I was at that game...surely it hasn't been 10 years!?!?!! :eek:
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That Mabank game was miserable. Period
I'm pretty sure the game we're talking about was the one against Mabank when Browning was their QB. We played Jasper twice in '09. The first game of the season was in Nac. It wasn't cold, but it was a little wet. The second meeting was in TMF / Rose Stadium in bi-district. Of course we won both games convincing, and went on to win another state championship with Stump as our QB.
Stump was about as special a player as you will see. He was a competitor, very skilled, and very heady. He always had a grasp on the situation in any game, and would take a game over in a heartbeat. I miss his skill set. He always seemed to know exactly what to do and when to do it, whether it be drop a ball perfectly into a receiver's arms at 50 yards, throw a 30-yard zinger on a line into tight coverage perfectly, or take off running to get the first down and more. I think he was the best overall QB we've ever had at Gilmer, and that's saying something with the likes of Derek McKenzie (Poppy's older brother), G.J. Kinne, Luke Turner, Tanner Barr, and McLane Carter to compare to. Yes, the defense was definitely good enough in them days to get enough stops for us to overcome other teams' offensive prowess.
You brought back some fond memories. Poppy is good in his own right. He's not the prototypical QB because of his height, but he can still run and pass with the best of them. I don't think Poppy has the supporting cast the previous QBs had, though. Who knows, they may be good enough, though. We'll see.
Stump was a killer. Kris Boyd was a killer. DeMarco Boyd was a killer. Manuel Johnson was a killer.
All of these dudes could just flat out take over a game at a moment's notice, and did just that on several occasions. They wouldn't be beat. They wouldn't be denied. When they saw the chance for the kill, they took it, and there wasn't anything that was going to stop them. Gilmer, this year, from what I've seen, just doesn't have a killer on the roster. And, yet, the talent is such that they still might make it all the way.
Poppy is that guy. He has the heart of a lion. He hates losing and he could very well carry us farther than I think we will go. The problem is he just doesn't have quite the supporting cast. If we get beat it will not be because Poppy Brown did not give way more than his 100%
Haha..., there are some of those in every crowd. That's why I sit where I sit. I don't want to be having to tell people to shut up with the negativity.
Poppy does have the heart of a lion, and I'll have to agree that the supporting cast he has is not nearly what we've had in the past. The other side of the ball is what will determine how far we go.