Carter, Defense Help Carry River Bluff Over Gilbert

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WEST COLUMBIA |</strong> River Bluff and Gilbert were putting on an old-fashioned smash-mouth style of football game until the Gators <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter']</strong> decided to take over. Carter made a spectacular catch on a 76-yard catch-and-run that ended up being the winning points in the 14-7 River Bluff victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carter jumped up over the defender on the Gators sideline and made the catch near the 45-yard line and when the defender fell on the play, he was able to waltz into the end zone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It was crazy because we started off slow at the beginning of the game and then at halftime, we said we were going to start throwing the ball,” Carter said. “I said, ‘Coach, throw me the ball and I got this' and I was able to make a play when we needed one.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carter, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers']</strong> were the bulk of the offensive firepower for the Gators. Carter finished with five receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. Carter (pictured) also sealed the victory by intercepting a pass in the closing seconds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moore was 10-of-19 for 193 yards and two scores. His first touchdown pass, a 4-yard toss to Myers just before the half, allowed River Bluff to tie it at 7 going into the break. Myers had the receiving TD, and he was the workhorse on the ground with 96 yards on 24 attempts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>River Bluff only had 307 yards of total offense, but it turned out to be who was the toughest in the trenches. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592647' first='Alex' last='Kirylo']</strong> <strong>Reed Parker</strong> <strong>Landin Hudgins</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817121' first='Logan' last='Cooper']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817126' first='Chase' last='Sessions'] </strong>were doing enough on the offensive line to make it a turnover free game and get into the end zone twice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gilbert was limited in the passing game with starting quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1393774' first='Kaden' last='Kingery']</strong> injured. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1054176' first='Grayson' last='Gunter']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1043170' first='Wynn' last='Meetze']</strong> took turns taking snaps out of the Wildcat formation and were the main offensive weapons while also being two of the leading tacklers on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gunter finished with 100 yards rushing on 18 carries and Meetze had 80 yards on 19 attempts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meetze had given the Indians a 7-0 lead when he bullied his way in from three yards out to complete a 7-play, 51-yard drive that gave Gilbert a 7-0 with 6:01 remaining in the first half. But that's when the Gators defense began to take over.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818414' first='Josiah' last='Robinson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824708' first='Preston' last='Minor']</strong> were making it difficult to run and they ended up having 14 plays that gained a yard or less. <strong>RJ Jacobs</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824104' first='Reece' last='Huffstetler']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817074' first='Colt' last='Manley']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824093' first='Justin' last='Montalbo']</strong> all made plays at or near the line of scrimmage. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824102' first='Mason' last='Stewart']</strong> had a huge sack on the final Indians drive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're still trying to find our way and our identity as a football team,” River Bluff coach Perry Parks said. “We have some (youngsters) out here but we're not making excuses, we're going to put our best 11 out there and expect them to make plays. It was a stout performance by our defense.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>OTHER RIVER BLUFF STANDOUTS</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gators secondary wasn't asked to do much because of the lack of a Gilbert passing game but they came up in run support. It was common for the Gators to put eight in the box. <strong>Caleb Renwick</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422592' first='Caleb' last='Pinkney']</strong> played well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467817' first='Liam' last='Flynn']</strong> is a difference-maker in the kicking game. His kickoffs sailed into the end zone and his punts are high and difficult to catch. His range is from about 45-50 yards on field goals as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>OTHER GILBERT STANDOUT</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819906' first='Josiah' last='Straws']</strong> played well from his defensive end position. He crashed down several times and made it difficult for the Gators to drive the ball consistently. Linebackers <strong>K'Mari Brown</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819914' first='Logan' last='Taylor']</strong> also played well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gilbert finished with 206 yards rushing and most of those yards were amassed running behind <strong>Issac Bruce</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734574' first='Kennedy' last='Harmon']</strong> on the left side of the offensive line.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->