Celina mistakes help Gilmer roll into state title game

By the time Gilmer took a snap from its own territory Friday night, it was already assured that field position wasn’t going to matter much at all.

The Buckeyes scored on their first five possessions, four of which started inside the 50, and sped to a 67-14 win over Celina in the Class 4A Division II semifinals at SMU’s Ford Stadium.

Gilmer (15-0) will play West Orange-Stark (13-2) for the state championship at noon Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Blake Lynch, a Baylor commitment, troubled Celina (12-3) on both sides of the ball in the first half. The 6-foot-4 receiver caught a 37-yard touchdown pass on Gilmer’s second play of the game and a 29-yard touchdown two minutes later.

Then, on the last play of the first quarter, Lynch lined up at quarterback and took the snap 44 yards around the left side of the Celina defense to put Gilmer up 33-0.

He finished with 146 yards receiving, 55 yards rushing and four total touchdowns.

Celina tried an onside kick to start the game but couldn’t recover. After getting the ball back, the Bobcats fumbled to set Gilmer up inside the 25.

That was followed by Lynch’s second score, which was followed by a Celina punt. After another Gilmer touchdown, Celina went three and out and botched the snap on a punt, setting the Buckeyes up inside the 30.

The Bobcats had a chance to cut Gilmer’s lead to three possessions before Lynch intercepted a Nathan Elliott pass with seconds left in the first half.

Kris Boyd, another highly touted Gilmer recruit, scored on a 21-yard run in the third quarter to put the Buckeyes up 47-7.

Lynch added a 60-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

This story was originally published December 12, 2014 at 11:38 PM with the headline "Celina mistakes help Gilmer roll into state title game."