Lions roll in opener

By Tim Rogers

sports@timesfreepress.com

Knoxville Gibbs danced on Red Bank’s logo at midfield before the start of its Class 4A high school football playoff game Friday night. Gibbs matched the Lions step for step for a quarter and a half.

Then the No. 1 team in the state waltzed away.

Playing without its best player, Red Bank rallied behind quarterback Andy Christopher’s four touchdowns to defeat the Eagles 48-8 in first-round action at Red Bank Community Stadium. The Lions trailed 8-7 midway through the second quarter before reeling off 41 unanswered points.

Red Bank (11-0) will host Fulton on Friday at 7 p.m. Gibbs finishes at 6-5, its first winning season since 1997.

Starting tailback Keon Williams dressed but did not play. Coach Tim Daniels said Williams, who scored 24 touchdowns in the regular season, was nursing a bruised shoulder.

Without Williams, the Lions turned to Christopher and senior tailback Tim Dews, who ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

“Number 22 (Dews) has been playing football around here for a long time,” Daniels said. “We had no problem relying on him.”

Dews scored the first TD of the game at 11:22 in the second quarter on a 9-yard run. Gibbs turned a Lions’ fumble into points when workhorse tailback Andy Hibbett plunged in for a 6-yard touchdown.

The Eagles took an 8-7 lead on Hibbett’s two-point conversion after Red Bank was flagged for roughing the kicker on a missed extra-point try.

Then Christopher took over. The senior quarterback completed 13 of 15 passes for 209 yards and an interception. His 14-yard TD strike to Josh Robinson gave the Lions a 14-8 lead with 3:37 remaining in the first half.

After a defensive stop, Christopher put the game away. He led the Lions to another score in 29 seconds, connecting on three straight passes for 68 yards, including a 37-yard TD to Kelvin Clay.

“That drive was huge for us,” Christopher said. “It gave us a boost. They stuck with us for a little bit, but we pulled away.”

Christopher scored on a 14-yard run in the third quarter and hit Shawn McKlesky in stride for a 43-yard scoring pass before getting a break in the fourth quarter.

Red Bank added late scores on Keith Mayes’ 28-yard fumble recovery and Jeremy Jackson’s 38-yard interception.

Hibbett led the Eagles with 129 yards on 23 carries. Starting quarterback Chris Legg left the game in the third quarter with what Gibbs coach Brad Conley said could be a concussion.