Gilmer is a perfect 4-0 against Van since September of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Buckeyes will venture away from home to take on the Vandals at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Gilmer turned things around against Pittsburg on Friday. They came out on top against the Pirates by a score of 36-25. Given the Buckeyes' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 157th, while the Pirates are ranked 365th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tayveon Horne
| 09/05/25 vs Chapel Hill | 3 |
| 10/10/25 vs Pittsburg | 2 |
| 08/29/25 @ Pine Tree | 2 |
| 09/12/25 @ Kilgore | 1 |
Gilmer got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Tayveon Horne out in front who rushed for 100 yards and a pair of scores. Horne also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because the Buckeyes are 2-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 0-3 otherwise. Another passer making a difference was Zade Taylor, who threw for 235 yards and three TDs.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Gilmer proved: they limited Pittsburg to a paltry 3.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Trey Lee for the heroic effort on defense: he. Gilmer's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.7.
Gilmer's defense didn't let Kord Johnson, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. Pittsburg's QB won't forget Jet Bates anytime soon given he sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Van gave up the first points on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They blew past Spring Hill 49-26. The Vandals haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
The victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 4-2. As for Gilmer, the win was their first at home , bumping their record up to 2-4.
Everything came up roses for Gilmer against Van in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 103-0 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Vandals' Jaxon Moffatt, who threw for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 72 yards on only ten carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Buckeyes to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
