Road To History: Gibson Southern Titans

To be a serious championship contender, there are a few things that a team needs to be able to do. One of those things is put up points. The 45 points that they scored in the Class 3A State Championship Game is indicative of how this historic season went for the Gibson Southern Titans. With a star-studded offense, complimented by a stingy defense, the Titans defeated Brebeuf Jesuit 45-35 to capture a state title. It was truly a season to remember, led by student-athletes who we will be hearing about in the years ahead. Offense The Titans were led by their star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="39047" first="Brady" last="Allen"]. Allen- who will be playing for Purdue next fall- Threw for 4,253 yards on 263/383 passing. He threw an otherworldly 58 touchdown passes this campaign. Not only was Allen able to move the football, but he protected it well, throwing only six interceptions. Allen also contributed 266 rushing yards and half a dozen rushing touchdowns. Allen is accurate and he is good in the pocket and on the move. In the pocket, Allen does well with a five or seven step drop or with a short drop-back. Allen has the ability to get the ball out quickly or stand in the pocket and make his reads. He is excellent at extending the play, eluding the pass rush and still making an accurate and on-time delivery. On top of Allen’s ability to move the ball through the air, Gibson Southern was dominant on the ground, with four players surpassing 350 rushing yards. Junior Devan Roberts ran for 362 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore Tanner Boyd compiled 357 yards. Senior Adrean Lukeman led the team in rushing touchdowns with ten while posting 501 yards. Lukeman also excelled at linebacker where he recorded 78 total tackles, 45 of which were solo and two interceptions. But leading the way with 863 yards and nine touchdowns was [player_tooltip player_id="178622" first="Sean" last="DeLong"]. Just a sophomore, DeLong can pace the rushing attack for Gibson Southern for a few more years. DeLong has fantastic speed. He gets running downhill toward the line-of-scrimmage and accelerates through the second level. His speed alone makes him difficult to tackle. On top of that, he can make moves to elude defenders in the open field. DeLong is also a solid receiver. He runs his routes well and he serves as a tremendous underneath option in the passing-game. [player_tooltip player_id="178622" first="Sean" last="DeLong"] can make an explosive play happen at any time. The Titans’ offense featured arguably the most prolific Quarterback-Receiver tandems in all of Indiana. [player_tooltip player_id="39047" first="Brady" last="Allen"] and [player_tooltip player_id="98101" first="Rory" last="Heltsley"] were constantly putting opposing secondaries under pressure. Heltsley caught 99 passes for 1,751 yards and an astounding 24 touchdown receptions. The senior has been giving defenses nightmares for the past four years. Not only does Heltsley have great hands, but he is a smooth route-runner. Heltsley is gets off the line and he is sensational out of his break- often getting defensive backs completely turned around. He is terrific at finding ways to create space without pushing off. Heltsley is a complete receiver, who can be a big contributor to a college offense early in his collegiate career. Defense Senior Levi Dickerson was everywhere- all season long- for the Gibson Southern defense. Dickerson piled up an almost unheard-of count of 98 solo tackles. In total, Dickerson had 154 stops. On top of that, he had five sacks as well as two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Dickerson has a nose for the football, and he is always around the ball. Levi Dickerson could certainly lead a collegiate defense. Locking things down on the back end was Senior Noah Bryant. Bryant led the team with five interceptions. Bryant is instinctive and he reads the eyes of the quarterback. He does a great job reading and reacting as the play unfolds, helping out the cornerbacks by picking up receivers who are trying to get in behind the defense. Bryant does a fantastic job putting his foot in the ground and driving on the football. He is a great tackler. Noah Bryant is a prospect that defensive coordinators can rely on.