The air was electric as Westlake and North Crowley came out of the tunnel and prepared to face off in the UIL 6A Division I football championship. North Crowley came in heavily favored against a stalwart in Westlake who was prepared to end the Panthers’ hopes of hoisting the championship trophy. It didn’t take long for North Crowley to set the tempo of the game. Quentin Gibson took a flea flicker pass from Chris Jimerson to the house for a 75 yard touchdown reception on the first play from scrimmage.

Westlake remained formidable, and absorbed North Crowley’s blow, answering with a score of their own on a two yard rush from Grady Bartlett. It took less than two minutes for North Crowley to regain the lead. This time, Chris Jimerson kept the ball in his hands and rushed for a 44 yard score. With both teams seemingly settled into their championship caliber level of play, the teams remained scoreless in the second quarter until another game breaking scamper and score by Quentin Gibson with 3:14 left in the half.

With the game steadily in hand, North Crowley said, “one more before we go!” and Daniel Bray punctuated the dominant half for the Panthers. North Crowley went in at the half with a commanding 28-7 lead. On the way into the locker rooms, I noticed their special guest, Corey Borner. Borner was on hand to inspire the young men to “find a way” and finish strong. Borner suffered a catastrophic spine injury during a spring football scrimmage in 2009 and has since become a beacon of hope and inspiration for young men on and off the field.

When action resumed in the second half, Daniel Bray capped an 84 yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Showing some electricity of their own and moving as quickly as the roadrunner in a Looney Tunes short. “Meep meep…” here come the chaparrals behind Rees Wise’s one-yard run to get Westlake back on the board. After marching 67 yards in a single minute, it seemed that Westlake had finally found a potential weakness to exploit. But whatever they planned to exploit on defense, North Crowley’s fast as lightning offense wiped out. Another back breaking single play scoring possession erased Westlake’s optimism before their fans could take it all in. Cornelius Warren broke for 75 yards captivating the capacity crowd and as he threw up the “X” a la Dez Bryant. With the will of their worthy opponents irretrievably broken, North Crowley made their biggest statement of the night, successfully converting a two-point conversion.

Following defensive stands from both teams, Westlake found the end zone again thanks to another Rees Wise score, this time from two yards out. North Crowley’s last drive of the night was the longest drive for either team. Coach Gates and the Panthers had history in their sights and wouldn’t be stopped. North Crowley’s high octane offense had more to score, but a Quentin Gibson would be sweeter than anything. After penalties wiped out an amazing sideline grab, the Panthers kept driving with a three yard run by Kiante Ingram. An incomplete pass to Gibson across the middle brought the drive to a halt, but with the game in hand, the Panthers had nothing left to prove. Still, there was history to be made! A delay of game penalty pushed the Panthers back to Westlake’s 20 yard line and on 4th & 12, history happened. With his third touchdown catch, Quentin Gibson ended the season with 36 touchdowns (4th in UIL football history) and 2009 receiving yards, surpassing Jaxon Smith Njigba, currently playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

Colorado commit Quentin Gibson earned Offensive MVP honors and was named Max Preps National Player of the Year. For his role leading the team to its second football championship in its 21 year history, Coach Ray Gates was named Max Preps Coach of the Year.

Quentin Gibson