HOLY MOLY | Buckeyes will try and bounce back after being humbled at Kilgore

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Phillip Williams’ perspective — Williams has been covering Gilmer football for 53 seasons. For a more conventional story, see Joe Hale’s account here: Kilgore routs Gilmer, 66-6. We enjoy both: Gilmer fans love Williams and both game stories have value. We’re blessed to have both Joe Hale and Phillip Williams on staff.

KILGORE — ‘Tis likely that you will locate the Gilmer Buckeyes at a medical clinic today undergoing tests for rabies after they were bewilderingly bloodied by a predatory pack of Kilgore Bulldogs here Friday night during Gilmer’s most lopsided licking in 48 years.
The Bulldogs’ volcanic offense stupefyingly scored on all its possessions except the final one, while teammates added tallies via a blocked punt and kickoff return, as the hosts toted up one Big Bang TD after another and Kilgore gored Gilmer, 66-6, in the victors’ homecoming at R.E. St. John Stadium.
It was perennial powerhouse Gilmer’s worst wounding since a 72-0 loss to Mt. Pleasant in 1977, and the Buckeyes had ceded 66 or more points in a single game only three times since then before Friday’s fall.
The confrontation was so tilted that Kilgore led 38-0 at Twirling Time and 59-0 before Gilmer at least evaded a skunking early in the fourth quarter.
Rayshaun Williams led the stultifying scoring strike with four touchdowns, hoofing for three before returning a kickoff 70 yards for the final one. Quarterback Kayson Brooks also had a homecoming hurrah by flinging a trio of TDs.
For Gilmer (1-2), which has reached the state championship game three of the past five seasons (winning once), the loss itself to potent Kilgore (2-1) was considered not a surprise by pigskin pundits, but the massive margin was as shocking as the electric chair once utilized for Texas executions.
While Kilgore’s offense was proving virtually invincible, the Bulldog defense did its part as well in largely paralyzing the Buckeye offense, though Gilmer disgorged only one turnover all night (not counting the aforementioned blocked punt.)

The Buckeyes, however, were plagued by bad snaps from center, and their defense was about as much a match for Kilgore’s fleetness and evasiveness as General George Custer was for his foes at his historic Last Stand.
Gilmer took the opening kickoff, punted, and managed to hold Kilgore to a field goal on the hosts’ opening offensive–a 32-yarder by Eddie Jimenez, who went on to adroitly airlift all eight PATs. The three-pointer came with 5:36 left in the opening quadrant.
Brooks began his reign of aerial angst for Gilmer with a 26-yard TD throw to Takieren White with 1:56 left in the first.
And with time expired in the quarter, horror enveloped the visitors when Bi’syn Williams blocked their punt in the Gilmer end zone and Gavin Wall recovered it for yet another half-dozen points.
The punting game continued to bludgeon the Buckeyes when, after receiving an errant snap, punter Celson James decided to run and was decked, giving the hosts possession at the Gilmer 13.
Rayshaun Williams promptly steamed for six yards, then started his quartet of TDs with a 7-yard hop with 9:06 left to intermission.
Gilmer managed two first downs before surrendering possession on downs at the Kilgore 49. Rayshaun Williams landlubbed on the next four plays, including another 7-yard TD right up the middle with 3:15 left to Music Time.
Up 31-0, the Bulldogs weren’t through with their first-half rampage as Brooks heaved a 68-yard scoring sling to Dre’ Sanders with 1:30 still remaining.
They required little time to keep the scoreboard operator busy by taking the second half-kickoff, and taking only four plays to score when Williams shot 43 yards on a fourth-and-one with 10:18 left in the third.
On the Bulldogs’ next possession, Brooks sent a short pass to Isaiah Watters, who turned it into a 23-yard tally with 4:30 remaining in the third.
Later in the third quarter, Gilmer QB Zane Taylor dispensed his team’s only turnover as Sanders purloined a pass at his team’s 24. On the second play afterward, which was the first play of the last period, runner David McGowan thundered 73 yards to Beulah Land with 11:45 left, starting a sudden flurry of three TDs which occurred within a 29-second period.
Gilmer took the kickoff and promptly got its only Big Bopper of the night. On backup QB Carter Johnston’s first play in the game, he handed off to Tayveon Horne, who suddenly burst 75 yards up the middle to glory. Kicker Miguel Castaneda’s PAT failed with 11:31 left.
As it turned out, Buckeye backers’ joy had a very short life span as Williams took the ensuing kickoff and rumbled 70 yards to TD Territory with 11:16 left.
With 3:31 left, Kilgore punted for the first (and only) time, and it appeared Gilmer might manage at least a safety when a bad snap over the kicker’s head sailed into the end zone. However, the punter managed to retrieve the ball and get the kick away.
It was emblematic of the evening for the Buckeyes. On this night, they’d gone to The ‘Dogs.