Player of the Year leaves Canton for Gilmer
By RICK KRETZSCHMAR
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
A football player that had a big hand in ending Gilmer's football season last year is now part of the Buckeye family.
G.J. Kinne, the Associated Press Sports Editors' and Texas Sports Writers Association's Class 3A Offensive Player of the Year, has transferred from Canton to Gilmer. Jocelyne Carter, Kinne's mother, confirmed that her son enrolled at Gilmer High School on Tuesday.
Kinne transfers to Gilmer after an unusually eventful 2005. Gary Joe Kinne, Kinne's father and Canton's coach, was shot by an irate parent, Jeff Robertson, on April 7. Robertson was sentenced to 20 years in prison March 1.
The elder Kinne recovered and with G.J. at quarterback, helped Canton to a 12-2 season and the Region II, Class 3A Division II final, the best season in school history. Gary Joe Kinne is now an assistant coach at Baylor University.
Carter said she and her current husband, Kyle Carter, prefer a small-town environment for G.J. and her other son, McLane Carter, who is in the third grade.
"My husband and I made this move because of the shooting. I never want to live in a major metropolitan area again," Jocelyne Carter said. "It's hard for G.J. transferring before his senior year. It would have been harder transferring to a big-school environment."
As a junior last season, G.J. passed for 3,859 yards and 41 touchdowns, rushed for 847 yards and 15 touchdowns and played safety on defense. G.J. has received recruiting interest from Texas, Alabama, Miami and Baylor.
G.J. accounted for 490 total yards of offense and seven touchdowns as Canton defeated Gilmer in an epic Class 3A Division II area playoff, 61-58, on Nov. 18. Gilmer won the Class 3A Division II state title in 2004.
The transfer could cause a dilemma at quarterback for Gilmer. Last year's starter for the Buckeyes, Jamell Kennedy, was a first-team selection on the News-Journal's All-East Texas team. Kennedy passed for 2,254 yards, with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Gilmer coach Jeff Traylor said it's too early to determine who will play where concerning G.J. and Kennedy. Because Gilmer is a Class 3A school, it does not have spring football.
"If Jamell doesn't play quarterback, he'll be on the field somewhere," Traylor said. "It will work itself out. We'll get through it."
G.J.'s transfer could also enhance an already potent offense.
Junior receiver Curtis Brown, who has orally committed to the University of Texas, caught 63 passes for 974 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2005. Running back Justin Johnson was a Co-Offensive Newcomer of the Year on the All-East Texas team as a sophomore.