By Phil Gibson
For The Tribune
Pinson Valley scored a school-record 74 points and shut out visiting Curry on homecoming Friday at Willie Adams Stadium.
The Indians (4-3, 3-2 Class 5A, Region 6) scored at will early and often against Curry (1-6, 0-5).
The game went perfectly, right? Not so fast, said Pinson Valley head coach Matt Glover.
“Penalties,” Glover said. “We had some stupid penalties we made. Besides that, I thought we came out and executed well. We had to fix ourselves, hopefully we can go into next week and play better.”
The Indians had a handful of miscues, drawing a few holding penalties and committing two fumbles on punt returns. But Pinson Valley also scored on every offensive possession besides one, long after the starters were out of the game.
Junior running back Nick Gibson had another star-quality performance, rushing for 165 yards and four touchdowns on eight carries. Gibson now has 1,150 rushing yards this season.
“I think we’ve still got growing to do,” Gibson said. “I don’t think we’re done yet, defense, offense, coaching, everything.”
Gibson wasn’t the only Pinson Valley running back who put up big numbers. Fellow junior running back Tyree Watson recorded 89 yards rushing and two touchdowns on seven carries. The other offensive touchdowns came courtesy of backup running backs Torrey Hendrix and Reggie Levins. Altogether, the Indians’ running backs amassed more than 300 yards on the ground.
“Coach says you never know when you’re going to be in the game,” Gibson said. “He called their numbers and they were ready to play. I’m proud of them.”
The defense had three touchdowns of its own. Keenan Toney and Jaylyne Rhone each returned interceptions for touchdowns, and Darius Adams returned a fumble 80 yards for a touchdown.
Pinson Valley will continue its hunt for a playoff spot when it visits region opponent Springville (3-4, 2-3) next week.