By Gary Lloyd
This week, Pinson Valley head coach Matt Glover told running back Nick Gibson he needed to run harder and harder.
Gibson got the message.
The junior rushed 38 times for 369 yards and six touchdowns, and Pinson Valley beat Class 5A, Region 6 foe Moody 53-34 to claim the region’s No. 2 seed. Pinson Valley in two weeks will host Class 5A, Region 8 No. 3 Hartselle.
Gibson scored on runs of 5, 15, 23, 78, 5 and 29 yards.
“I’ve just been preparing,” Gibson said. “Coach was telling me all through the week I’ve got to run harder and harder. I just carried it over into the game.”
Outside of Gibson’s six touchdowns, Pinson Valley (6-3, 5-2) got two touchdowns defensively. Sophomore defensive back Deevon Scarbrough recovered a first-quarter fumble forced by JaVonte Perkins and raced 48 yards for the score. Early in the third quarter, senior linebacker Elijah Bibbs intercepted a Moody pass and returned it 55 yards for the touchdown.
The Pinson Valley defense held Moody to 73 yards in the second half and zero points after allowing 34 points in the first half. The Blue Devils (6-3, 4-3) led the Indians 34-27 at halftime.
But the story was Gibson, who now has 1,742 rushing yards this season.
Pinson Valley junior running back Nick Gibson rushed for 369 yards and six touchdowns in the 53-34 win over Moody on Friday.
photo by Ron Burkett
“When I’ve got the ball in my hands, I just think of all the people who can’t do this,” Gibson said. “I just think of all my family who has passed away and whenever I run it, I try to run hard because you never know when it’s your last time. I just go out there and I play. Whatever happens, happens. God blessed me to do this and put up these numbers. I’m just happy.”
Glover called Gibson a “workhorse.”
“I’m glad he’s on our team,” said Glover, who also complimented the play of the offensive line.
Senior quarterback Brooks Garrett struggled in the passing game, completing just 3-of-14 passes for 56 yards and an interception.
“The defense stepped it up and they helped me out a ton,” he said.
For Moody, quarterback Michael Barron completed 14-of-24 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception and rushed for a score. Pinson Valley’s defense limited Barron to just 4-of-11 for 40 yards and an interception in the second half. Terrell Martin caught eight passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns for Moody.
Pinson Valley has a bit of a rivalry with its first round opponent, Hartselle. The Indians lost in the first round of the 2010 state playoffs to Hartselle, 35-27. Pinson Valley fell just short against Hartselle in the second round in 2011, 22-21.
“It’s big, we seniors get another home game,” Garrett said. “Fans don’t have to travel.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
