DALLAS -- In what has become a great postseason rivalry, the fourth installment of Gilmer vs. Argyle may have been the best of all.

Ian Sadler scored two of his five touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead the top-ranked Eagles to a 45-38 victory over No. 4 Gilmer in their Class 3A Division II Region II semifinal Friday night at Kincaide Stadum.

Argyle (13-0) will face the winner between Gladewater (6-6) and Gainesville (11-0), which play Saturday afternoon in Royse City, next week for the regional championship. Gilmer finished its season 11-2.

Argyle's Nick Ralston is brought down by Gilmer's Blevin Burns during their Class 3A Division II Region II semifinal Friday night in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Argyle's Nick Ralston is brought down by Gilmer's Blevin Burns during their Class 3A Division II Region II semifinal Friday night in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
loading...

Argyle took 41-14 and 51-35 victories in 2010 and 2011 before Gilmer's 42-21 third-round win last season. In that game, the Gilmer defense suffocated Argyle's dynamic duo of Sadler and Nick Ralston to a combined 123 yards on 27 touches.

It was a different story this time around.

Sadler, a senior committed to Texas Tech, and Ralston led Argyle's 314-yard rushing effort. Sadler rushed for 182 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries, and added a 29-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. Ralston finished with 129 yards on 14 rushing attempts.

Gilmer senior quarterback Tanner Barr was 22-of-41 for 291 yards with four touchdowns and one interception to lead the Buckeyes. Barr also ran for a team-high 85 yards, 65 of which came on a second-quarter touchdown. Junior Kris Boyd had four catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, and gained 25 yards on eight carries.

Pablin Olivares' 35-yard field goal cut Gilmer's deficit to 38-31 with 4:52 remaining. But despite being armed with all three timeouts, the Buckeyes elected to try an onside kick, which Argyle recovered at the Gilmer 47. Six plays later, Sadler's 16-yard touchdown gave Argyle a 45-31 lead with 2:19 remaining.

Gilmer's Jaidon Parrish regains control of the ball after hauling in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Barr in the Buckeyes' 45-38 loss to Argyle on Friday night in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Gilmer's Jaidon Parrish regains control of the ball after hauling in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Barr in the Buckeyes' 45-38 loss to Argyle on Friday night in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
loading...

Gilmer began the ensuing drive at its own 44, and got within one score when Barr connected with Boyd for a 22-yard touchdown on fourth-and-4. Olivares' PAT made it 45-38 with 1:35 remaining, but Gilmer's onside-kick attempt traveled out of bounds, giving Argyle the ball and ultimately the win.

Cole Hedlund's 41-yard field goal as time expired in the opening half gave Argyle a 24-21 halftime lead, but Gilmer drove 87 yards in 13 plays on its opening possession of the third quarter, taking a 28-24 lead on Barr's 11-yard pass to Darrian Lewis with 7:50 showing in the third.

Argyle had the answer, moving 64 yards in 11 plays, going back in front, 31-28, with a Sadler 8-yard touchdown run with 3:31 remaining in the third. Gilmer's next drive showed promise as the Buckeyes moved the ball inside the Argyle 30, but the Eagles' Hunter Treadwell pounced on a Barr fumble.

The Eagles couldn't take advantage of the miscue, but Gilmer's next drive stalled at its own 30 with Argyle taking over possession at its own 33. On first down, Ralston rumbled 58 yards inside the Gilmer 10, and after a face mask penalty moved the ball to the 5, Sadler walked in with his fourth touchdown on the night to give Argyle a 38-28 lead early in the fourth.

Gilmer quarterback Tanner Barr runs upfield during the Buckeyes' 45-38 loss to Argyle on Friday in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Gilmer quarterback Tanner Barr runs upfield during the Buckeyes' 45-38 loss to Argyle on Friday in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
loading...

Gilmer scored on its opening possession of the game. A 63-yard completion from Barr to Boyd on third-and-long set up Barr's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jaidon Parrish for a 7-0 lead with 7:32 remaining in the opening quarter.

