“Wrap up!” and “Block, please!” were the common phrases coming from the sidelines during Gilmer High School’s second round football playoff match-up against Marist. Missed tackles, missed blocks, and false starts plagued the “Cats” throughout the game and made the 38-0 Marist win, more lopsided than it actually was. The “Cats” showed early on that the defense could indeed stop the Marist offense, and the Bobcat offense drove down the field on their first drive. After failing to score on that drive though, the momentum quickly shifted and Marist was well on their way to a 38-0 win.

Gilmer won the toss and elected to defer. Marist received the kickoff and returned it to the War Eagle 29-yard line. The offense starting marching down the field, picking up small chunks of yardage on each play.

It was finally inside the red zone that the Bobcat defense stepped up. On the Gilmer 13-yard line, Austin Davis and Austin Cole stopped the ball carrier for no gain. On the very next play, Johnie Flakes found himself in the backfield making the tackle for a five yard loss.

With a long third down upcoming, the quarterback picked up only a few yards and Marist was forced to kick a field goal. With 4:42 left in the first quarter, Marist led 3-0.

The ensuing kickoff bounced through the end zone giving the “Cats” the ball at the 20-yard line. Chris James dropped back and hit Thaddeus Bowers for a 23 yard pass. James then hit Cole for another 16 yards. Tyler Bertolini took his first carry for 14 yards, and just like that, the Bobcats’ offense found itself deep in Marist territory.

It was first down at the War Eagle 27-yard line when things turned around. James was sacked for a three yard loss. James’ next pass was intended for a diving Corey Waters and it bounced just off of his fingertips.

Another incomplete pass left the Bobcats’ offense facing a fourth and thirteen. The offense stayed on the field and committed a false start penalty, backing up another five yards. Still, the offense stayed on the field and tried for the first down. James’ pass fell incomplete and the ball was turned over on downs.

Marist kicked its offense into another gear and made quick work of the drive. Starting on the Marist 35-yard line, the War Eagles ran the double dive to perfection. The quarterback was executing his handoffs and fake handoffs to perfection making it tough on the Bobcat defense to see who actually had the ball.

This, plus the missed tackles, led to a Marist touchdown with 10:16 left in the half and gave the War Eagles a 10-0 lead.

The Marist kicker continued to kick the ball into the end zone for touchbacks. The “Cats” tried a play-action pass that fell incomplete. A false start backed the offense up which lead to a James scramble for nine yards. Flakes picked up five of the six yards needed for a first down which sent Manny Lopez onto the field for his first punt of the night.

Marist only needed three plays to score on their next drive. A long run started things for Marist before a 32 yard pass. A roughing the passer penalty plus a sideline warning call gave Marist the ball on the Gilmer 2-yard line.

The War Eagles punched it in and did a fake PAT for the two point conversion. With 7:50 remaining in the half, Marist was on top 18-0.

Yet another kickoff found the endzone setting the “Cats” up on the 20-yard line. Bowers and Waters had clutch catches that moved the chains for the first time in a while, but James’ next pass went off the hands of his intended receiver and fell into the arms of Marist defender.

Marist was given a short field and they War Eagles took advantage of it. The first three plays all went for double digit yards and putting the Marist offense quickly inside the 10-yard line. The drive was fueled by missed tackles, and with 3:51 left in the second quarter, Marist extended its lead to 25-0.

Gilmer started on the 20-yard line following the touchback. A false start backed the offense up again before Bertolini picked up two yards on the first play, then broke out a 14 yard run on his next carry.

There was finally a bit of hope on the sideline following the big run. James was then brought down for a seven yard sack, Bert was stopped for no gain, and Marist forced an incomplete pass which forced the “Cats” to punt the ball away.

Marist was able to score once more before the half ended. Cole stopped had a tackle for a loss on one of the plays and it looked like the “Cats” might get a stop. A bad spot gave Marist a first down and two plays later the War Eagles scored on a 21 yard pass. Marist would lead the Cats 32-0 at the half.

Gilmer started with the ball in the second half and immediately moved early for a false start. It was a three and out for the “Cats” and the punt team came onto the field. A bad snap, courtesy of the increased rainfall, sent Lopez scrambling for his life.

He picked up the necessary yardage on a great second attempt and gave the Bobcats a fresh set of downs. Another bad snap, an incomplete pass, and a nine yard sack backed the “Cats” way up and Lopez came on to punt.

Marist put together what would be its final scoring drive of the day. It was more of the same from the offense, running the double dive, the quarterback keeping the ball, and a little help from penalties. With just 0:29 left in the third quarter, Marist led 38-0 after the missed PAT.

Flakes finally got a chance to return a kickoff and brought the ball up to the 32-yard line. The “Cats” offense was able to get things moving for a bit, but the drive came to a halt and Bobcats turned the ball over on downs after attempting a fourth down pass.

Marist brought in the backups to finish out the game and Gilmer kept fighting hard to the end. There was never any quit in this football team which is very symbolic of the attitude it possessed all year. There were more mistakes in this game for anybody’s liking, but the “Cats’” resiliency and determination was still evident.

This was one of the best Bobcat football seasons I’ve ever witnessed, and certainly better than the six wins we got in my four years combined as a student. Thank you for a great year, and good luck to the senior football players in your future.