By Kyle Parmley
PINSON — How is life without Nick Gibson?
Pinson Valley head coach Matt Glover was spot on predicting the first question asked of him last week at the Jefferson-Shelby high school football media days, held at the Gardendale Civic Center.
Pinson Valley defensive lineman D.J. Gregory, head coach Matt Glover and center Turner Shankles. Photo by Ron Burkett
“I told the guys coming up here that I guarantee the first question is, ‘How is life without Nick Gibson?’” Glover said. “It’s the same…we’re just going to keep going on and hope somebody fills his shoes.”
However, Glover understands the realities facing his offense. Replacing a star running back in Gibson who will be suiting up for Mississippi State in the fall will be difficult, if not impossible.
“You’re not going to replace Nick,” Glover said. “You just hope to have a couple guys come in to give the production that Nick did. Other kids have to step up and fill that role. We’ll see how that translates to the fall.”
Glover believes the dynamic of the team will be different this season. Over the past several years, the Indians have boasted highly touted players such as Gibson, Nathan Cunningham, Earnest Robinson, and others. This year’s team does not appear to have one player that stands out above the rest.
“Over the past four years, I’ve had that kid that is a game breaker. I don’t see us having that guy this year,” Glover said.
Senior center Turner Shankles understands the need for the offensive line to step up as a whole, and believes his unit is ready for the challenge.
“We make the plays happen,” he said. “We’ve been working hard.”
“We’ve had really good running backs that can make up for our offensive line deficiencies,” Glover added. “This year, we have two young kids that are not bruisers but are quick. We are going to have to do a better job (blocking).”
Pinson Valley’s defense is taking on the same mindset as the offense. It all starts up front, and defensive lineman DJ Gregory is confident that the Indians will be up to the task.
“The defense is going to do pretty good this year,” he said. “We’ll be much faster than past defenses, and I think we’ll be able to fly around and get to the ball.”
Glover drove home the importance of his team playing sound football on two basic levels: blocking and tackling.
RB Torrey Hendrix is expected to bring more to the passing game than his predecessor, Nick Gibson. Photo by Ron Burkett
“Some teams have the best athletes in the world but they can’t block or tackle,” he said. “The fundamentals of the game are the key.”
Most teams take at least one player from a skill position to media days. But Shankles and Gregory, the anchors of the offensive and defensive line, tagged along with their head coach. Glover’s reasoning was simple.
“I really think the key to our team is the o-line and d-line,” Glover said. “That has not been the case in the past.”
But Glover may have had an ulterior motive in bringing his two linemen along.
“I wanted to make sure I was the prettiest guy in the room,” he joked.
Pinson Valley opens its season at home on August 21, as they face off against Hartselle.
