Overcoming a two-touchdown deficit to win a playoff game is tough enough.
For
Frisco, without two of its main offensive weapons, to rally for a 24-21
area playoff victory over Lincoln (Dallas) Friday night at AT&T
Stadium is a testament to the coaching ability of Vance Gibson and his
staff.
The 60-year-old veteran demonstrated why he is held in
such high esteem by colleagues, shifting personnel on the fly to fill
holes and wrestle away momentum from Lincoln.
Vance Gibson, Frisco head coach
Courtesy of Frisco High School
For leading Frisco
under difficult circumstances to the third round of the playoffs for the
third straight season, Gibson was selected as Capital One Bank Dallas
Coach of the Week.
The Raccoons (9-3) got a jolt on the first play of
their Class 4A Division II area playoff when senior running back
Max Steitle, a 1,200-yard rusher, suffered a broken leg.
The injury happened on a six-yard Steitle run near the Frisco bench.
"Max
was having a really great year and it is a shame he couldn't finish it
with us,'' said Gibson. "The injury stunned all of us.''
Matt Nollman, a 700-yard rusher, was unavailable coming into the game, so
Gibson was forced to improvise with his run-oriented, Wing-T flavored
offense.
"We moved our quarterback,
Jake Battaglia, to running
back on some plays, and we also used our backups and some kids that
started out on the junior varsity,'' said Gibson. "We switched a
defensive end to fullback. A lot of our kids go both ways, so we had to
coach some guys up at halftime.
"We are really proud of the way the kids adjusted.''
It
was injuries at the quarterback position four years ago that convinced
Gibson to abandon the spread offense currently en vogue for a more
old-school attack.
"Both of our quarterbacks got hurt, so we were
in a throwing offense with nobody that could throw,'' Gibson recalled.
"In this offense, the guys learn to block for each other and more get a
chance to contribute. Not many teams run it anymore.''
Lincoln
(8-4) drove for touchdowns on three of its first four possessions to
open a 21-7 lead. But that was the extent of the Tigers' damage.
"Our defense did a really good job of making adjustments,'' Gibson said.
Just before halftime, Frisco went 61 yards to close Lincoln's lead to 21-14 when
Sean Grogan scored on an 18-yard run.
Frisco used six ball carriers on a third-quarter drive of 70 yards, capped by Battaglia's 1-yard run that tied it, 21-21.
When
a fourth-quarter Frisco drive bogged down, sophomore
Luke Wadley booted
a 30-yard field goal with 8:39 remaining that turned out to be the
game-winner. Wadley started kicking for the varsity in Week 10 and
delivered the game-winning field goal that night in a 24-21 win over
Prosper.
Lincoln's last gasp was extinguished by
Skyler Sowerwine's second interception of the game.
Gibson,
a native of Sherman, is a graduate of Austin College. From 1992-2004 he
fashioned an 89-42 record and three conference titles as head coach at
Howard Payne University.
Accepting the Frisco position meant a return to his roots for Gibson.
Instead
of creating mega high schools like neighboring Plano and Allen, the
Frisco ISD chose to build multiple high schools with enrollments of less
than 2,000 students. There are six high schools now and two more are
scheduled to open by 2015.
"The upside is more opportunity for the kids to participate in all extracurricular activities,'' Gibson said.
But
the coach has seen his school split its enrollment twice already when
new high schools opened. That played a role in 0-10 seasons in 2008 and
2009. Still, Gibson's record at Frisco is 53-48 with five playoff
seasons in nine years.
"Our administration is supportive. We have great people here that understand and are patient,'' Gibson said.
Two
of Gibson's sons are coaches on his staff. Josh Gibson is assistant
head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Justin
Gibson works with running backs.
"Football is really an assistant
coaches' game,'' said the proud dad. "It differs from a sport like
basketball in that regard. I have an outstanding staff and it is great
to be able to work with my sons.''
Awaiting Frisco is 12-0 Ennis in a Region II semifinal set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium.
