GILMER, Texas — As the Gilmer Buckeyes are preparing to compete in the 4A-DII state championship game against Bellville, so are the fans -- one in particular!
"I’m very, very excited," said Buckeyes super fan Scarlett Walden. "I think we have a great chance of winning the game. I think we stand a chance of winning against Bellville."
At just 9-years-old, Scarlett has become the biggest and best-known Gilmer fan around. Scarlett roots hard for all the Buckeyes, but definitely the hardest for Will Henderson.
"Well, Will, he would always catch my eye the most because he was like, very very good at football, and I just loved the way that he played," Scarlett said. "And of course, I love the Buckeyes as much as I love him, but he’s just been my favorite player since the whole year."
The connection really formed when Will started acknowledging Scarlett and her signs at games, shown on her mom, Whitley’s, Facebook page. He takes pictures with Scarlett, he points to her in the crowd, and he even takes some of her souvenirs home with him.
"He’s so nice," Scarlett said. "He has all of my posters that I give to him, I give them to him every game, and he has all of them hanging up in his room on his wall."
Will even lets Scarlett hold the trophy after Gilmer wins and moves on, which has happened a lot recently.
"It just made me feel really special because I felt like I was a part of the Gilmer Buckeye community," said Scarlett.
When Gilmer takes the field at AT&T Stadium on Friday, you you better believe Scarlett, and her signs, will be in the stands!