The gist
- Thirty-eight straight, over. Gilmer 49, No. 1 Carthage 42, at Jeff Traylor Stadium. The Buckeyes are 7-2 and 3-1 in district.
- #5 Kipton Neighbors went for 242 and four touchdowns. #3 Aiden Thomas iced it from 40, by fans' account, and then dropped the locker-room freestyle everybody is asking about.
- Carthage fans spent the whole night in the comments explaining why it didn't count. We graded every excuse. It didn't go well for them.
- The streak is a museum piece now. Go put it next to the trophies.
How Gilmer actually won it
It was 14-14 after one quarter, 24-22 Gilmer at the half, 35-28 after three, and 49-42 at the end. It was a heavyweight fight, and every time Carthage landed one, Gilmer hit back harder.
The first half: nobody blinked. Both teams scored twice in the first quarter. In the second quarter Gilmer got a touchdown and a field goal to Carthage's touchdown and two-point conversion, which sent the Buckeyes into the locker room up 24-22. Early on it was obvious the turnover battle would decide this, because neither defense was going to string many stops together. The fumble call that mattered broke Gilmer's way. Would we have called it? Probably not. Are we giving it back? No.
The third quarter: Carthage punched, Gilmer answered. This is where the No. 1 team is supposed to take over. Carthage got the first stop of the second half. Between a Gilmer field goal and a Carthage touchdown, the Bulldogs were back in front, 28-27, and the No. 1 team had the lead in the second half. Gilmer answered with a touchdown to go up 33-28 and punched in the two-pointer to make it 35-28. At 33-28, a Carthage touchdown takes the lead back. At 35-28, the best Carthage can do with a touchdown is tie. It was the biggest snap of the night that nobody's talking about.
The game plan: run it at them until they quit. Gilmer threw seven passes all night against the No. 1 team in the state. Seven. Z. Taylor completed six of them, every one to K. Canady, for 74 yards and a touchdown. Everything else went on the ground, and #5 Kipton Neighbors carried 22 times for 242 yards and four touchdowns, 11 yards a carry. Carthage knew what was coming every snap and couldn't stop it. That isn't luck. That's a staff that looked at the best team in the district and decided to beat it where it stood.
The fourth quarter: Neighbors, then the dagger. Both teams scored twice, but the big plays came on Gilmer's side. Neighbors broke a 70-yarder straight up the middle, by the account of fans following it live, plus another big run right before the clincher. Then #3 Aiden Thomas went 40 to put it away. Carthage also got lucky on a late squib kick that Gilmer came a step short of taking to the house. That would have been the cherry on top.
Grading ourselves first. Our preview said Carthage 42, Gilmer 31, and said Carthage would pull away by halftime if Gilmer was short-handed. Gilmer was short-handed and led at halftime anyway. We had Carthage's number exactly right and Gilmer's 18 short. It's the best thing we've been wrong about all year.
The Carthage excuse report card
The Longview Gameday post about this game passed 1,500 reactions and 400 shares overnight. Half of the comments under it came from Bulldog fans who couldn't sleep. Here's how their arguments graded out.
"We had five starters out." Grade: F. It was four. Then five. The count went up every hour the post stayed up. Gilmer had three out and played a receiver at running back. That receiver ran for 242. Next.
"The refs." Grade: F-minus. The refs didn't run for 242 yards, and they didn't go 40 for the dagger. Gilmer scored 49 points. Find a ref who can call 49 points into existence and we'll hire him.
"38 straight. 151 games and four losses." Grade: Cool story. What's the 2026 record against Gilmer? Exactly. Nobody in Gilmer cares what Carthage did in 2024. You're welcome to keep bringing it up, though. It's a great way to avoid talking about Friday.
"Gilmer won't make it that far. Gilmer doesn't stand a chance." Grade: D. Somebody actually typed that under a post about Gilmer beating Carthage. Read it back slowly.
"See you in Jerry World. Title number 12." Grade: Incomplete. You have to get there first, and the road there probably runs back through Gilmer. Bring the five starters. Bring the refs you like. Bring the 38-game streak. Oh, wait.
Who did it
- #5 Kipton Neighbors: 22 carries, 242 yards, 4 touchdowns, including a 70-yarder up the middle by the account of fans following it live. Carthage didn't have an answer and still doesn't.
- #3 Aiden Thomas: the 40-yard dagger, then the freestyle. A big night on both ends.
- #2 Z. Taylor: 6 of 7 for 74 yards and a touchdown. When the run game averages 11 a carry, the quarterback's job is to never miss, and he missed once.
- #10 K. Canady: 6 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, so every completion went to him.
Four takes. Come fight us.
1. Kipton Neighbors is the best running back in East Texas. Not "one of." The best. Put a name up against 242 and four on the No. 1 team in the state. We'll wait.
If these two meet again, Gilmer wins again. Same refs, different refs, full roster, whatever. Gilmer wins.
2. Gilmer wins the rematch. Carthage fans say it'll be different with everybody healthy. Gilmer gets healthier too, and Gilmer now knows exactly how this goes. Carthage doesn't get to walk on the field acting like it can't lose anymore. That's gone.
3. Carthage fans are a lot more worried than they're acting. Nobody writes that many comments at midnight about a team they aren't scared of.
4. The freestyle was the second-best thing Aiden Thomas did Friday night. Fight us on the order, not the list.
The doubt era for this team is over. There's stuff to tighten up before November, like that empty drive out of halftime and getting a stop when it counts. Those are fixes, not questions. Gilmer belongs, and Friday settled it.
Next up: Spring Hill
Gilmer plays a district road game at Spring Hill in Longview on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:00 p.m. That's the last regular-season game before the bracket.
Which grade was too easy? Carthage fans, the floor is yours on the DaqsPickEm Facebook page. Then put your picks where your mouth is on DaqsPickEm.