By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Captain Shreve’s game-breaking moments came, as usual, from Jamarcea Plater, who put up more video-game stats with highlight-reel plays.
But nobody could expect a pinch-hitting baseball player at quarterback, Jackson Gaskin, also playing such a pivotal and productive role in the Gators’ District 1-5A statement win Friday night, 66-56 over two-time defending champion Airline.
They fell short, on a botched two-point conversion with a minute left, last year at home, 69-68, keeping the 2024 Vikings unbeaten, an outcome that was still raw for coach Jeremy Wilburn and his upstart Gators.
They weren’t short of anything in the rematch.
Not production.
Plater piled up 320 yards, 207 on 19 carries including house calls from 73 and 78 yards. His 74-yard touchdown in the passing game came when Gaskin dropped back and went left, scrambled forward and sideways and found Number 3 inexplicably unguarded about midfield, pushing Shreve up by double digits (45-34) for the first time 14 seconds into the final quarter.
“That wasn’t what the play was designed to do,” said Gaskin, grinning, “but I scrambled, went to the right, and he was open.”
Gaskin had even bigger numbers than Plater: 445 total yards, 407 on 14 of 18 aim with touchdowns of 82 yards (Shawn Devers), Kaleb Law (36) and Chris Hill (21), and Plater’s 74-yarder. Three who he threw to topped 100 yards (Hill with four catches for 136 yards, Devers 3-124 and Plater 3-113).
Granted, much of the yardage came on flanker screens, but Gaskin was nearly flawless, remarkably so for a guy who dropped football as a freshman and only returned midway through preseason practice in August when Shreve suddenly had an urgent need at that position.
“My teammates and coaches have been really welcoming, and I’ve got a great team around me,” he said.
“It really didn’t take any convincing. I was ready to come back, always had the itch. When I found out they needed me to come back, I was ready.”
Yes, he was.
“He is a super student of the game,” said Wilburn. “He loves watching ball, talking ball, doing ball, practicing ball, watching film. He is a grinder.”
“I had to learn the offense really fast,” said Gaskin, who said he models his play after New York Giants rookie Jackson Dart, “but coach has really helped me. I’ve kept my eyes on it. I’ve always loved watching football, even when I wasn’t playing.”
His performance Friday was not flashy, but deadly effective, said a guy who knows a bit about quarterback play – Airline coach Justin Scogin.
“I thought he had gotten better every week. He’d done some good things. (Tonight) I didn’t think there was anything special other than he competed, and he didn’t stop, didn’t slow down, didn’t mope. He kept competing – break a tackle, make a little run out of it, find a guy, keep his eyes downfield. He was well coached and he was a competitor.”
The Gators were not short on gumption. Fell behind quickly, 14-3. Battled back to within 20-17 at halftime.
Had a gut check and some shrewd strategy shifts then, and came out trading blows with the prolific Vikings attack the first 12 minutes and change – they swapped TDs in a three-play flurry 37 seconds into the second half, Another scoring exchange followed over 74 seconds just before the middle of the third period. A couple of minutes later, the Gators took their first lead on a 22-yard burst ending when the Robin to Plater’s Batman, Gabe Lockett, carried a couple Vikings across the goalline for a 38-34 advantage at the 4:30 mark.
Then the rare Airline punt happened. The door for Shreve to expand its edge opened and they Gatored through on Gaskin’s scramble and Plater’s dash down the visiting sideline.
Immediately Airline answered, on the next snap, with Chase Williams (27 of 38, 459 yards, four TDs) finding Preston Hughes open on a 62-yarder to close within 45-41. The Vikings failed on an onsides kick, and Shreve went ahead 52-41 six plays later when Hill broke three tackles on his 21-yard TD with 9:01 remaining.
It took four minutes but Airline punched back when D.J. Allen sliced across from the 2 to draw the Vikes within 52-48. Lockett applied the coup de gras on a 53-yard dash three snaps afterward with 4:11 to go, and Airline sputtered at Shreve’s 26, trailing by 11 inside the final two minutes. Plater celebrated on the next play by bolting downfield on his 74-yard exclamation point for an 18-point lead, dented slightly on the following snap (of course) when Allen raced 68 yards on a Williams’ swing pass with 1:14 left for the last of his FIVE touchdowns (two receiving). But the Vikings were out of timeouts, and hope.
“It was crazy, touchdown to touchdown,” said Plater. “I even had to go to a little bit of defense, to show you how it was.”
Along the way, in only his 15th game after moving from full-time cornerback to running back, Plater shattered the school career rushing mark.
“I knew what the goal was, to break all the records that were set by my cousin, Derrick Douglas, and I did it for him,” said Plater.
“Once I see that 20-yard line, 80-plus. That’s all we’re looking for – we like long runs and we like touchdowns. One time you’re going to hit for four yards, next play you’re going to hit for 10, next play you’re going to hit for 50. That’s how the game goes – most definitely for me.”
The records were a sweet side dish. Plater had his priorities.
“It’s a wonderful night. After last year, we lost 69-68, it was a hard game for us. Now it’s another team, another mindset,” he said.
It’s a Gator team (4-1) that’s now 4-0 in District 1-5A, unbeaten in the league along with Evangel and Parkway.
Airline (3-2, 1-2) has fallen in two straight, 51-49 at Evangel two weeks ago. Now Scogin will rally his troops.
“Don’t run away from times like this,” he said, “Go home and look at yourself in the mirror and try to figure out what’s gone wrong. Nobody’s going to show up to help you. We’ve got to figure out how to fix this.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com