Argyle fumbled on its next drive, but Drew Estrada intercepted Barr and returned the ball to the Gilmer 29 to set up Brandon Boyzuick's scoring strike to Sadler, which evened the game at 7-7.

Gilmer then went three-and-out on three consecutive possessions, while Argyle built a 21-7 second-quarter lead on Boyzuick's 10-yard touchdown pass to Jon Michael Pucciarello and a 29-yard run from Sadler, which ended with the Argyle star hurdling a pair of Gilmer defenders at the goal line.

Barr and Gilmer came up with a big response, as the Buckeyes quarterback kept on the zone-read option and found nothing but wide-open spaces in front of him for a 65-yard touchdown, which cut the Argyle lead to 21-14 with 5:17 remaining in the second.

Argyle fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which set Gilmer up at the Eagles' 18. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Barr connected with Josh Walker for the game-tying score before Argyle took the halftime lead on Hedlund's 41-yard field goal.

Gilmer's Kris Boyd fights off Argyle defender Colton Katzen during their Class 3A Division II Region II semifinal Friday night in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Gilmer's Kris Boyd fights off Argyle defender Colton Katzen during their Class 3A Division II Region II semifinal Friday night in Dallas. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
loading...

---

Argyle 45, Gilmer 38

Class 3A Division II Region II Semifinal
Kincaide Stadium, Dallas

Argyle                  7   17    7   14    --    45
Gilmer                  7   14    7   10    --    38
First Quarter
GIL--Jaidon Parrish 15 pass from Tanner Barr (Pablin Olivares kick), 7:32.
ARG--Ian Sadler 29 pass from Brandon Boyzuick (Cole Hedlund kick), 4:36.
Second Quarter
ARG--Jon Michael Pucciarello 10 pass from Boyzuick (Hedlund kick), 9:43.
ARG--Sadler 29 run (Hedlund kick), 6:52.
GIL--Barr 65 run (Olivares kick), 5:17.
GIL--Josh Walker 1 pass from Walker (Olivares kick), 1:41.
ARG--FG Hedlund 41, :00.
Third Quarter
GIL--Darrian Lewis 11 pass from Barr (Olivares kick), 7:50.
ARG--Sadler 8 run (Hedlund kick), 3:31.
Fourth Quarter
ARG--Sadler 5 run (Hedlund kick), 8:07.
GIL--FG Olivares 35, 4:52.
ARG--Sadler 16 run (Hedlund kick), 2:19.
GIL--Kris Boyd 22 pass from Barr (Olivares kick), 1:35.

                                         ARG              GIL
First Downs                            25               20
Total Yards                            472             453
Rushes-Yards                   44-314         29-162
Passing Yards                        158             291
Comp.-Att.-Int.                10-19-0        22-41-1
Punts-Avg.                         3-29.3         4-34.8
Fumbles-Lost                          3-2              2-1
Penalties-Yards                      3-25           6-39

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Argyle, Ian Sadler 28-182, Nick Ralston 14-129, Jon Michael Pucciarello 1-4, Connor Wilson 1-(-1). Gilmer, Tanner Barr 10-85, Kris Boyd 8-25, Jamel Jackson 2-17, Darrian Lewis 3-12, Jaidon Parrish 2-11, Chase Tate 1-9, Josh Walker 1-5, DeVondrick Dixon 2-(-2).
PASSING--Argyle, Brandon Boyzuick 10-18-0--158, Sadler 0-1-0--0. Gilmer, Barr 22-41-1--291.
RECEIVING--Argyle, Pucciarello 3-30, Sadler 2-38, Wilson 2-33, Hunter Treadwell 1-23, J.C. Chalk 1-18, Ralston 1-16. Gilmer, Tate 7-66, Boyd 4-116, Desmond Pollard 3-39, Nick Smith 3-30, Walker 2-9, Parrish 1-15, Lewis 1-11, Dixon 1-5.

More From East Texas Sports Network