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 AUSTIN - Chad Morris was concerned that the football game was slipping away until he saw the glare of Garrett Gilbert's eyes. Alice, which had trailed Lake Travis by as many as 23 points in the first half, had stormed back to within 35-32 late in the third quarter of their regional playoff game, and the boisterous crowd at the Alamodome was sensing the Class 4A upset of the year. The top-ranked Cavaliers needed a break to stop the avalanche of Alice points when faced with a fourth-down situation near midfield. Lake Travis needed four years to keep its drive alive, and Gilbert stared at his coach on the sideline, waiting for directions. "Garrett was gritting his teeth at me, and that's something he had never done before," Morris recalled. "He was signaling to me what play he wanted to run, gritting his teeth and squinting his eyes. "I remember thinking, 'Wow,' and I called the play and he picks up 14 yards." Two plays after Gilbert shed three Alice tacklers to earn that first down, he burst 32 yards for a touchdown, giving Lake Travis a 42-32 lead and helping the Cavaliers escape their biggest scare of the season, which will conclude today against Longview in the Class 4A Division I state championship game. In a season season that has included 72 touchdowns - 51 through the air - that fourth-down play arguably was the most important of the year for Gilbert, who on Friday was named the Texas high school football player of the year by The Associated Press. It's no surprise that Gilbert - the University of Texas bound quarterback who has earned All-State honors as well as being named the national player of the year - has been the pivotal player in all five of Lake Travis' playoff victories. But while he continues to pad his passing statistics, the 6-foot-4-inch, 205-pound senior has baffled opponents with his running ability. Gilbert has accounted for 29 touchdowns in the playoffs - 13 touchdown pass and 16 touchdown runs - to help the Cavaliers extend their state-best winning streak to 29 games. So much for recruiting services that have labeled Gilbert as a one-dimensional passing quarterback. "People assume that since Garrett's such a great passer, he can't run. And that's simply not true," Lake Travis offensive coordinator Matt Green said. "We want the ball in his hands." Gilbert, who will finish his high school career ranked No. 2 on the state's all-time passing completions, attempts and touchdown lists and has a shot at finishing as its career yardage leader, gave little indication during the regular season that he was anything but a pass-first player. He rushed for five touchdowns in 10 regular season games but has become very productive in the postseason, including five touchdown runs against Alice. "I'm not a very fast runner, but if that's what the game plan calls for, it's what I'll do," Gilbert said. Gilbert consistently gives credit to his coaches, offensive line and running backs, sometimes ignoring his own accomplishments. Friendswood coach Steve Van Meter called Gilbert the best high school quarterback he has seen in 28 yards, after Gilbert accounted fo 394 total yards and six touchdowns in the Cavaliers' 56-22 state semifinal victory last week. Teammates such as linemen Dustin Williams and Texas-bound Paden Kelly are not surprised by Gilbert's running success. "Whether it's by air or by foot, he always steps up at the appropriate time," said Williams, who has been friends with the quarterback since fifth grade. "People have always associated Garrett as a pro-style quarterback, but his ability to run with the football is an asset," said Kelley, who has known Gilbert since they were third-grade teammates for the Lake Travis Wildcats in Pop Warner. So, when the playoffs began last month with a bi-district game against LBJ, coaches decided to put Gilbert's running ability to good use. "It's all by design," Green said. Playoff opponents knew Gilbert threw 38 touchdown passes during the regular season, and it's understandable that they would put more emphasis on their defensive backfields. To count that strategy, he has averaged 95 yards rushing a game in the playoffs. Gilbert wears jersey No. 7 to honor his favorite player, John Elway. While Elway is remembered for his passing records, some might forget he was a strong and effective runner on occasion, finishing his career with 33 rushing touchdowns and an average of 4.4 yards a carry. Gilbert considers Elway the best run-pass quarterback in league history. "Garrett's the most humble kid you'll ever meet, but he's not afraid to come over and say, 'Coach, I can run the ball (against a certain defense)'," Green said. That was apparent in the Alice game when Gilbert looked to his coaches on the sideline, demanding they let him run with with the football without speaking a word. Three weeks later, Morris still finds humor in the moment. "After that game, I went over to him and said, 'You really got mad at me, Garrett.' Then he said, 'Coach, I could never get mad at you,' We were both laughing about it," Morris said. "Garrett then said he just wanted to have the ball in that situation," the coach said. "Then I told him, 'That's why you are who you are.'" Today, that's the state's player of the year. |