By Gary Lloyd
Pinson Valley head coach Matt Glover told his team it was going to happen.
The Indians didn’t practice well Monday or Tuesday, just going through the motions, just happy to be there.
It showed Friday night at Center Point, as the No. 7 Eagles (6-0, 4-0 Class 5A, Region 6) rolled over Pinson Valley, 40-14.
“We got beat,” Glover said. “We played like crap, practiced like crap. We didn’t practice the way we needed to practice.”
Pinson Valley (3-3, 2-2) was down 24-0 at the half. Junior running back Nick Gibson had accounted for 140 yards — 99 rushing, 41 receiving — by halftime. The rest of the Pinson Valley offense combined for -2 yards in the first two quarters.
“We just weren’t clicking,” said Gibson, who finished with 125 rushing yards on 19 carries. “Everything wasn’t clicking. Football is a team sport. If everybody isn’t clicking, we’re going to fall short in some spots.”
Center Point got on the board first early in the first quarter, when junior Donte’ Blackmon rushed one yard to cap an eight-play, 52-yard drive. Junior quarterback Keilan Knight hit senior Xavier Perkins for the two-point conversion, giving the Eagles an 8-0 lead.
Pinson Valley junior running back Nick Gibson rushed 19 times for 125 yards at Center Point on Friday.
photo by Ron Burkett
On fourth-and-11 from the Indians’ 39-yard line, Knight found senior Sedric Powell for a score late in the opening quarter. Blackmon rushed a couple yards for the two-point conversion.
Blackmon found the end zone from three yards out with 4:47 until halftime, and junior Zakez Jones rushed for the two-point conversion, to give Center Point a 24-0 halftime advantage.
Pinson Valley senior quarterback Brooks Garrett scored on an 8-yard keeper for Pinson Valley’s first score, making it a 24-7 game midway through the third quarter. Two drives later, Eagles senior Dequarius Simmons picked off Garrett for a 40-yard interception return for touchdown. Knight found Powell for the two-point conversion.
On fourth-and-13 from the Pinson Valley 33-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, freshman Christopher Baker found Perkins in the end zone for a touchdown. Senior Virgil Studdard rushed for the two-point conversion to put the Eagles up 40-7.
Pinson Valley answered on the ensuing drive, capping a nine-play, 67-yard drive when Garrett found sophomore Errius Collins for a 17-yard touchdown.
For Center Point, Knight completed 12-of-21 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. Perkins caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
For Pinson Valley, Garrett completed 14-of-33 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once and lost a fumble. Senior Dylan Evans caught four passes for 46 yards. Josh Welch and Deon Gregory recovered fumbles for Pinson Valley.
Glover said he was “really disappointed” in himself and with the way Pinson Valley prepared leading up to the game.
“We’re going to have to get it fixed,” he said.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
