Late bolt of lightning lifts Gators to thrilling playoff win. ‘We believe in ourselves.’
Kasin Thomas extended Gautier’s season with two cuts.
The junior caught a third down screen out of the backfield from the Gators’ own 45-yard line, cut to the middle of the field before bouncing back into an open lane on the outside and racing the distance for the go-ahead touchdown in Gautier’s 36-30 win over Natchez in the opening round of the 5A state playoffs.
Thomas’ touchdown turned back an upset bid made possible by self-inflicted wounds in the form of three empty red zone trips and a blocked extra point. But four total touchdowns from 5A Mr. Football Trey Irving and sacks by Gabriel Millender and Denzel Larkin on Natchez’s final drive lifted the Gators (10-1) to their ninth straight win and third consecutive first-round playoff win.
“We had a touchdown called back, had a missed field goal, threw a pick down there and that’s some points that we can’t miss out on,” Gautier coach Marc High told the Sun Herald after the game. “We played all right in spots, but we didn’t play our brand of football.”
Gautier had an opportunity to break open the game before halftime. The Gators were inside the 10-yard line with under a minute left in the second quarter when Irving threw an interception in the end zone, holding the Gautier lead at 22-12 at the break.
Each of Gautier’s first two second half drives reached the end zone, as well. The first ended in a missed field goal, the second in a fumble. In the meantime, two Natchez touchdowns had given the 4-seed Bulldogs a 24-22 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
But it was a game of giveaways. While the Gators left points on the field, Natchez spotted Gautier with nine. A high snap on a Bulldog punt gave the Gators their first points in the opening quarter via safety and a dropped snap on a punt attempt set Gautier up at the 5-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Irving hit Devon Garrett to retake the lead and then converted the 2-point try with his legs.
“We have to bounce back,” Irving said of his team’s mindset through the second half. “Forget it, move on to the next play. We still have to execute and do what we got to do. We can’t give up.”
Cardiac Gators
Gautier’s re-established fourth quarter lead was short-lived. A miraculous 4th-and-25 conversion by the Bulldogs led to Kaden Walton tying the game with a short touchdown plunge.
The Gators needed just five plays to answer and were in no rush, taking over two minutes off the clock before Thomas’ go-ahead jaunt.
The confidence and poise comes from experience. Gautier is now 4-0 in one-score games this season and each razor-thin victory has carried weight. The Port City Bowl win against 7A’s Harrison Central, the rivalry win over Pascagoula, beating the reigning 4A South State champs in Columbia and Friday’s playoff battle were all won in the closing moments.
“We believe in ourselves when we get to those points,” High said. “We preach something every day, players make plays in big time games. That’s what we always teach them.”
Gautier is on a particular mission this season and has proven difficult to be denied. The wins against the Red Rebels and Panthers are a part of checklist.
The Gators also won a 7-on-7 championship during the summer. It followed up the Port City Bowl and Singing River Classic by winning the school’s first district title since 2008.
It’s all part of what High calls “trophy season” and the Gators aren’t done adding to the display cases yet.
“Our goal is to get to state and get us a ring,” Irving said. “It’s trophy season, it’s our time to take it all the way.”
The Irving legacy
Irving scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground in the first half and delivered two more through the air in the second. It was his eighth straight game with at least three touchdowns responsible for and ran his season total up to 35.
It also brought Gautier its 18th straight home win, a streak that bridges back to his predecessor and elder cousin, Kaden Irving.
The former Gator standout and current Mississippi Gulf Coast first baseman was on the sidelines for the Gators’ win and spent time talking with his younger cousin between possessions.
“I’m just being there for him as far as keeping his head straight, but when you have talent like he does you really don’t have to do too much with him,” the elder Irving said. “He’s gifted and special.”
Outside of a stretch of time last year where Trey was sidelined with an injury, an Irving has held down the quarterback position since 2019.
The Gators improved each year with Kaden under center, culminating in the 10-3 campaign in 2022 where Gautier won two postseason games for the first time in school history. Kaden became one of only six players in state history to throw for at least 10,000 career passing yards before handing the reigns to Trey.
“It’s a special thing to watch, passing down the torch to him and him being a part of whenever we first started getting things rolling,” Kaden said.
Gautier hopes to have a few more games with an Irving behind center as it turns its attention to a round two meeting with region foe Wayne County.
The Gators swamped the War Eagles in their first meeting, 31-8, but Wayne County has won three in a row and defeated South Jones 42-14 on the road Friday to earn its first playoff win since 2019.
A win there would send Gautier to the South State championship for the third year in a row.
This story was originally published November 16, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
