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| Preview Guide 2007 |
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By Christopher Lyke
Texas HS Football Chief Editor
Last season, the Gilmer Buckeyes were seemingly on top of the world and were considered as the best team in Class 3A. The press clippings and hype began to surface within until the sudeen first round shocker that led eventual state champion Liberty-Eylau to a major upset of the Buckeyes. The off-season saw the graduation of G.J. Kinne, Jamal Kennedy and Curtis Brown of Gilmer and Chris Tuck of Mineola. to Division I programs. After an eventful off-season, Gilmer is still the heavy favorite to win the district and Gladewater Sabine, which is coming off a winless season, is hoping to see their luck change with a brand new head coach.
For Jeff Traylor and company, anything less than a district championship will be considered as an extremely major disappointment. And wiith that said, with the depth and talent that the Buckeyes have in their possession, it is very well expected to be a retun to the top. Headlining the Gilmer roster are top recruits RB Justin Johnson and OL David Snow. Johnson is coming off a season that saw 1,100 yards of dirt amd 12 touchdowns and Snow has developed into one of the state's best offensive linemen in providing superb blocking up front. Also expected to contribute to the offense are wideouts Lamar Harris and Devane Clark plus linemen Garrett Adkins and Dakota Hagler. Hagler could quickly turn into one of the state's top junior prospects before the season is said and done.
The main concern for the Gilmer Buckeyes is on the defensive side of the ball where their best players are in the defensive backfield. Some of Gilmer's superb offensive linemen will be seeing plenty of action on this side as well. Cody Jones and Zack Jones will be counted on to help the younger players adjust to helping the Buckeyes dominate the opposition as they did for a majority of the season.
Spring Hill is expected to be the key frontrunner of the race for second place. The return of quarterback Chris Lee and tailback Jake Fudge on top of a decent offensive line gives coach Robert Bero plenty of reason to hope. TE Winston Manley and OL Jordan Henry are expected to have a standout year and will be asked to play very big roles to ensure the success of the offense. On the other side of the ball, look for DE Shawn Hawkins and LB Nick Richardson to assume the leadership roles of the defense. If Spring Hill can lick their chops defensively and play fundamentally sound, second place is likely a landing strip that is available.
The battle for thrid will come between Gladewater and White Oak. The Gladewater Bears should be a team that is back on the rise and could be a very competitive team at or near the top of their district for a few years to come. RB/LB Edwin Harris is the key leader of the Bears offense and defense while Devvyn Eddington makes the move from wideout to quarterback. One of Eddingtoin's top targets will be a recruiting sleeper in WR Julian Griffin. In five games last season as a junior, Griffin was able to rack up over 550 yards of offense. If the Bears are going to be a staple in the third playoff spot, Calloway's defense will need to be consistent and Harris will will need to be a solid playmaker as he was last season.
