Gilbert head coach Ozzie Exume’s vision is starting to come together. 

The Indians picked up their sixth win of the season last week, beating Airport 52-0. It was a very balanced game for Gilbert, who excelled in all three phases of the game. 

“First time all year that the offense, defense and special teams played well together,” Exume said. “We don’t want that to be a fluke. That has to be an every-week thing.”

The Indians forced the shutout against the Eagles by recording about 500 yards of offense and holding Airport to under 200. 

Gilbert came out of the gates fast, building a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and a 38-0 lead at the halftime break. The Indians made many momentum-grabbing plays on both sides of the ball, leaving Airport deflated from the jump. 

“All year long, we’ve started games so slow,” Exume said. “It was nice to see us play well early.” 

Things got ugly fast. Airport started with the ball and gained two yards before being forced to punt. However, the snap went over the punter's head, and he fell on it inside the Airport 20, setting Gilbert up with great field position. 

Just 19 yards from the end zone, the Indians scored a touchdown on their opening drive after Jaylen Brost forced his way into the end zone from two yards away. 

The Eagles got the ball back and actually made positive plays, moving into Gilbert territory. The drive stalled just inside the red zone, and to get points on the board, Airport set up for a field goal. 

Gilbert overpowered Airport’s line and got a hand on the kick to block it and keep the Eagles scoreless. 

While that stung, it resulted in no points for Gilbert as Airport’s defense forced a punt. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the offense still couldn’t get points and punted the ball back. 

A few plays later, Brost got into the end zone for the second time, putting Gilbert up 14-0. 

Another solid drive by Airport came up scoreless after the Eagles made it to enemy territory. Gilbert’s DJ Jennings got the first interception of the game, stopping Airport in its tracks. 

The Indians followed up with a 64-yard passing touchdown between quarterback Kendall Wright and receiver Chandler Guthrie. The pair connected on three deep ball touchdowns from 64, 87 and 52 yards. 

On all three plays, Guthrie wound up wide open with nobody even close to him. 

“He’s a big playmaker,” Exume said. “He can take the top off. He makes tough catches. He’s a tough-nosed kid. He’s competitive … I don’t think he gets the respect he deserves, and that’s my personal opinion. I will be biased, but his body of work over 2.5 years speaks for itself.”

Airport made a quarterback switch in the second quarter, hoping to spark some life, but nothing worked. 

The Indians went on to score another touchdown on their first drive of the period. This time, Daniell Preston worked his way into the end zone to put Gilbert up 28-0 15 minutes into the game. 

Airport got the closest to the end zone it’d get all game on the next drive. The Eagles made it inside the 10-yard line and threatened to score. 

However, Gilbert’s defense locked up and got a tackle for loss, moving the ball back to the 13. Eventually, it became third down, and Airport threw an incompletion. 

Needing touchdowns and not field goals, the Eagles kept the offense out to go for it, but had no luck and turned the ball over on downs. 

Gilbert responded with the second long connection between Wright and Guthrie, giving the team a 35-point lead. 

Airport turned the ball over on downs again the following drive, and Gilbert closed the half with a 32-yard field goal as time expired. 

Things played out pretty similarly in the second half. Gilbert kept scoring while Airport kept squandering scoring opportunities. 

The Indians immediately added to their lead, taking the first drive of the third and scoring off the third deep connection between Wright and Guthrie. 

With the Indians leading by more than 40, the rest of the game was played with a running clock, so things finished very fast. 

Airport had three more drives in the game, and they ended with a fumble and two interceptions. 

Gilbert got one more score as Bryson Walker took a sweep pass and scored. 

With the win, Gilbert improved to 6-2 this season and 2-1 in region play. Airport fell to 2-6 overall and 0-3 in region play. 

Both teams have two games to go this season. For the Indians, these final few matchups will be crucial in determining their playoff position. 

Gilbert will take on Swansea this week before ending the regular season against Lower Richland. 

“I told them in the huddle, ‘Y’all think just because we won and we’re 6-2 that we’re done coaching y’all?’” Exume said. “Well, no. We’re going to be coaching them harder.”