Courtesy PG Hawks Sports
It is no doubt it’s a Merry Christmas in Hawk Nation this season.
This after the Hawks won the Class 4a State Championship in football for the second time in the last three years. It was also their third straight appearance in the title game.
PG dominated Wimberley 35-21 to win state at AT&T Stadium.
The game started in the best possible way for the Hawks as K.J. Hicks ran the opening kickoff to the house for a quick TD. PG Head Coach Josh Gibson says they were looking for a fast start. “We finished a team meeting that morning and Justin Gibson, who coordinates our special teams told the team we needed to start the game with a BANG! He said there is no reason that we can’t return the opening kick-off to the house if everyone does their job and our returners hit it hard. It worked to perfection and gave us a lot of momentum early on.”
The Hawks were led on offense by Running Back Bruce Garrett, who came in to the game banged up, but had a huge performance. “Bruce had one of the best games of his career. We really needed a big game from him since we had several guys out due to injury. Bruce made some amazing runs with power, versatility, and speed. We are extremely proud of him.”
The Hawks were also aided by a stingy defense that shut the high octane offense of Wimberley down, especially in the second half. Gibson had this to say about their effort on defense. “Our defense played a GREAT game. Wimberley was averaging over 45 points a game, and we did a great job of shutting them down. They had less than 25 yards rushing and we forced them to be one dimensional. Great game plan by the defensive staff, and great execution by the whole unit.”
During this run of 3 great seasons for PG, a constant has been Quarterback Ben Harmon, who refused to lose. Coach Gibson has high praise for his QB. “Ben has been a great blessing to this program. He is the epitome of FULL TILT, as well as HEART & SOUL. He’s an elite competitor, a great leader and teammate, and a game changer. One of the mot gifted and special players that I will ever coach.
Once again Hawk Nation showed up and were loud and proud. Gibson had this to say about the PG fan base. “Hawk Nation has the best fans. They don’t just come in great numbers, but our success means so much to all of them. We’ve received so many letters, texts, and emails, of how much our program means to our fans. It makes us feel special. We have the best fans in the world.”
Coach Gibson is indeed very thankful for blessings. He put it this way. “We are thankful and blessed for this journey we’ve been on the last few years. Every staff member, parent, coach,player, and fan has played a big roll in our success. God ha given us so many blessings at PG, and we are thankful for ALL OF THEM!
Well said Coach Gibson, and we are so very thankful for you and your staff and all they do both on and off the field for all the student athletes at PG, and the community as a whole.
We are proud of what ya’ll have done both on and off the field. Beyond the football team, we are proud of how the Hawk Band, Cheerleaders, Showstoppers, and Flag Corp has represented the community so well.
The special group of Senior players, most of whom have been with Gibson since he arrived 6 years ago will be moving on, but there will be returning players and new faces coming back next year to try and continue the success at the district. With Coach Gibson in charge you got to believe they will be successful. But we will miss this very special group of seniors, we’ve grown to consider them family, it’s the Josh Gibson way after all!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone in Hawk Nation!!