CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Rossview football hosted Dickson County Friday for its homecoming. The final outcome of the game was never in doubt. Rossview received four total touchdowns from its quarterback Gabe Sibert and two from its running back DiVontae Phillips, as the Hawks improved to 4-2 on the season with a 39-10 victory over Dickson County.
“Well it was really nice,” Rossview football coach Todd Hood said of the win. “I’ve never seen a team eat as much sugar and candy all day long, but they’re amazing. They can run around like crazy kids with their heads cut off and still play somewhat fairly good, so I’m really impressed with that part. Homecoming is a crazy week for any coach that has to put up with it, but we survived and we’ll try and get better and move on.”
After going three-and-out on its opening drive of the game, Rossview quickly found its groove offensively. Sophomore running back DiVonte Phillips put the Hawks on the board first and on the very next Rossview drive, Gabe Sibert kept it himself and ran it in for six points. After a successful two-point conversion, Rossview led Dickson County 15-0 after one quarter of play.
Hood discussed how he’s seen his offense come to life in recent weeks.
“I think Gabe is starting to learn the offense a bit more and it’s slowing down for him,” Hood said. “This is about his sixth week or so with us. He’s a great leader, he runs the ball well, he’s a big kid and throws a really good ball. I think it opens up other areas for us when he can do that for us.”
A change in scenery can oftentimes rejuvenate a player and for the transfer quarterback, this certainly appears to be the case.
“It’s been this coaching staff man,” Sibert said of the team’s success. “I’ve never been a part of something that’s so serious. These coaches are really trying to work with our offensive front and our wide receivers. We do a lot of screens, so it requires a lot of blocking. From the first week when I came and got eligible, I didn’t play a lot. I took the starting job that next week and since then, we’ve been rolling in practice. We do a lot of conditioning and our defense is really solid. I think it’s really just about being disciplined. This coaching staff has our backs no matter what and these coaches are some of the best I’ve ever played for.”
Rossview kicker Aaron Pardo connected on a 30-yard field goal with four minutes left in the second quarter to make it 18-0.
Ephriam “E” Rolingson had a nifty punt return to set up the Hawks final score of the first half. Sibert found his man a few plays later from 10-yards out, as Rossview took a 25-0 lead into the break.
Hood discussed Rolingson’s explosiveness and ability to be a factor in all three phases of the game for the Hawks.
“He does really well,” Hood said. “He’s moved into some offensive playing time and he’s caught some punts for us this year. I think he’s gaining more confidence. He’s never really played football before, but you can’t really tell by watching him play. He’s picking things up quick and I’m just very impressed with him.”
Hawk wide receiver Aaron Bolster also had a solid outing for Rossview and found the end zone. Sibert says it makes his job a lot easier to have weapons like Bolster and Phillips at his disposal.
“They’re both young players,” Sibert said. “I mean imagine what they’re going to do next year in 6A. They’re two special kids and two smart 4.0 GPA students. They help me out a lot. I’m not really used to this type of environment and they’ve really helped me learn the offense more from week to week.”
The second half was virtually the same script as the first. Late in the third quarter, Sibert powered his way into the end zone for his fourth total touchdown of the game, making it 32-0.
Kentucky football commit Tre’Vonn Rybka was the lone bright spot on the gridiron for the Cougars. As the opening quarter came to a close, Rybka carried numerous Hawk defenders on his back for a 20-yard gain.
Dickson struggled to find any offensive momentum throughout until Clinton Shraeder ripped off a 76-yard run before getting dragged down at the one-yard line.
Cougar quarterback Jacob Dooley then put the Cougars on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Rossview (4-2) will travel to Mt. Juliet (3-2) to take on the Golden Bears Thursday, Oct. 3.
It’ll be a big litmus test for the Hawks as they look to capture their fourth straight win.
“We’ll I mean we’re going to be playing one of the top teams in the state,” Hood said. “They have great tradition. We’re definitely going to have to bring our A-game. We’re going to have to be able to run the ball against them and eat up some clock. It’s going to be a great challenge, but it’ll be fun and I’m looking forward to it.”