Eyeing a Sectional title, its second in three years, the Gibson Southern Titans faced off against the Alices of Vincennes Lincoln on Friday, November 3. The Jewell was packed with more than 1,500 fans with cars parked down Coal Mine Road.
The Titans started the game with a drive downfield. However, they had to settle for a 22-yard field goal as they were stopped by the Alices. Junior Cam Novotny made the kick, putting the Titans up 3-0 with 7:50 left in the first quarter.
Soon after, the Alices scored on an 80-yard pitch. However, it was called back due to a holding flag on the Alices. They were forced to punt, which gave the Titans the ball back. This brought the first quarter to an end with a score of 3-0.
Starting the second quarter, the Titans received the ball and drove downfield, stopping at first and goal from the one-inch line. The Titans’ momentum stalled with a false start against them and the Alices breaking through the offensive line to sack senior quarterback Tanner Boyd. The men had to settle for another field goal. Novotny once again found his way between the uprights and brought the score to 6-0 with 8:40 left in the second quarter.
The Alices then drove and scored the first touchdown of the game that gave them the lead, making the score 7-6 with 4:56 left in the second quarter.
The Titans executed on offense, scoring right before the half ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Boyd to senior Sean DeLong. Heading to the locker room, the Titans possessed a slim lead, 12-7.
Coming out of halftime, the Alices came down and scored, taking the lead 13-12. Both teams battled the rest of the third quarter, but the score never changed. Neither team could find the endzone.
The Titans took advantage in the fourth quarter and scored off a 10-yard touchdown run from Boyd. This made the score 20-13 with 7:38 to go in the game. Boyd liked that the team was all on the same page and working together.
“Just staying together as a team and believing in one another was key [to this win],” Boyd said. “Coach Hart also put us in a great position to score.”
The Titan defense put a stop to the Alice’s offense and took the ball back with time winding down. Boyd went on and scored again off a 49-yard touchdown run to make the score 27-13 with 3:09 left to play.
Senior Mason Scheller believed that Boyd’s breakaway was a turning point in the game.
“When Tanner scored on fourth and one, I felt like we had control,” Scheller said. “I had a lot of confidence heading into the final minutes of the game.”
The Alices received the ball back but were unable to score, giving the Titans the win and crowning them the Sectional 30 champions.
Head coach Nick Hart thought the team executed well and is excited for the rest of the postseason.
“I thought the game went great,” he said. “This time of the year, any win is a great night. I’m happy to get a Sectional championship and extend our season for another week.”
Offensively, Boyd went 24 of 29 with 187 yards passing with one touchdown pass to DeLong. Also, Boyd had 20 rushing attempts for 110 yards and two touchdowns. DeLong had seven receptions for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, sophomore Zach Foster had a fumble recovery. Scheller had an interception and junior Beau Rose had a sack. Hart thought the team played well on both sides of the ball and wants to work on a few things moving forward in the postseason.
“I thought our defense was absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “They did a great job all night against a really good offense. Some things to work on heading into the Regional are offensively we need to take better care of the football and become more efficient in the red zone.”
The Titans will take on Tri-West Hendricks on Saturday, Nov. 11, for a Regional championship.
“Tri-West is a very good football team,” Hart said. “They have a great program and have been good for a really long time. There are only eight teams left in the state and nothing is going to be easy at this level. We are going to have to play really well in order to advance.”
