Preview: Gilmer Buckeyes vs. Sunnyvale
Gilmer has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against Sunnyvale at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
With a playoff game on the line, Gilmer rose to the challenge on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Center 69-42 at home. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.
Dhrvay Smith and Will Henderson were among the main playmakers for Gilmer as the former rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries and the latter gained 277 total yards and five touchdowns. Henderson has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Cadon Tennison, who threw for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Sunnyvale came tearing into Friday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 40 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 47-7 win over Krum on the road. Given Sunnyvale's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 213th, while Krum is ranked 660th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Sunnyvale's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nelson Peterson jr, who threw for 98 yards and two touchdowns on only nine passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Sunnyvale also got help from Andrew Blazek who showed off his sure hands for 86 receiving yards.
Gilmer pushed their record up to 8-3 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 40.67 points. As for Sunnyvale, their win bumped their record up to 9-2.
Gilmer strolled past Sunnyvale in their previous matchup back in November of 2020 by a score of 31-14. Does Gilmer have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sunnyvale turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
