LONGVIEW -- The game was hyped all week. The stands were full an hour prior to kickoff. The standing-room only crowd of more than 12,000 was left to wonder if Friday's much-anticipated showdown between rivals Gilmer and Gladewater would live up to the billing.
It certainly did.
Kris Boyd's 23-yard touchdown run with nine seconds remaining capped an eight-play, 82-yard drive and sent the third-ranked Gilmer Buckeyes to a heart-stopping 41-35 victory over No. 8 Gladewater in their Class 4A Division II Region II semifinal at Lobo Stadium.