Gilmer’s Ashton Haynes looks for running room during Friday’s Class 4A Division II state semifinal against Celina in Prosper. The Buckeyes won 27-7.

PROSPER — Gilmer advanced to its second straight Class 4A Division II state championship game with Friday’s 27-7 state semifinal win against Celina at Children’s Health Stadium.

The Buckeyes will appear in the state’s football title game for the eighth time since 1981 when they meet China Spring at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium next Friday. The game’s kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.

China Spring, on the other hand, reached the season final with Friday’s 34-9 win against Cuero at Round Rock’s Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex. (For more on China Spring’s win over Cuero, visit https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/)

“They put on so much pressure,” Gilmer athletic director and head football coach Alan Metzel said of what his team faced from Celina in its latest win. “You just gotta keep making the next play. It was a real mental discipline thing to be able to overcome that, and our guys did. We just kept pushing and got the victory.”

Gilmer jumped on the opposition on the game’s opening drive.

The Buckeyes produced an eight-play, 70-yard drive, and leaned on Ashton Haynes’ five carries for 26 yards and two-yard touchdown run to make it a 7-0 Buckeye advantage with 8:51 left in the first period. He finished the game with 13 runs for 44 yards.

Celina drove all the way to the Gilmer 32-yard line, but Troy Peterson’s fourth and three rushing attempt ended a yard short of a new first down with 4:57 left in the frame. That set the tone for the rest of the outing, which limited Celina to its lowest scoring since its 23-0 loss against Argyle on Sept. 10.

“Amazing,” Metzel said of his team’s defensive performance on Friday. “Came up over and over with stops.”

Gilmer’s defense also shined on the first play of the second quarter. Tyson Wilson intercepted Noah Bentley’s second pass attempt of the game and returned the ball to the Celina 26-yard line. The Buckeyes ultimately held Bentley to 16 first half passing yards.

The Buckeyes struggled with penalties throughout the first half. That was evident on their ensuing offensive drive. They were pushed back 20 yards by a trio of penalties, and finished the half with 10 penalties for 50 yards.

Brandon Tennison also struggled to run the ball in the early part of the first half. Halfway through the second quarter, he had five runs for -23 yards. But, he turned to his passing game right before halftime and started to find his groove through the air. He completed 15 of his 25 passes for 260 yards by game’s end.

Tennison connected with Rohan Fluellen on back-to-back passing completions. The first play produced 31 yards and the second resulted in 28 yards.

Fluellen finished the night with nine catches for 185 yards.

Then, the Buckeyes turned to their run game to punch in their second score of the night. Ladaylon Jackson found enough space for a 12-yard touchdown run to make it a 14-0 score with 1:54 left in the first half.

Gilmer’s success continued in the second half. It started when the Buckeyes forced a one-yard loss on Bentley’s third and one rush attempt with four minutes left in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes then forced a Celina fourth down punt, and drove down the field for another score. This time, Tennison found Fluellen on a 19-yard touchdown pass before an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt, so it was a 20-0 game with 2:06 left in the frame.

Bentley only completed three of his first 15 passes in the game, but followed with a 40-yard strike to Brower Nickel to make it a 20-7 game with 8:49 left in the fourth.

Gilmer also forced a nine-yard Bentley loss on a fourth and 11 attempt with less than seven minutes remaining in the contest. The Buckeyes took advantage of their latest stop, and punched in the final score of the night on Haynes’ four-yard touchdown run with 6:28 left.