HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

The Gilbert High School football team took to the field for their Spring Game at Leonard Price Field on May 23.

Spring games are always a chance to quench the thirst for football, while offering coaches and fans a glimpse at exactly what may be awaiting in the fall.

Head coach Chad Leaphart employed a scoring system which awarded points to both the offense and defense. Touchdowns, first downs, and explosive plays credited the offense with varying points. The defense could earn points on third and fourth down stops, plays behind the line of scrimmage, and of course, turnovers.

The Indians offense showcased early on with several scoring drives, but the defense began making plays in the red zone with several forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.

“We had some good and bad on both sides of the ball today, and that’s what you expect in games like this,” Leaphart told me after the spring game. “We turned the ball over too much on offense than I like…and we want to clean that up.”

Leaphart went on to talk about the youth on the team and how it could serve in the fall.

“We were trying some different guys,” he said. “Some younger guys at running back. We wanted to see what some of these young guys could do. Alex Dinkins and Jaron Johnson had the ability to make some of the plays they did at running back, we feel really good about that providing some depth.”

All in all, the coaching staff seemed pleased with how the players executed on both sides of the football. Coming off a first-ever undefeated regular season, a Region 5-3A title and school record 12 wins, fans in Gilbert are excited about the future of their team’s program.

This was the final practice for the Indians until they return to the field for preseason practice.

“Now it’s us against everybody else,” Leaphart said in closing. “We’ll start looking at our opponents in 7-on-7 drills and then Gray Collegiate with our first game on Aug. 17.”