Gibbs Eagles win Class 4A postseason showdown with Elizabethton

Gibbs scored the first 21 and final 14 points of its first-round Class 4A playoff game against Elizabethton on Friday.

Certainly doesn’t sound like a game that was only two points apart with less than two minutes to play.

But it was.

In between those scoring surges were some tense moments for the Eagles, but Gibbs came away with a 49-33 home win over the Cyclones to advance to the second round for the fifth straight season.

Gibbs (10-1) travels to undefeated White County (11-0) out of Sparta next Friday. A win would tie the school record for victories in a season and match the deepest into the playoffs the Eagles have advanced.

“It’s playoff football, you’re going to get the best from everybody at this point,” Gibbs coach Brad Turner said.

“It’s just whoever has the most points at the end of the game. And however that happens, we’re good with it.”

How it happened Friday was out of the ordinary. Aided by two forced fumbles in the first quarter, the Eagles bolted out to a 21-0 lead.

But despite an injury to their starting running back William McDuffie, who was relied upon heavily in the first half, Elizabethton (6-5) outscored Gibbs 24-7 in the middle quarters to make things interesting.

Interesting wasn’t how Eagles’ running back Tucker Ownby described it. The senior said watching the lead almost slip away made him sick.

Luckily, he had the remedy.

The Cyclones cut the deficit to 35-33 with 5:28 remaining on a field goal.

Gibbs countered with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up four minutes and nineteen seconds of clock.

Ownby ran the ball the final five plays of the drive for a total of 43 yards and the 5-yard touchdown that gave the Eagles a two-possession lead at 42-33 with 1:09 to play.

“To be honest, I was on the sideline about to throw up, it was sickening seeing that comeback,” Ownby said.

“But our team has been through adversity, we know how to stay in these games and win them. Anytime we’ve been behind or been in a close game this year we’ve always come through, and we’re an older team, we know what it’s like.”

Ownby and Trevor Nicely have shared the primary ballcarrying duties for Gibbs the majority of the season, and Friday was no different with both players surpassing 100 yards on the ground.

Turner said Ownby is the guy they turn to when the game is on the line.

“Tucker has ran the ball for us a lot over the past two or three years. Probably not as many carries this year, but when it’s third down and crunch time that’s our guy. Proud of him, he works hard, and he don’t get those holes if not for the guys up front.”

Senior receiver/defensive back Reid Daniel also had a fourth quarter to remember, scoring on both sides of the ball.

The quarter began with a decision for the Eagles. Facing 4th-and-12 on the Elizabethton 28 and ahead 28-24, Gibbs decided to go for it. And they didn’t just go for the first down, they went all the way for a touchdown.

Keith Jones Jr. connected with Daniel in the back of the endzone for the critical score.

“We’ve never run that before, so it was kind of unexpected,” Daniel said.

“I was ready though. It was a gutsy call and it worked out for us. The safety, they left me open, and Keith threw me a great pass so it worked out good.”

Daniel also scored the game’s final touchdown in the closing seconds, getting a jump on a wide receiver screen for a pick six. Daniel also had three interceptions in last Friday’s win over Carter.

“Reid just prepares so well, has got great ball skills,” Turner said.

“He’s been hurt the past two or three years and I love getting to see him play right now. He’s such a student of the game, that play on defense he knew it was coming, been waiting on it all game and made the play when he had to.”

Turner said he came away most frustrated with his team losing its composure. The Eagles were penalized 13 times for 151 yards.

Star lineman Seth Seiber, who is the school’s all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss, was ejected in the fourth quarter in a sequence where he was whistled for a personal foul and then dead ball unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He will have to sit out against White County.

“I think the biggest thing for me tonight that was frustrating is that we sort of lost our composure, and I don’t know why because we haven’t done that all year,” Turner said.

“We’ve got to control our composure and not let refs and the other team get us. We had a 30-yard penalty right there, and that’s not who we usually are.”

Ownby ended the night with 149 yards on 22 carries and three touchdowns.

Nicely ran for 127 yards on 14 carries, including a 58-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Dallas Holt caught a touchdown and forced a fumble, breaking up an option play while the ball was being pitched.

While Friday’s game had its share of ups and downs, Ownby said he felt good about the way his team finished.

“That last drive we emphasized ball security and just running. That’s a huge drive. One, you’ve got the playoffs on the line, win or go home. If they force a three and out, our season could be over, they could go score and win.

“That feeling of running all over them, and getting those wide gashes, that’s a great feeling.”

Article written by Matthew Lutey/5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc., visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code HAMMERS for 30% off your first year or month subscription.