(FLORENCE, Ariz.) Gilbert Christian football showed sparks of greatness in its opener on Friday, but eventually fell 42-28 to a talented Florence Gophers' team on its senior night. Senior Kaleb Powell was a clear standout in the affair on both ends of the field, while junior running back Sam Webb collected a pair of touchdowns for the Knights' offense.
"I was so proud of our team's effort tonight," head coach John Carlson said. "It is physically very challenging to play both ways, and we had eight or nine guys who played most of the game. That demonstrates a lot of mental toughness, and I thought that they stuck together and fought back when we were down. We have a lot to clean up, but this is a great group of kids and I know that we are going to learn from this experience."
Florence lit up the scoreboard first, taking the lead at the 3:26 mark in the opening quarter. The Knights looked like they would answer, following a trek down the field that featured impressive grabs from senior Andrew McGuigan and sophomore Kamari Stanbury, and solid runs from senior Nate Dickinson and Webb, but a holding penalty set Gilbert Christian back and an incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs.
The Knights' defense turned up the heat in the second, sacking the Gophers' quarterback twice on back-to-back plays, which resulted in FHS' own turnover on downs. Stanbury put on a mesmerizing display in the subsequent drive, but GCS could not convert on the offensive end and another turnover gave the Gophers a 14-0 edge heading into the break.
The momentum swayed back and forth in the third, but saw the Knights up the intensity and get on the board after junior quarterback Tyler Burr connected with Stanbury for Gilbert Christian's first touchdown of the year. The pendulum swung quickly back to Florence, however, as they gained a 28-7 advantage with two quick scores. Burr responded on the Knights' next drive, hitting Stanbury and McGuigan before Webb exploded up the sideline to narrow the margin to 28-13, and Powell's bullseye extra point made it 28-14 with 5:39 remaining in the third.
Florence's drive was cut very short by an athletic Dickinson interception and 35-yard dash to what was marked as the one-yard line. Florence's defense stopped the Knights for a loss but an official timeout gave GCS time to talk it over, and a Burr run brought it to fourth and three. The gamble on fourth down paid off as Webb scrambled in, and Powell kicked another to bring the gap to just seven (28-21).
McGuigan's and Powell's defense was elite on the ensuing three plays, but the Gophers squeezed a yard on the crucial next down leading to a touchdown from the FHS quarterback.
Down 35-21 with 9:04 on the ticker, the Knights put together a patient five-minute drive which featured a Webb run, a couple of Burr to Stanbury completions, and two more from Burr to Powell, with the second resulting in a Knights' touchdown.
Unfortunately, 35-28 was as close as it would get, as Florence pulled away with one more TD at the end to bring the final to 42-28.
"I thought the team played its heart out tonight," Powell said. "I thought that we worked really hard all four quarters. We have a new offense this year, and there were a lot of little mistakes that cost us this game, that need to be fixed. Once we fix those mistakes, I think we will be a threat."
Powell finished the game with a touchdown, four extra points, four receptions and five solo tackles, including a couple of sacks.
Webb rushed for 182 yards on the night, and pair of touchdowns. Burr amassed 201 passing yards, two passing TD's and 14 completions. Stanbury tallied 84 yards on seven receptions and scored a touchdown in the match-up.
Senior Jesse Morales led the defense with eight assisted tackles, and a pair of solos.
With the loss, GCHS moves to 0-1 on the year. The team travels to Arizona Lutheran Academy next Friday, August 25th for a 7:00pm matchup.
-GO KNIGHTS-
**Statistics courtesy of GCHS student statistician directly after game, may be subject to change with film review
