Gibson Southern learns important lessons in blowout loss to Kentucky powerhouse

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Nick Hart is not a moral victory coach and never will be.

Gibson Southern came to Houchens Industries L. T. Smith Stadium expecting to win on Saturday. That will always be the standard. But there’s a reason Hart schedules this type of opponent every season.

The potential lessons from this game, even despite this result, could make the Titans that much better.

Boyle County looked the part of the best team Gibson Southern will see all season with a 36-6 victory in the Rafferty’s Bowl at Western Kentucky University. A remarkable or disastrous, depending on your fandom, first quarter was the difference.

The other three quarters? The Titans provided a good template. Therein lies the lesson learned on this two-hour trip into Kentucky.

“We did some things you can’t do,” said Hart. “That’s why I’ll forever try and play teams like that. They are going to embarrass you if you’re not on top of your game.”

Let’s state the obvious: Boyle County (1-0) is this good.

The first 12 minutes were mesmerizing from the Rebels’ perspective. Avery Bodner took a shovel pass 80 yards while bouncing off three defenders on the first offensive play. Montavin Quisenberry, the owner of a handful of Division I offers including Michigan and Ole Miss, scored twice and intercepted a pass.

Boyle County scored four touchdowns in five drives. It even converted a two-point attempt following a poor snap. Gibson Southern had one first down in the first quarter. The scoreboard read 29-0.

The Rebels are the three-time defending state champions in Kentucky with five trips to the championship the past six years.

“We need to fix the tiny things,” said senior Michael Herren. “When you go against a team like that, you can’t make big mistakes. The first quarter we came out slow. With our team, I think we can build and will learn from this.”

Where the Titans (0-1) could and should find solace was their response. The offense finally moved the ball beyond the sticks. Boyle County only found the end zone once more — a short run by Bodner following a Gibson fumble — while Tanner Boyd put the Titans on the board with 2:26 left in the first half.

Perhaps Gibson Southern has a better showing on the scoreboard if it finishes drives. Too many trips inside the 30, including one inside the 5 in the fourth quarter, that resulted in nothing. Again, the margin of error is slim.

You can’t argue Boyle County let up with a big lead. Similar to Indiana, a 36-point lead triggers a running clock in Kentucky so the Rebels looked for the hammer blow continuously but fell short. The Titans arguably matched them for three quarters.

That’s the positive.

“It shows a lot about the team we could have,” said Hart. “(Boyle County) didn’t take their foot off the gas. They were taking shots. If we play like we did those last three quarters, we’ll be really tough to beat.”

There were individual bright spots. Brody Klem, an All-State defensive line as a freshman, started strong with three tackles for loss including a sack. Jack and Beau Rose made multiple plays at linebacker. Herren regularly moved the sticks and DeLong finally broke free for a 45-yard catch in the fourth quarter.

The goal moving forward is more consistency. Talent won’t be an issue.

“That’s the defense we think we have,” said Hart. “We got exposed in the first quarter. (Quisenberry) forces us to play differently than we’ll probably play anybody else. The defense made some good adjustments.”

Gibson Southern has been in this position before. It opened with losses to Columbus North and Whiteland three years ago before winning seven of its next eight. There was a notable loss at South Warren (Ky.) in the middle of a state championship season in 2021.

Those were different teams with different strengths. The link was the Titans responded well after seeking an early-season challenge. Will another upperclassmen-led group do the same?

The schedule is riddled with opportunities to slip or fire back. Gibson Southern visits Mount Carmel (Ill.) next week. A trip to South Warren (Sept. 8) and visits from Southridge (Sept. 15) and Heritage Hills (Sept. 22) also await in the first six weeks.

It’s why opponents like Boyle County will continue to be played.

“I’m happy to play a team this good win or lose,” said DeLong. “If you want to play a team not as good, we could make mistakes and not show up. This is a game to learn from and get better. We settled down after that first quarter. We were playing our football."

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA football: Gibson Southern opens season with loss to Boyle County