By Lonnie Turner
Averaging over 500 yards a game in total offense for the year, the Gilbert Indians ran into a huge stumbling block in their quest for a perfect season and a trip to a state title in the 3-A high school classification. The Nasty Cat defense of the Dillon Wildcats held the high flying Indians to only 245 yards Friday night in the far out places just off Interstate 20, west of Lexington. It felt almost like we were headed to another Timberland High School, which you all know what that is like down in the St. Stephens area! The one-two punch for Indians, DeAndre Cook and Cody Temple were held to 35 and 23 yards respectively on the ground and quarterback Cody Strickland was sacked four times on the way to minus 24 yards for the game. He did connect with six different receivers for a total of 202 yards, but failed to get into the end-zone.
The Wildcats took the opening kick-off and drove 70 yards in nine plays, mixing the run and timely passes to get into the Indian end zone after only three and a half minutes. On the drive Jalen Williams, who has rushed for over 1,500 yards for the season, ran the ball five times for 57 yards and Jay Lester hit Ty’Quan Porter with a 17 yard scoring pass to give the Cats a 7-0 lead.
The defense forced a fumble by quarterback Strickland at the Dillon 32-yard line and Lester went to work through the air for the Cats. Ty Rogers was on the receiving end of two consecutive passes for 65 yards and a 26-yard strike to Corrian Wright set up a six yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation by Zareon Hayes, his first of three such scoring runs of the game. Place kicker Ahmad Dawad was right on target for the first two extra points.
Lester and Wright got together one more time before the halftime intermission. On the first play after the third punt by punter Jackson Digieso was downed at the Gilbert 45, Lester connected with the speedy receiver and he carried all the way to the 6-yard line to set up Hayes in the Wildcat for the se cond time. His TD and the kick by Dawad gave the Cats a 21-0 lead with 50 seconds remaining in the half. Gilbert went 3 and out following the kick-off and punted the ball away. Still under a minute to play, the Wildcats were able to get to the Indian 21 where Dawad tried a 38-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining on the scoreboard, but the try sailed off to the left of the uprights.
Gilbert wasn’t able to get anything going as they took the 2nd half kickoff and on third down, Tae’Ran Bogin intercepted Strickland and returned the ball to the Indians 24-yard line. Three plays later Wright ran into the end-zone from 7 ards out for a 27-0 lead, but Dawad’s PAT attempt was off again to his left.
Hayes scored his third touchdown from inside the ten with 4 minutes remaining in the third quarter to end a 76 yard drive in ten plays. The Appalachian State commit ran the ball in from the seven to end the Dillon scoring.
The Indians finslly got sa scoring drive going near the end of the fourth quarter, going 84 yards in ten plays with DeAndre Cook running in from three yards out. The point after was good and the Gilbert season came to an end.
The Wildcats, by beating Gilbert, which had the home field advantage throughout the playoffs, will be at home for the lower stste chssmpionship Friday against Brookland-Cayce, a 28-12 winner over Timberland last week. It will be a chance for the B-C Bearcats to get revenge for last year’s loss to the Wildcats