How a tough schedule, early loss helped prepare this prep football team for playoff run
Let’s go back to August.
When Cardinal Gibbons started its football season, the 2019 schedule coach Steve Wright had mapped out for his team was daunting. From the start, the Crusaders slate resembled what Wright referred to as “murderers’ row.”
Their first six opponents all made the playoffs. Four of those teams went on to win their respective conferences. Three of those teams are still in the playoffs, playing for a shot at a state championship appearance.
Those six teams have a combined record of 65-12, two of them are currently undefeated. While outsiders might have questioned Wright for setting up a tough schedule, it served a purpose in the long run.
“I think it was really big in terms of just the development of our team,” Wright said. “You learn something about your team every time you play on a Friday night. Generally you learn more when you’re pushed, whether that ends in a win or a loss, when you’re in a competitive game you find out a lot about your kids.”
Wright’s lessons carried the Crusaders through the challenge and right into the 4A East Regional finals, where they will host Scotland County (12-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday for a spot in the state championship game.
The Scots are just the latest road block in a season full of tough obstacles for Cardinal Gibbons. Scotland County has finished as the 4A runner up four times since 2012, including the past two seasons.
Cardinal Gibbons ‘trending in the right direction’
The Crusaders opened the season at three-time state champion Wake Forest, and ended the Cougars’ 45-game winning streak with a 27-24 win on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The season didn’t get easier from there. After beating a Durham-Riverside team that would win eight games in 2019, a tough September stretch taught Wright a lot about the character of his team.
Cardinal Gibbons went 1-2 the month of September, falling to Richmond County 45-28 on Sept. 13. Two weeks later, in what was essentially the CAP-7 championship game, Leesville Road defeated the Crusaders, 30-24. In between those two losses, Cardinal Gibbons went on the road and defeated a tough Cleveland team, 36-0. Richmond and Leesville Road are both playing in the 4AA regional, while Cleveland made it to the third round of the 3AA playoffs. Coming off a grueling September, Wright learned a lot about his team.
“We felt like we had the pieces to have a good season and you never know because injuries are such a big part of football, especially at the high school level,” Wright told the N&O over the phone on Monday. “We felt like if we stayed healthy that we had a chance to really do something special.”
After the game against the Pride, Cardinal Gibbons went on a tear and won eight in a row. Wright will be the first to admit that the second half of the schedule wasn’t as hard as the first, but the Crusaders were just as impressive. The team averaged 47.5 points per contest and pitched two shutouts. In their two playoff games, Gibbons has outscored its opponents 84-7, including a 42-7 win at No. 1 seed New Bern last week.
“Definitely trending in the right direction,” Wright said.
Crusaders could make first 4A title game in school history
And while he realizes the second half of the year wasn’t as challenging as the first, Wright knew from the August and September games what his team needed to work on to finish the season strong. Wright said the Crusaders found a great rhythm. The goal or challenge, was to find out how good they could be. When the Raiders defeated Gibbons at home, Wright looked his players in the eyes and told them like it was.
“They were better than us,” Wright said he told his team. “If we play our best and the other team is better, then they are better.”
The loss to Leesville Road two weeks later proved to be a turning point, with Wright saying it was “exactly what the team needed to push us forward.”
Another playoff win on Friday night would push the Crusaders to the 4A title game for the first time in school history. It could also push them into the conversation with other 4A powerhouse programs in this part of the state. Richmond County, Scotland, New Bern and Wake Forest have all earned the right to be part of that conversation. Wright hopes Cardinal Gibbons can show they belong as well.
“They have earned their right to be mentioned in that conversation and I think we’re on the cusp on that,” Wright said. “Can we get over that hump? Obviously, we were able to do it with Wake Forest, we did it with New Bern. Now the question is can we do it with Scotland County? Those three or four programs have earned their reputation.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 12:28 PM with the headline "How a tough schedule, early loss helped prepare this prep football team for playoff run."