White Oak may picture itself in the middle of the race providing the returnees can play aggressive and fundamentally sound football. Consistency and health will also be a key for Tracy Blankenship's squad. One key player to watch will be housing the defensive side as a sophomore and his name is Jackson McCurdy. McCurdy, while very young, is a player that has solid talent and a nose for the football. |
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668.5 |
10-1 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
RB |
Justin Johnson |
6'2 |
190 |
--- |
Sr |
WR |
Lamar Harris |
6'3 |
185 |
--- |
Sr |
WR/CB |
Devane Clark |
5'7 |
150 |
--- |
Jr |
OL |
David Snow |
6'4 |
300 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Cody Lee |
6'0 |
260 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Chip Elms |
5'10 |
220 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Garrett Adkins |
6'2 |
250 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Dakota Hagler |
6'0 |
280 |
--- |
Jr |
OL |
Daniel Jenkins |
6'4 |
260 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Jared Crenshaw |
6'1 |
260 |
--- |
Sr |
CB |
Zack Jones |
5'8 |
150 |
--- |
Jr |
CB |
Dustin Jones |
5'9 |
160 |
--- |
Sr |
S |
Brennan Thompson |
6'0 |
180 |
--- |
Sr |
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642 |
4-7 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Devin Eddington |
6'0 |
195 |
--- |
Sr |
RB |
Edwin Harris |
5'7 |
165 |
--- |
Sr |
WR |
Julian Griffin |
6'3 |
190 |
--- |
Sr |
LB |
Carderian Lewis |
5'10 |
175 |
--- |
Jr |
K |
Alex Vasquez |
5'9 |
150 |
--- |
Sr |
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504.5 |
6-5 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Chris Lee |
5'11 |
170 |
--- |
Sr |
RB |
Jake Fudge |
5'10 |
170 |
--- |
Jr |
WR |
Scott Powell |
6'0 |
165 |
--- |
Sr |
TE |
Winston Manley |
6'2 |
200 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Jordan Henry |
6'4 |
240 |
--- |
Sr |
DE |
Shawn Hawkins |
6'4 |
220 |
--- |
Sr |
DL |
Rance Thomas |
6'1 |
220 |
--- |
Sr |
LB |
Nick Richardson |
6'1 |
210 |
--- |
Sr |
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452.5 |
3-7 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Nic Watkins |
5'11 |
180 |
--- |
So |
RB |
Cory Jones |
5'8 |
155 |
--- |
Sr |
WR |
Nick Holland |
5'11 |
165 |
--- |
Jr |
OL |
Brandon Martin |
6'2 |
290 |
--- |
Sr |
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434.5 |
2-8 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
WR/DB |
Blake Ware |
5'10 |
165 |
--- |
Jr |
RB/LB |
Cullen Helm |
6'0 |
195 |
--- |
Sr |
LB |
Jackson McCurdy |
6'2 |
190 |
--- |
So |
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416.5 |
0-10 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
FB/LB |
Cody Smith |
5'9 |
235 |
--- |
Jr |
OL |
Isiah Colbert |
5'10 |
220 |
--- |
Sr |
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| Gilmer Buckeyes |
Buckeye Stadium
N Bradford St & Buffalo St.
Gilmer, TX 75644 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 6,000 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Gladewater Bears |
Jack V. Murphy Stadium
2201 West Gay
Gladewater, TX 75647 |
Surface: Safe Play
Capacity: 5,000 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Gladewater Sabine Cardinals |
James Bamburg Stadium 5424 FM 1252 West
Gladewater, TX 75647 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 2,000 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Longview Spring Hill Panthers |
Panther Stadium
3101 Spring Hill Rd.
Longview, TX 75605 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 6,000 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Mineola Yellowjackets |
Meredith Memorial Stadium
1060 W Loop 564
Mineola, TX 75773 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 1,500 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| White Oak Roughnecks |
Roughneck Stadium
200 S White Oak Rd.
White Oak, TX 75693 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 4,500 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
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Preview Guide Line Up |
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| Projected Finish |
1 |
Gilmer |
2 |
Lgvw Spring Hill |
3 |
Gladewater |
4 |
White Oak |
5 |
Mineola |
6 |
Gldwtr Sabine |
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| Pre-Season Awards |
District Darkhorse |
Gladewater |
District MVP |
Justin Johnson
Gilmer |
Offensive MVP |
Chris Lee
Lgvw Spring Hill |
Defensive MVP
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Shawn Hawkins
Lgvw Spring Hill |
Diamond In The Rough |
Jackson McCurdy
White Oak |
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| 2006 Records |
| Gilmer |
10-1 |
| Gladewater |
4-7 |
| Spring Hill |
6-5 |
| Mineola |
3-7 |
| White Oak |
2-8 |
| Gldwtr Sabine |
0-10 |
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| Recruiting Key |
THSF Top 200 Player |
Top 2008 Prospect |
Top 2009 Prospect |
Top 2010 Prospect |
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| Preview Sponsor |
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