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Gaither 37, Sickles 3

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TBO.com

Published: November 17, 2007

TAMPA - Alan Sampson caught the ball at the 1-yard line, made a move to his left and was gone. Just as quickly Friday night, so was Sickles.

Sampson's 99-yard kickoff return erased an early 3-0 Gaither deficit and jump-started a 30-point, first-half blitz that propelled the Cowboys to a dominating 37-3 Class 5A state quarterfinal victory.

With the win, Gaither - winners of eight of its past nine games after starting the season 0-2 - hosts Chamberlain in Friday's semifinal. Chamberlain won the teams' season-opening meeting 41-17 at home.

"At first, I didn't even think they'd kick to me," Sampson said of the electrifying return. "When I got the ball, I got one cut and it opened wide up. I knew it was real big for us. The coaches always say one play can change the whole game."

For Gaither coach Mark Kantor, the game-changing play was one he knew could come at any moment - especially with the ball in Sampson's hands.

"Alan Sampson is a heck of a player," the coach said. "We knew if they kicked to him, he had a chance at a big return and that's exactly what he did for us."

For much of Friday's game, it was difficult to determine which Gaither unit was more dominant - it's offense or defense. The Cowboys held a commanding 297-70 advantage in total yards, with much of Sickles' coming late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. Gaither gained 11 first downs to Sickles' five, one of which came via a defensive penalty. So complete was the domination, that Cowboys star running back Jarvis Giles, who gained 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 carries, had the luxury of wearing a sweatshirt over his jersey to keep warm as he sat out the entire second half.

His replacements, including fullback Tony Moore, Toney Salter and Cary White helped Gaither (8-3) rush for 220 yards on 32 carries. Moore finished with 34 yards on four carries, including a 14-yard burst up the middle that capped the first-half scoring blitz.

Defensively, Gaither used an unrelenting rush to first nullify running back Josh Mendez, then harass quarterback Cullen O'Brien into a difficult evening. Mendez gained just 37 yards on 25 carries, 21 coming in the fourth quarter. O'Brien fared no better, completing only 4 of 11 passes for a paltry 12 yards.

The Cowboys defense even got into the scoring act, when Demetrius Best recorded a safety following a Sickles fumble. The defensive score pushed Gaither's lead to 16-3 just one play into the second quarter. It took the Cowboys just five plays and 2:16 after the free kick to essentially put the game away, Giles scoring his second touchdown from the 3-yard line.

"Gaither had a nice pressure package for us and it made it a rough night," Sickles coach Pat O'Brien said. "We knew we had to get control of the ball and we certainly didn't get it as much as we'd have wanted to. The early field goal gave us some momentum, which you need as an underdog on the road, but the kickoff return seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game. It's tough to come back from something like that."

Less than 2:30 after Giles' second scoring run and following a Jordan Cooks interception, Moore's run gave Gaither an insurmountable 30-3 halftime lead. Gaither closed the scoring on Kamren Hawkins' 56-yard, fourth-quarter scoring pass to Yemi Oyegunle. Hawkins finished the game 3 of 7 for 77 yards.

Now the focus shifts to Friday's semifinal match-up with visiting Chamberlain. And, while Kantor would only go as far as praising the Chiefs, saying "They are very good up front defensively," he declined to elaborate. Giles however, wasn't nearly as quiet.

"This time we've got them here, in Death Valley," the junior running back said. "We know they're a good team, but when we played them last time, we were a totally different team. I think we're going to give them a real good run for their money."

G -Sampson 99 kickoff return (Cattoi kick)

G - Giles 30 run (Cattoi kick)

G - Safety, Calvo in end zone

G - Giles 3 run (Cattoi kick)

G - Moore 14 run (Cattoi kick)

G - Oyegunle 56 pass from Hawkins (Cattoi kick)

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