When asked which of his defensive players turned in the best performance in Friday’s first-round playoff victory over Central-Macon, Dublin coach Roger Holmes didn’t hesitate to to single out Emanuel Gilmore.

And it would appear that Gilmore, a junior defensive tackle, wholeheartedly agrees with his coach’s choice.

“I feel like I played great,” Gilmore said. “I think it was the best night I had all season.”

He seemed to spend the entire night in Central’s offensive backfield, blowing up play after play in amassing eight total tackles and, by his count, two sacks of Chargers quarterback Kelcey Butts.

It was enough for Gilmore to become the first primarily defensive player to be named the Heart of Georgia Player of the Week this season.

“The other night was a good ball game, but he’s been very consistent for us all year,” Holmes said.

Gilmore, who is in his second year as a starter, doubles as a center, but said he hasn’t been asked to play much offense this year.

“He’s a very capable offensive lineman,” Holmes said.

“He actually played a lot on the offensive line last year, but this year we had a few guys step up to where he didn’t have to.”

Gilmore didn’t play any offense against Central, which allowed him to focus all his energy on stopping Central’s option offense.

“He’s been a mainstay (on defense),” Holmes said. “He’s starting to make more plays from sideline to sideline and for a big guy, that’s impressive.”

The whole Dublin defense was pretty impressive in the 17-6 win over the Chargers, holding Central to just 158 total yards, pitching a second-half shutout and forcing a pair of turnovers.

Take away a 78-yard run by Adam Crump that set up Central’s only score, and the Irish allowed just 56 yards on 26 carries. That’s a mere 2.2 yards per rush.

A dual threat at quarterback, Butts was held to minus-six yards on 13 carries and just 24 yards passing as he faced constant pressure, whether he was trying to run or throw.

“Our defensive line played real hard, just stepping it up,” Gilmore said.

They’ll attempt to do so again this Friday against an even more formidable opponent, the Thomasville Bulldogs, in a second-round match up at the Shamrock Bowl.

But no matter what happens in that game, Gilmore still has another full year ahead of him during which to don a Fighting Irish uniform.

He said he’s open to playing beyond high school, and has even gotten a little attention at this relatively early stage.

“I’ve thought a lot about playing in college. Georgia Southern has talked to me some,” he said.”