Connor Moreno is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert Christian High School for AZPreps365.com

Distraught emotions riddled the face of every Gilbert Christian football player following a thrilling 14-7 loss to Benjamin Franklin on Friday night. The Knights were not only driven by the fact that they were playing against their former coach, Danny Norris, but that it was against a program that defensive coordinator Peter Heintz built up from the ground. 

“I was playing for Heintz,” sophomore defensive lineman Hyatt Lang said. “He wanted it more than any of us. He deserved this win and it sucks that we couldn’t get it for him.”

If there was a game all season that the Knights were playing for something more than a notch in the win column, it was this one. And it was evident in the first half.

Benjamin Franklin was running an unorthodox variation of a ‘flexbone’ offensive formation for the majority of the first half. It proved futile against an imperious Gilbert Christian run defense. The Chargers only had 32 yards from scrimmage in the entire first half – an offensive display that included 17 rushing attempts and only two passes, one of which was intercepted. 

The Knights’ offense didn’t find much success in the first half either. Their first three drives resulted in a punt until junior quarterback Tyler Burr found open field for a 33-yard touchdown run to put Gilbert Christian up 7-0 with 5:42 left in the half. 

Whether the offense just couldn’t execute or the Chargers defense just wanted it more, the Knights couldn’t get much else going on that side of the ball for the rest of the game despite various opportunities presented by their defense. 

“I think we did pretty good, I just think we needed to execute more of our plays,” sophomore receiver Kamari Stanbury said. “The game just meant a lot, of course, and now we’re going to be a (lower) seed in the playoffs.”

This game was not only a battle of former coaches, it also had major playoff implications. Prior to this matchup, Gilbert Christian was ranked 13th in the 3A conference. This loss makes their next game against Tempe even more important to avoid playing an even higher seed. 

Benjamin Franklin came into the game ranked ninth with hopes of jumping higher before the season ends. Their second-half attack resembled more of that eagerness to win. The Chargers looked like a completely different team than they did in the first half. 

After throwing only two passes before halftime, sophomore quarterback Ty Sather tossed in two crucial touchdown passes for Benjamin Franklin in the second half that would ultimately lift them over the Knights, 14-7. 

But, he wouldn’t have been able to do that if it weren’t for the brutish rushing of junior running back Ridge Allen, who gave the Chargers 161 rushing yards in the second half. Allen finished with 197 rushing yards on the night.

“I think all of our coaches felt very confident coming into this game,” Heintz said. “For the first three quarters, you could see that confidence show and I think we just ran out of gas in the end. The kids gave all they had and that’s all we could ask for.”

A loss this hard for a team may seem insurmountable, but Heintz believes that the Knights’ focus won’t be shifted to close out the season.

“I told the kids beforehand, ‘this game means more to me than other games, but notice how I prepared the same way this week as other weeks, and next week we’re going to prepare the same way,’” Heintz said. 

Though Benjamin Franklin (7-2, 3-0) sits comfortably in the rankings, they will face a tough Valley Christian (8-1, 3-0), who rank third in the conference, on Friday at 7 p.m.

Gilbert Christian (5-4, 1-2) will host Tempe (5-4,1-2) for their homecoming and Senior Night at 7 p.m. Friday.