Gaither High School Football: A Year in Review

New coach, new quarterback, three starters injured on the offensive line, four wins in the last two years: everything pointed toward the Cowboys being mired in sub-mediocrity for the foreseeable future.

However, the hiring of Jason Stokes, a never-say-die attitude and breakout seasons for several players, vaulted the Cowboys all the way into the regional finals before their Cinderella season finally came to an end.

The 9-4 record that the Cowboys finished the season with is very misleading. In the middle of September, they were 1-2, 1-3 if you count losing the North/West Game to Sickles. That is about when half of the Gaither coaching staff jumped ship.

"We had some differences of opinion and some of the coaches decided they didn't want to be a part of the team anymore," said Stokes. "We're moving on as best we can."

Stokes and the Cowboys moved on by winning their next five games in a row and put themselves on the inside track for a District 7 playoff spot.

A hatched a rivalry that is bound to escalate in the coming years. The Cowboys showed true grit but eventually fell 17-14 to a very good Titan team.

However, the Cowboys had secured a 2011 playoff spot for themselves the week before with a 27-20 win over Chamberlain.

They faced a red-hot, district champion Durant team in the regional quarterfinals. The Cowboys were down 23-7 at the half only to rally for an eventual 38-30 victory.

The Nov. 25, regional will stand as one of the greatest games in Cowboy football history.

The Cowboys were out of gas, and offensive linemen when they met Lakeland in the regional final but they had already made their mark.

Three things held strong to carry the Cowboys through the 2011 season.

1. The leadership of head coach Stokes and his remaining staff after the defection. Gaither marks the second of Stokes' three coaching endeavors that were sub .500 team the year before and made the playoffs in his first year as coach.

- Stokes held the team together when all seemed lost. The team grew to believe in themselves as Stokes never stopped believing. The contribution by spirit leader and quality control coach Jim "JB" Billet cannot be overlooked.

2. The lock-down, tight-fisted, bail-the-offense-out-of-anything defense. Defensive coordinator Brian DelValle cobbled together one of the best defenses in Class 7A and made it work.

- The Cowboys defense allowed only 14.8 points per game, and that stat is skewed by the 42 points surrendered to Lakeland. If you take that game out, the points per game average drops to 12.5.

- Linebackers Logan Marshall, Nick Sampson, Josh Scarberry and Matt Williams all finished with over 100 total tackles.

3. A breakout season from senior receiver Carlo Perello.

- The quarterback tandem between junior athlete Shug Oyegunle and sophomore quarterback Alex McGough gave way to McGough being the full-time starter. After that, McGough and Perello went on a tear.

- Perello was mired in obscurity in 2010 on a struggling Cowboy team. He had just 14 catches for 311 yards. In 2011, Perello caught 43 passes for 792 yards and eight touchdowns; most notably a five catch, 178-yard, two touchdown performance in the regional semifinals against Tech.

With much of the starting lineup on both sides of the football returning next season, it's easy to get excited about 2012 for Gaither football.