[By Colby Fleet, Special to ETSN.fm]

LONGVIEW — Sophomore running back Kris Boyd and the Gilmer ground attack wore down Atlanta on Friday night.

Gilmer dominated on the ground outgaining Atlanta 335-174, and shut down Atlanta’s two premier running backs to win 57-13 in a Class 3A Division II Region II area playoff at Lobo Stadium.

Gilmer (11-1) will play Argyle for the third straight year in the regional round at 7 p.m. Friday at Mesquite Memorial Stadium. Argyle eliminated the Buckeyes from the playoffs in the same round the last two years. Atlanta finished its season at 5-7.

Boyd could not be contained, running 15 times for 169 yards and three scores. On the game’s opening possession, junior quarterback Tanner Barr moved the chains on two consecutive completions—the first to Chase Tate and the second to Trey Washington—that set up Boyd’s 34-yard touchdown run for the game’s first score.

Atlanta answered the score on a lengthy 11-play drive that consisted of seven runs by Everett Dickerson and Corion Webster to set up QB Chase Musgrove’s 6-yard keeper for a 7-7 game at the 2:56 mark in the first quarter.

Gilmer running back and Texas A&M commit Josh Walker had a 3-yard touchdown run on his only carry of the half and Boyd added a 24-yard run to extend the Gilmer lead 21-7 at intermission.

Atlanta’s Musgrove reeled off two big plays coming out of halftime, including a 54-yard run down to the Gilmer 31-yard line and a 27-yard toss to Nick Stiger. Everett Dickerson’s five-yard touchdown run cut Gilmer’s led to eight, 21-13.

DeVondrick Dixon erased any doubt of an Atlanta comeback, when he took the ensuing kickoff back 81 yards for a score and took the life out of the Atlanta faithful.

Walker scored a 1-yard touchdown and recovered a fumble for 24 yards and a score on Gilmer’s next two possessions, while Boyd added a 14-yard touchdown and sophomore backup quarterback McLane Carter hooked up with fellow sophomore Desmond Pollard on a wide-open 31-yard touchdown down the left sideline to put an exclamation point on the victory.

Gilmer's defense suffocated Atlanta's running game, holding the Rabbits to 235 total yards and 174 on the ground. Webster, an Oklahoma State commit, managed just 38 yards on 17 carries.

The Buckeyes only needed to throw 10 times, and Barr completed 5 of 9 passes for 50 yards.

Gilmer's Dylan Bowman fights for yardage against Atlanta's Alan Fonteneaux on Friday night in Longview. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Gilmer's Dylan Bowman fights for yardage against Atlanta's Alan Fonteneaux on Friday night in Longview. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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