Bold play call helps Cardinal Gibbons complete upset of Richmond Senior
Unfamiliar observers might conclude Cardinal Gibbons Football Coach Steven Wright gambled on a certain fourth down and 11 play Friday during a 28-14 win against visiting Richmond Senior.
But Wright, in his 11th season, simply trusted a time-tested process.
“Coach (Bill) Liedy made a phenomenal call,” Wright said of his Offensive Coordinator. “He and I sat there and discussed what we wanted to do.”
Cardinal Gibbons’ 10th grade quarterback, Connor Clark, used the play to complete his third touchdown pass – a 36-yarder to Donovan Shepard. The touchdown and subsequent extra point (with 2:10 remaining) cemented the Crusaders’ win over the N.C. 4A powerhouse.
“I guess it just came to me to call the actual play,” Liedy said. “As an offensive staff, we decided we were going to be aggressive and throw it.”
Southpaw Clark’s aggressive, efficient passing yielded a 17-for 24 output for 213 yards and three touchdowns (including scoring passes to Brock Biestek and Jake Taylor). The Clark-to-Shepard scoring connection landed in the left side of the end zone nearest the softball field.
In 2019, Cardinal Gibbons’ Jack Grazen scored on a fourth quarter touchdown run in that same end zone’s left side. Grazen’s conversion lifted the Crusaders over Scotland County (22-15) and into the school’s first football state final.
Now the Crusaders are close to a second straight.
“It just so happened to end up there. Man! What a cool thing,” Wright said. “(Connor) threw a dime, and Donovan did the rest.”
Shepard’s rushing (92 yards on 22 carries) offered Cardinal Gibbons (8-0) offensive balance that made Richmond County (4-1) defend both scoring means. Biestek had nine catches for 90 yards.
“It takes a group of kids that are willing to work hard and do what’s asked of them,” Wright said. “And we’ve got that.”
Said Wright: “I would trust those guys with my own family,” Wright said. “That friendship has fostered probably an unusual amount of trust that they have continued to prove me right.”
Cardinal Gibbons fans can trust that Wright – on fourth down and any others – will stick with the same process that earned the Crusaders a second consecutive 4A state semifinal berth. Cardinal Gibbons will welcome New Bern to Raleigh next Friday.
“I’ll offer suggestions, and give them input,” Wright said of his coordinators. “Then, we’ll make a mutual decision. I’ll trust them to kind of roll with what they feel is going to work.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2021 at 1:02 AM with the headline "Bold play call helps Cardinal Gibbons complete upset of Richmond Senior."