SEASON FINALE: Pike Road gets win in tune-up for 6A playoffs
Braylon Outlaw breaks free for a 22-yard touchdown run in Pike Road’s win over Charles Henderson on Friday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
PIKE ROAD -- It’s been a month since Pike Road’s starting quarterback, Cason Myers, suffered a season ending shoulder injury.
So who’s the quarterback? It often depends on the play.
Junior Jordan Holmes lined up in shotgun formation for 23 of the Patriots’ 57 plays on Friday night, while freshman quarterback Gunnar Gibbs took the snap in 33 plays.
“Some packages are meant for certain people,” Holmes said. “I just got chosen to play quarterback and my mechanics aren’t right, right now. I’ve got to learn how to throw, I’ve got to learn how to do multiple things. Gunnar, he’s young, but he has that ‘it’ factor, so some packages work for him, some work for me.”
There was little to complain about offensively on Friday as the Patriots piled up 438 yards on the way to a 50-35 win over Charles Henderson.
For Pike Road (7-3), the game was a tuneup for next week’s game at home against Bessemer City in the first round of the 6A state playoffs.
“I’m proud of our seniors,” Pike Road coach Granger Shook said. “Our seniors have done an excellent job this year. We beat a really good Charles Henderson team. There were some plays we gave up that we can’t give up, but there were also some issues that we can’t control.”
Charles Henderson received notice earlier in the day from the Alabama High School Athletic Association they would have to forfeit five wins for the use of an ineligible player. The team which had been the second seed in 5A Region 2 at the beginning of the day ended the day and its season with an 0-9 record.
Pike Road, meanwhile, is trying to extend its season by keeping the load off of Gibbs as he learns the offense in Myers’ place. That means that sometimes Holmes, a valuable defensive back, lines up at quarterback, where he completed 2 of 3 passes for 41 yards, including touchdown passes to Levi Kelly and Omari Smith.
Sometimes, Holmes takes the snap and runs, much the same way a tailback would line up in Wildcat formation. Against the Trojans, Holmes ran 13 times for 104 yards and a touchdown
Occasionally, Gibbs directs the offense, completing 6 of 13 passes for 57 yards.
“Sometimes we have them both on the field at the same time,” Shook said. “That’s part of the plan, try to keep (opposing) guys on their toes and try to put some stuff on film that they’ve got to work on, especially going into the playoffs. I’m proud of a lot of different guys for stepping up tonight. We’re trying to get certain guys the ball so we don’t have a lot of tendencies.
There was even one play where tailback Ja’Michael Jones took the snap, handed off to Rufus Boone, who in turn threw to Mason Hussey for a touchdown.
“I feel like we’re very versatile,” Holmes said. “We can throw, we can run, we can catch, our linemen are very good. So I feel like we’re very versatile and hard to stop.”
formula allowed the Patriots to grab a 29-14 halftime lead, extending it late in the third quarter to a 22-point lead. Through it all, Holmes remained on the field, holding for extra points, returning kickoffs, playing defensive back and alternating at quarterback.
“In fact, a couple of times I got mad at him because he came off the field,” Shook said. “He’s definitely a big-play threat for us in all phases.”
“Coach (Stewart) Lowery, our strength and conditioning coach, emphasizes eating right, sleeping right, working out right,” Holmes said. “I give thanks to him because he keeps me in shape.
Holmes’ nose for the end zone kept the Patriots one step ahead of the Trojans, who got touchdown runs of 56, 2 and 9 yards by tailback Kam Christian and a pair of touchdown passes from Kellen Stewart, big plays that helped an offense that averaged just 2.43 yards per play stay in the fight.
“I feel like we’re playing good, but sometimes we aren’t on the same page,” Holmes said. “I feel like if we’ll be consistent and all be on the same page, we’ll be a very good defense.”