By Kyle LoJacono
The Gaither football team looked like it would escape its district showdown with Chamberlain Oct. 27 with the victory needed to clinch consecutive playoff berths.
Then the Chiefs (4-4, 3-1) got the ball for their final possession 84 yards from the goal line with 2:45 remaining in the game.
Chamberlain marched the ball down to the Cowboys’ (6-2, 3-1) 8-yard line. On the 14th play of the drive with 1.2 seconds on the clock, wide receiver Jermaine Gilyard took a reverse across the field and up the middle to put the Chiefs up 19-17 with no time remaining.
“Football is just a microcosm of life,” said Gaither coach Jason Stokes. “It mirrors life almost exactly. You get knocked down and things don’t always go your way even when you fight your hardest. The only choice you have is come back swinging. We did enough to win, and we did enough to lose. That’s how life goes, but these kids are going to show character and these coaches are going to show character. We’re going to come back and fight next week.”
The Cowboys made the postseason last year and reached the regional finals for just the second time in the program’s 28-year history, but they must beat Class 7A-District 7 leader Tampa Bay Tech Nov. 2 to stay alive in the playoff race.
Stokes had a powerful question for his players moments after dropping the contest.
“Are we going to be the biggest disappointment in this county, or are we going to fight?” Stokes said.
Gaither took the lead just before Chamberlain’s final possession.
The Cowboys took the ball on a 10-play, 66-yard drive capped off by quarterback Alex McGough finding wide receiver Marcus Brown for an 8-yard touchdown.
The score nearly didn’t happen. McGough had to run back 10 yards to pick up a bad snap that went skipping across the field while in the shotgun formation.
McGough, who finished 14-of-21 passing for 152 yards, scooped up the ball and fired a strike to Brown (four catches, 43 yards) on the left side of the end zone.
Unfortunately for Gaither, it was their only offensive touchdown of the night. The squad finished with 179 total yards.
“No doubt we’ve got to get more offensive production,” Stokes said. “We got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.”
The Cowboys gave up a 48-yard rushing touchdown to Chiefs running back Xavier Johnson 3:96 into the contest to go behind 7-0, but the defense slowed them down until the fourth quarter.
Gaither forced a fumble on Chamberlain’s next drive and took over on its own 3-yard line. The Cowboys also recorded four sacks, three from University of Iowa commit Ernest Suttles.
“Defensively, we held strong,” Stokes said. “We knew this wasn’t going to be a 7-7 game. We bend and bend, and I wish we could have held toward the end, but we didn’t.”
The Chiefs scored touchdowns on their last two drives thanks in large part to incorporating a passing attack in their read-option offense. They threw the ball 13 times in the contest, eight of which came during their final two drives.
Chamberlain was able to overcome losing Johnson, who entered the game with 684 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, in the second quarter with an ankle injury.
“Give it up to Chamberlain,” Stokes said. “Those kids played hard. They’re tough, their coach is tough minded, and it shows in his kids. Half of them go both ways. They had injuries and didn’t make excuses. They lost their best player in the second quarter, and they found a way to win the game.”
Gaither’s first points came on a 27-yard field goal by Dalton Gilson with 1:57 left in the first half, which was set up by Samson Moore blocking a punt deep in Chiefs territory.
The Cowboys took a 10-7 lead with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter when senior Dom Neglio blocked another punt, which was scooped up by senior Jeshua Williams and taken 48 yards for a touchdown.
Chamberlain regained the lead 13-10 with 5:40 left in the contest when James Martin caught a 17-yard pass. Gaither answered with Brown’s touchdown less than three minutes later.
The Chiefs travel to Steinbrenner Nov. 2, while the Cowboys host Tampa Bay Tech. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
Wins by Chamberlain and Gaither would create a three-way tie in the district.
A Cowboys victory and a Chiefs loss would give Gaither the district championship.
A Cowboys loss ends any chance of the playoffs.
“It’s do or die,” Stokes said. “Character check time.”
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
