GILMER, Texas — The Gilmer community is known as one of the most passionate fanbases for their school's athletics in East Texas.
The Meet the Buckeyes event on Saturday night at Jeff Traylor Stadium in Gilmer was no exception. Food trucks, bounce houses and more welcomed the fans as they made their way to the stadium for the event. Once the stadium was full, the athlete introductions began.
"We want this town to be able to celebrate all the kids that are up here. All the extracurricular activities," said Gilmer Football Head Coach Alan Metzel. "We have so many great programs and we’re so proud of them. So, we want to celebrate it tonight, kind of kick off the year.”
Immense fan support is the usual for the die-hard Buckeye fan base. Metzel said it's the entire community of Gilmer that makes it so special to be a Buckeye.
"We can’t go to a restaurant anywhere without somebody asking when the first game is, when the scrimmages start, who the quarterback is, all those kinds of things. Everyone in this town loves the Buckeyes, and we eat it up," Metzel said.
For the players, having a fan base that provides so much support makes a world of difference on and off the field.
They also recognize the importance of being a Buckeye, and just what it means to the entire town to be able to represent a team with so much history and success.
"For me to be a Gilmer Buckeye, it's amazing," said Omero Orona. "I've been here since Pre-K, I grew up here. It really is amazing, everybody loves everybody in this community."