ELLIJAY, GA — Gilmer opened the 2026 season with a statement Friday night, knocking off Stephens County 43-28 in a back-and-forth game that the Bobcats took control of in the fourth quarter.

Gilmer entered the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the TeamFYNSports North Georgia coverage area, but the Bobcats still had something to prove in their opener. Massey Ratings had Gilmer as a five-point underdog against Stephens County heading into Friday night.

By the time it was over, the Bobcats had flipped that prediction by 20 points.

Gilmer’s ground game proved to be too much, as the Bobcats piled up 388 rushing yards and finished with 429 yards of total offense in the win.

The Bobcats had to battle from behind early.

Stephens County struck first with an 11-yard touchdown pass before Gilmer answered on a 14-yard touchdown run from Peyton Chancey. The Indians went back in front 14-7 later in the first quarter, but Chancey punched one in from a yard out in the second to send the teams into halftime tied at 14.

The back-and-forth continued after the break.

Stephens County opened the third quarter with a 45-yard touchdown run to regain the lead, but Gilmer answered almost immediately. AJ Callihan broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown run to make it 21-21.

Chancey then gave Gilmer its first lead of the night with another one-yard touchdown run. Stephens County answered with a three-yard score of its own, and after three quarters the game was deadlocked once again, this time at 28-28.

From there, it was all Bobcats.

Douglas Callihan scored from two yards out to put Gilmer ahead 34-28, and AJ Callihan added the two-point conversion to stretch the lead to eight.

After spending most of the night trading punches with the Indians, the Gilmer defense came up with the stops it needed in the fourth quarter. Stephens County, which had scored 28 points through the first three quarters, was held scoreless over the final 12 minutes.

Chancey eventually put the game away with a 13-yard touchdown run, giving Gilmer the 43-28 win. The Bobcats outscored Stephens County 15-0 in the fourth quarter.

Chancey was the workhorse for Gilmer, carrying the ball 22 times for 161 yards and four touchdowns. AJ Callihan added 113 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Douglas Callihan finished with 52 yards and a score on seven attempts.

All told, Gilmer had three different players rush for at least 50 yards and six rushing touchdowns as a team.

The Bobcats didn’t have to throw it much, either. AJ Callihan completed two of his three passes for 41 yards, as Gilmer leaned heavily on an offense that averaged nearly six yards per rushing attempt.

Just as important was Gilmer’s ability to keep drives alive. The Bobcats converted 5-of-9 third downs and 2-of-3 fourth downs, while Stephens County was just 3-of-9 on third down and 1-of-5 on fourth down. Gilmer also held a 21-19 advantage in first downs.

Stephens County certainly had its moments. Quarterback Branson Stowe threw first-half touchdown passes to Kaiden Harbin and Dallas Hague and later broke a 45-yard touchdown run. Hague also scored on the ground. But the Indians never found the end zone again after tying the game at 28 late in the third quarter.

For Gilmer, it was about as good of a start to the season as the Bobcats could have asked for.

They fell behind early, answered every time Stephens County made a play, and then dominated the fourth quarter when the game was on the line.

Now things get even more interesting.

Gilmer moves to 1-0 and heads into a huge matchup with No. 2 Fannin County in the TeamFYNSports North Georgia coverage area rankings. The Rebels are also coming off an impressive season opener after pummeling Union County in the Border War.

It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2, with two North Georgia teams coming off statement wins to open the season.

And now, all eyes turn to Gilmer vs. Fannin.