Gibbs shines in 27-23 win over Tarpon Springs
By Christopher Hughes
TARPON SPRINGS — The contest between Gibbs and Tarpon Springs got off to a slow start due in part to the late arrival by the Gladiators and also because the junior varsity rosters played the entire first half.
But once the varsity entered the game in the second half, the fireworks began.
Despite two explosive players from the Spongers’ receiving corps missing the game due to disciplinary reasons, the game did not lack for excitement as Gibbs pulled out a 27-23 victory in the preseason warm-up to next week’s regular season opener.
Gibbs quarterback Devante White completed 8-of-10 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown while rushing for another touchdown. Gary Simon caught four passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, while Emmanuel Stewart rushed eight times for 60 yards and one touchdown.
“It was a nice game to build some confidence,” said Simon, who also recorded four tackles on defense, two for losses. “I have confidence in my offensive line, confidence in my quarterback. This is a nice game to build off of heading into the season.”
Simon proved why he is ranked in the top 15 in the area according to the BCP rankings and is the second best CB in Tampa Bay with a huge hit in the backfield early in the third quarter and a shoestring catch on an interception that was ruled down after the speedster raced to the end zone.
But Simon, who just recently received a full offer from Ohio State, exhibited his versatility as an athlete on the offensive side.
With Gibbs trailing 9-7, his first highlight came on the Gladiators’ first play from scrimmage in the third quarter when Simon turned a short slant pass from White into a zig-zag-and-zig-and-lateral back to White, who raced along the left sideline for a near score. White rumbled in two plays later on a two-yard run to put the Gladiators up 13-9 after the missed extra point.
Simon’s next “omg” play came with seven minutes left to play and the Gladiators trailing 23-20. Facing a third-and-20 and deep in their own territory, Simon ran a route up-and-across the middle of the field, only to have White’s pass seem as if it would sail into one of the Tarpon defenders.
Simon, though, glided through the air in a Jordan-esque pose, snared the ball in mid-air with his fingertips, came down and bounced off one tackler. With another defender fast approaching, the Gibbs standout, who also stars in basketball and track-and-field, then put on a foot race from midfield, high stepping it past a would-be tackle on the way to the end zone for the final score of the game.
“Saw it coming and told myself, ‘Get up there and get it,’” Simon said. “After that, I was like, ‘Yep, it’s go time.’ I just had to outrace them and that’s what I did.”
Coming out of Friday’s contest, Simon said the Gladiators will enter next week’s contest against St. Petersburg with plenty to be happy about considering how well the offensive line played.
“Everyone questioned that and they showed they will be able to do a lot for our running backs and our quarterback,” Simon said. “It’s a huge boost.”
White was sacked two times, but after getting settled in, he was able to get the ball out to Simon. Out of the backfield, Stewart had two runs over 20 yards with the second one, a 22-yard scamper, giving Gibbs a 20-16 lead in the third quarter.
“They’re only going to get better,” Stewart said. “That’s the type of blocking we’re going to need this year to make things happen. No one is saying anything about us this year, but wait and see.”
The Spongers will enter the regular season with work to do on their offensive line as senior quarterback Louie Pappas was sacked seven times by the Gladiator defensive front led by Michael Shabazz, Maurice Hall, Jeremy Williams and Patrick Mills.
“We showed how we can get after the quarterback and we still have some other players we can throw in there as well,” Gibbs first-year coach Antonio Knox said.
Pappas seemed as if he would have an easy time of it when his first pass found Dondre Daley, the Anclote transfer, racing down the left sidelines in front of the Spongers’ bench. Daley hauled it in and cruised in for an 80-yard score to give the Spongers a 16-13 lead.
“A great feeling, just a great way to get things started for the team,” said Daley, who caught 18 passes for 353 yards and also rushed for 60 yards for Anclote last season. “It’s exciting to think about what we can do this year with Pappas throwing us the ball.”
Unfortunately, Pappas didn’t have the luxury of throwing to Runaldo Wright and Kenyatta Merriex, his top two receivers from last season who combined for 60 receptions and 1,162 yards.
The two said they missed practice last Saturday.
“It’s a learning lesson, for sure,” said Wright, who has heavy interest from Florida Atlantic and Clemson. “It’s just something we can’t be letting happen. We need to be out there with the rest of the guys.”
Even if Wright and Merriex were playing, it may not have made much of a difference as Pappas was pressured throughout much of the game.
“Our offensive line is young and we know they’re going to learn from this game,” said Pappas, who completed 5-of-14 passes for 100 yards. “We’ll take things away from this game, learn from it and we know we have plenty of weapons to be a major factor this season.”
At one point in the fourth quarter, Pappas was sacked five straight times.
Another player the Spongers faithful got a chance to see for the first time was Kenny Blanch, who transferred from Palm Harbor University.
Blanch, who Tarpon Springs coach Atif Austin hinted would play strictly defense, proved how important he will be on the offensive side with two bruising runs in the fourth quarter that set up a one-yard touchdown rush by Pappas to give the Spongers a 23-20 lead.
“It will be nice to have him coming out of the backfield,” Pappas said. “With him and the guys we have on the outside, we’ll have plenty of weapons to do damage.”
It wasn’t pretty on either side of the ball, nor was it dominating by either team.
But the telling signs coming out of Friday’s contest were that Gibbs surprisingly might be able to hold its own with some semblance of an offensive line (and a pretty stout defensive front) and Tarpon needs to shore up its line if Pappas is going to be able to take advantage of all those weapons.
The other fact is that both teams have some amazingly athletic and exciting players and Pinellas County might just make things interesting down the playoff road.