.

Yet it clearly meant something Friday night to Gilmer when Carthage’s Streak of Succeess went to the dogs–but not the Bulldogs.