Kris Boyd Returns to Gilmer After Short Stint at State 7-on-7 Tournament

COLLEGE STATION -- Kris Boyd spent a good amount of time Friday morning trying to make it to Veterans Park and Athletic Complex to play in Gilmer's run at the Division II 7-on-7 state championship and ultimately participated in a 20-18 second-round loss against Kaufman.

The air trip from Beaverton, Ore., to College Station yielded about 40 minutes of experience for one of the nation's top senior recruits currently uncommitted to a college.

Gilmer fell to Kaufman in its second playoff game of the day. The team was on its way home shortly before noon, three hours after the multipurpose athlete landed at Easterwood Airport with a layover in Houston.

"It was still good to be out here and kind of get the vibe rolling again," Boyd said. "Being out there was a great experience, but I'm back with the home team. Today we learned a lot about how to deal with adversity and did it with our friends."

Boyd spent most of the week an invite-only camp called The Opening with some of the top senior high school football players from across the country. The camp is sponsored by Nike and aired on a number of ESPN platforms.

He arrived in College Station decked out in new Nike gear. He had a new backpack, new socks and new cleats.

The 7-on-7 championships, however, are sponsored by Adidas. The first trick was getting Boyd the gear the rest of the Buckeyes received Thursday.

Between a delayed arrival, the registration process and the outfitting phase, he was too late to participate in Gilmer's 38-26 opening playoff win against Stafford.

Kaufman proved to be quite the challenge behind its quarterback, Jackson Fritz.

The Lions cruised out to a 20-6 lead after 20 minutes of the 40-minute, continuous clock game even with Boyd in the lineup as a cornerback and receiver.

It was not fun being around Gilmer at halftime. The team had gone 3-0 in qualifying play Thursday and had not faced a serious deficit through the tournament.

The second half was all Buckeyes though.

Gilmer quarterback McLane Carter connected with Baylor verbal commitment Blake Lynch for a 30-yard touchdown pass on the squad's opening drive of the second frame. That cut Kaufman's lead to a manageable 20-12 deficit with plenty of time to play.

Demarco Boyd picked off Fritz on the Lions' first offensive series of the half, but he dropped a touchdown on the final play of the ensuing drive for a turnover on downs.

Kaufman dropped its own easy touchdown the following series before Damarco Boyd redeemed himself on the offensive side with an intermediate touchdown catch.

A two-point conversion play from the 10-yard line failed and the score held at 20-18.

Kris Boyd ended the Lions' next drive with a pass breakup to end. A turnover on towns.

Carter connected with Lynch for a significant gain after the final of Gilmer's four second half stops, but time expired before the Buckeyes could get another snap.

With that, Kris Boyd began the final phase of his trip home.

"The flights had me a little nervous, just getting on a plane," Kris Boyd said. "There was a three-hour delay, but when I finally got out here I was just happy to be here. We'll have a good trip home."