Bobcats Fail to Keep Winning Streak Alive.

This past Friday marked the annual match-up between the Gilmer County Bobcats and the Fannin County Rebels. The Bobcats and Rebels both came into the game looking to get their first win of the season. The game was held at the newly renovated Huff-Mosley Memorial stadium, where the Bobcats were aiming to beat their northern rivals for the sixth year in a row.

As the first quarter began, it appeared that the rivalry game was going to be a strong defensive one, with both Gilmer and Fannin going three and out on their first series.

Trying to get the offense going, Fannin quarterback Brad Davis found open receiver Luke Cowart on a wheel route, looking like he was about to score. Cowart fumbled in open space where Bobcat Chandler Sutton recovered on the twenty-three yard line. After the recovery, the Bobcats were stuck. They sent out the punt team for a fake in a fourth down situation, but Rebels Defensive Back Austin Brown intercepted the ball and ran it in for the first touchdown of the night. The PAT by Bryan Carranza was good, putting the rebels up 7-0.
The second quarter paralleled the first, with great defensive plays from both teams.

 Deep into the second quarter, Gilmer still trailing the Rebels, the Bobcats found a way to respond. David Smith found wide receiver Griffin Cagle for a 49-yard touchdown pass to put the Bobcats on the board. The PAT by Rodrigo Casas was good, and the game was tied with 1:24 left in the first half.

With the momentum in Gilmer’s favor, the Bobcats were looking to come out strong in the second half.

The Rebels came out hot in the first series of the third quarter, where quarterback Brad Davis found the end zone with a 40-yard rushing touchdown. The PAT from Bryan Carranza was good, putting the Rebels ahead again, this time 14-7.

With time running down in the third, the Rebels’ Bryan Carranza hit a 33-yard field goal to put the Rebels up 17-7 with 3:02 remaining.

As the the Bobcats defense only allowed a touchdown and a field goal, the offense was trying to pick up where they had left off in the first half. Going into the fourth quarter, the defense held strong, refusing to allow another touchdown. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bobcats tried to find some magic. Close to the end of the game, Bobcats’ David Smith connected with Griffin Cagle for another 50-yard touchdown. The PAT from Rodrigo Casas was good, making the score 14-17 with 48 seconds left to play.

The Bobcats lined up for the onside kick with intentions of gaining possession of the ball, but the kick from Casas bounced right into the hands of a Rebel.

The Rebels took a knee to secure the win against the Gilmer Bobcats, 17-14.

After the game, I caught up with head coach Jason Galt to see what he had to say about his team after the tough loss.

“I was very well pleased with our defense,” Galt stated. “You win with defense, that’s the bottom line. So I was very pleased with our defense.”

Galt also addressed the offense. “I firmly believe what we are doing on offense is the best thing we have for the kids we have,” he said, in reference to his young offensive linemen with little varsity experience. “The only two upperclassmen I have playing on the line are Seabolt and Brenner, and they have to play defensive line too. So I am very young on the line, but the backs are older kids. So there are going to be some growing pains that’ll take place.” Galt also showed excitement for future games saying, “Once those kids really understand what we are trying to do, we are going to start wearing down teams.”

Coach Galt also discussed the failed fake punt, saying, “I made a bad call and I know that. For every year, for every game, there’s always one or two calls that I wish I had back. Of course I wish I could take that back because the outcome didn’t come out like I wanted it to.” His reasoning for the decision was that, “When you call a fake punt, it is about timing, it’s about where you’re at on the field, or when they don’t think it’s coming. I thought the call itself was not necessary a bad call; I think with the way the game was going it probably was not a good call, especially when you’re playing a great defense. I should have just played field position and not been too anxious.”

With all the buzz going into Gilmer’s home opener against Fannin County on the newly renovated field, I asked Coach Galt how well he thinks the team handled their nerves. He responded, “I’ll be honest, at the beginning of the game they did not do a very good job. I think as the game moved on they did a very good job. As the game moved on, I could tell they started trusting in us coaches.”

Galt ended with this statement: “I am very excited. As long as the kids are learning things and getting better, I am pleased. For me it’s a process, and some people don’t like the process, but the game of football is about process.”

Gilmer will head north this Friday, August 27th, to play the Union County Panthers.

Region scores:

6-AAAA (7)

Gilmer (0-1)Vs Fannin(1-0) 14-17

Heritage (1-0) Vs Lake-Fort Oglethorpe (0-1) 38-0

LaFayette (1-0)Vs Armuchee (0-1) 22-6

Northwest Whitfield (1-0)Vs Ringgold (0-1) 49-24

Pickens (1-0)Vs Chattahoochee (0-1) 49-19

Ridgeland (1-0)Vs Adairsville (0-1) 49-7

Southeast Whitfield (1-0)Vs Coahulla Creek (0-1) 49-0