The Red and Black

Issue date: 6/21/01 Section: Sports

In a pinch, sometimes all you need to win is a little extra effort and a really great trick play.

Georgia came out on top at the Georgia-Florida High School Football All-Star Game in Knoxville, Tenn., with a 9-3 victory.

With 8:44 left in the fourth quarter, Bulldog signee and wide-receiver Fred Gibson launched a 69-yard touchdown pass, received by Buford native P.K. Sam, who ran the ball in for the touchdown.

Then, with only 2:52 left in the game, Lowndes County kicker Josh Davis, sealed the deal with a field goal to give Georgia a 9-3 lead and the win.

Until that point, Georgia had trailed Florida in Neyland Stadium by a score of 3-0. Georgia wasn't able to answer until the fourth quarter, when Georgia assistant coach, Dan Ragle of Ware County, called the trick play, allowing Gibson and Sam to deliver.

'Everything that could go wrong had,' Georgia head coach and Lowndes County native, Milt Miller said. 'But starting the fourth quarter, we got good field position. Coach Ragle and I had talked about running the reverse, so Ragle called it, and Fred (Gibson) did a good job of executing it.'

Georgia's quarterback, Robert Johnson, had a rough day, as did Lowndes County's Josh Davis.

Johnson, a University of West Virginia signee from Americus, completed only three of 11 passes and was intercepted three times. Davis, who kicked the win-securing field goal, missed two goals in the first half. One missed wide, while the other, a 49-yard attempt, was blocked by Florida's R.J. Pullings.

'I did the same thing every time I went out there,' Davis said. 'I just tried to keep calm. I just went out there and did what I knew how to do.'

The favored Georgia team was comprised of 27 Division I-A signees, six of which have committed to Georgia.

'Georgia had six signees that were playing, and they all did an outstanding job,' Miller said. 'Besides their athletic ability, they're just great people.'

However, Florida, who was actually missing some of its talent, certainly gave the Georgia team its share of headaches, blocking field goals and intercepting

passes all throughout the game.

Overall, Georgia exceeded Florida's total yards 216-94. This year's win extended Georgia's winning streak in the All-Star Game to five. Georgia now leads the series 8-6-3.

'We came out running at them in the second half with some success,' Miller said. 'Our whole thought was: 'Let's take it to them!' Let's show them that we came here to play.'

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