The Kick Is Up and It’s Good! Gilmer 45 Fannin 6

Featured Stories, Team FYN Sports

As Fannin players went to get Dover off their player Gilmer’s Colt Henderson went in to help protect his team mate.
We want to thank a viewer for contacting FYN today letting us know that Colt Henderson was not suspended from this coming Friday night game. We did confirm that this afternoon with coach Tankersley.The Bobcats opened the season at home with a back yard brawl against the Fannin Rebels.

Gilmer kicker Manny Lopez was perfect contributing nine points with six extra point attempts and a 20 yard field goal. Lopez is a junior. Head coach Wesley Tankersley should feel good about the Bobcats kicking game this season.

The Bobcats offense had some opening season jitters. Bobcats fumbled their first and second possession of the game deep in its own territory. Colt Henderson would have the first rushing fumble and Tyler Bertolini would have the next rushing fumble.

It was clear early emotions were running high between these two teams. Bobcats Colt Henderson was called for a personal foul on the second defensive play of the game. Those emotions would get out of hand just before the end of the first.

Fannin had two early chances to put points on the board but unlike the offense the Bobcats defense had no opening game jitters. They would force the Fannin to turn over the ball twice on downs. This defense was pumped and put to the test early. What better way to see how your defense is going to react when called on than to hold deep in your own territory-not once but twice to open the game?

Gilmer’s third possession of the game would finally get them over the fifty yard line and into Fannin territory. Colt Henderson would put the first points on the board in the 2012 season with a rushing touchdown with 3:15 to play in the first quarter.

With 51 seconds to play in the first quarter Fannin fumbled and Bobcats recovered the ball. The first quarter would end 14-0 Bobcats. Fannin Rebels head coach Greg Chambers, coming off a 42-13 lose to Murphy last week, must have been wondering what he could do to stop the Bobcats fast moving game plan. Fannin quarterback Stone had a rough first quarter. He was deep in Bobcat territory twice and could not get into the end zone. He was sacked twice (Jason Dover, Austin Cole) and then a fumble to end the first quarter.

A hard sack from Bobcats’ Cody Richards and things were not going to get any better in the second quarter for Fannin quarterback Stone. The Bobcats offense would start to really open up the game in the second quarter. A sixty yard pass from Marlen Hensley to Colt Henderson would put the Bobcats on the Fannin six yard line. Two plays later Drew Morgan would rush for the Bobcats third touchdown of the game (21-0).

Hensley was now in full control of this game and his offense. He went to the air with a ten yard pass over the middle to Connor Webber. Webber turned it into a seventy yard pass play when he quickly turned and took off up the middle. He was not brought down until he reached the Fannin ten yard line but with a personal foul on the Rebels this would put the ball on the five yard line. The next play would result in Bertolini rushing touchdown (28-0).

Hensley’s first touchdown pass of the season would come with just two minutes to play in the first half. He would air out a seventy four yard pass for a touch down to Henderson. This would be Henderson’s third touchdown of the game and his last (35-0).

With only a minute to play in the first half Fannin ran a play around the left side. Bobcats’ line backer Jason Dover made the tackle driving the runner into the Fannin bench. As Fannin players went to get Dover off their player Gilmer’s Colt Henderson went in to help protect his team mate. Flags started flying everywhere. After the two teams were separated the officials started assessing the penalties. Gilmer’s Coach Tankersley kept his players on their side of the field as officials had to sort out the Fannin side of the field where the fight started.

Fannin coach Chambers would plead his case to the officials that Dover was unsportsmanlike when he did not end the play after the runner was out of bounds and Henderson came in as an instigator to the fight.

The officials ejected Bobcats Dover and Henderson. They ejected Fannin #27 and #89. GHSA By-Law 2.70 on sportsmanship states that if a player is ejected for fighting they are subject to the sit out rule. The sit out rule means the player is suspended the next game.

GHSA 2.72 Ejections are based on judgment calls by an official and are not reviewable or reversible.

It looks like Gilmer will be without Dover and Henderson next week at Sonoraville.

Half time was used to calm the two team’s emotions and the teams took the second half with two less players each. Gilmer had a 35 point lead and was able to move different players in and out. Gilmer would score one more touchdown and with a Lopez twenty yard field goal the score hit 45-0. Fannin would score a touchdown late in the game and miss the extra point. That would be the final score 45-6.

I asked coach Tankersley after the game about what he told his team at half time,

“Got to keep their cool and not let stuff like that happen, you have to control your emotions. I lost two players for next week.”

Marlen Hensley passed for 197 yards, Colt Henderson rushed for 86 yards, and Cameron Kephart had 4 solo tackles. Click here for all your Bobcat stats
Bobcats travel to Sonoraville Friday.

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