Skip to content

Pioneers win defensive showdown against Obion Co.

By Lori Cathey

Gibson County High School football fans packed Yates Field Friday night for the Pioneers’ season opener against Obion County.
The Gibson County defense held Obion County scoreless for the entire game, with GCHS running back Austin Fletcher scoring the only touchdown of the night for a 7-0 Pioneer win.
Obion County received the ball first. The GCHS defense came out strong and forced Obion to punt on fourth-and-13.
On Gibson County’s opening possession, the Pioneers picked up five first downs but turned the ball over on downs at the 46-yard line with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Pioneer defense stared the second quarter off by forcing Obion Co. to go three plays and out at the 48-yard line. The Pioneers had trouble moving the ball on their next possession and had to punt. GCHS senior Jake Patterson sacked the quarterback to end the first half with neither teams able to score.
Both teams were forced to punt on their first possessions of the third quarter. On Obion’s second possession, the Pioneers’ defense made their presence felt, forcing the Rebels to fumble the ball at the 32-yard line. Jake Patterson recovered the fumble and returned it to the 17-yard line for a 51-yard gain.
Hayden McGuire, with a four-yard run, moved the ball to the 13-yard line. Fletcher broke a couple of tackles and scored on a 13-yard run. Kicker Hayden Crandall’s extra point was good to give Gibson County a 7-0 lead with 1:53 left in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter of the game saw both teams battle back and forth, playing with high intensity. Both teams missed scoring opportunities, giving Gibson County the win.
The Gibson County offense had 247 total yards with 198 yards rushing and 49 yards passing. Gibson County had 22 first downs and was penalized 10 times for 95 yards.
Obion County had 84 total yards with 64 rushing yards and 20 passing yards. Obion County had four penalties for 30 yards.
Fletcher was named the Offensive Player of the Week. Fletcher had five carries for 28 yards with a touchdown. Jake Patterson was named the Defensive Player of the Week. Patterson had four tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery and return for 51 yards. Crandall was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. Crandall was one-for-one on extra points and averaged 34.3 yards per punt.
Leading in offense were Jake Patterson with 12 carries for 69 yards; Hayden McGuire, 15 carries for 89 yards; Will Cantrell with three reception for 27 yards and one carry for nine yards; Kaleb Johnson, one reception for 18 yards; Colton Lumpkin, one reception for four yards and one carry for nine yards. Quarterback Adam Smithson completed five of nine passes for 49 yards. He also had six carries for one yard.
Defensive leaders were Fletcher with four tackles; Kyleland Johnson, Kaleb Johnson and Smithson with three tackles each; Ethan Ward and John Carter Phillips with two tackles each; and Remington Green and Wyatt Hollis with one tackle each.
GCHS (1-0) will travel to Martin Aug. 30 to face Westview at 7:30 p.m.

Leave a Comment