Crown Point junior Trevor Gibbs’ tremendous two-way play was on display once again Friday night.
Gibbs’ coach, Craig Buzea, has seen enough by now. Buzea was effusive in his praise of the 6-foot-3, 230-pound tight end/linebacker.
“This is no disrespect,” Buzea said. “Obviously, I’ve only been here four years, but I coached against Crown Point several times in my other life. But no disrespect, I can’t believe there’s been a better football player to come through Crown Point High School than Trevor Gibbs. He’s on the field over 100 snaps a game. He never comes off. He dominates the game on both sides of the ball.
“He’s as good as it gets in regards to me coaching. I don’t know if anyone in the state is doing what he’s doing at a 6A level, playing both ways. You’d have to go very, very far to find somebody who’s doing what he’s doing on both sides of the ball.”
Buzea said that after the Bulldogs topped Merrillville 46-13 in a Duneland Athletic Conference opener, but that wasn’t the first time he expressed such sentiments about Gibbs. At the end of last season, which culminated in Crown Point’s history-making run to the Class 6A championship game against Indianapolis Ben Davis, Buzea described Gibbs as “maybe our most important player, and he’s only a sophomore. He has a chance to be the best player in school history.”
Performances such as the one against the Pirates (2-1, 0-1), the top-ranked team in the 5A coaches poll, only add to Gibbs’ legacy with the Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0), who are ranked No. 5 in the 6A coaches poll.
Gibbs caught seven passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns from senior quarterback Noah Ehrlich, and Gibbs also made an interception that he returned 38 yards to set up senior running back Larry Ellison’s second 2-yard TD run of the game.
Gibbs had six catches for 150 yards and a TD in the first half.
“The timing,” he said. “We work on timing with Noah all week. So the timing was really good. We have coaches who stay up until midnight watching film, so what they have planned worked.”
Gibbs thought it was his best game for Crown Point. But he took Buzea’s compliments in stride.
“It’s really just potential,” Gibbs said. “I’m not there yet. But it’s in the back of my mind. Now we’re on to the next game. I’m not worried about all the accolades right now.”
Ehrlich, who completed 11 of 14 passes for 222 yards and four TDs, didn’t hesitate to pay tribute to Gibbs. Ehrlich, a Miami of Ohio recruit, also had three carries for 34 yards and a TD.
“It’s a true blessing that he’s on my team and not on another team because he’s an absolute beast,” Ehrlich said. “Great kid. Does everything right. He’s a true leader, and he performs, for sure. I’m very proud of him for what he’s been able to become so far.”
Colleges have noticed. Gibbs has offers from Ball State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami of Ohio and Western Michigan.
“He’s a top-level kid,” Buzea said.
Gibbs, who had 26 catches for 322 yards and eight TDs and made 57 tackles last season, also took his recruitment in stride.
“I really try to stay locked in on high school right now because I still have another year,” he said. “I want to win state, so I want to stay locked in.”
The Bulldogs were locked in against Merrillville, making another statement that they’re again statewide contenders.
Ellison rushed for 127 yards and two TDs on 20 carries. Senior linebacker/receiver Lucas Szymborski, a Ball State recruit, had a 10-yard TD and a 50-yard TD for his two catches.
For Merrillville, senior defensive back/wide receiver John Peters, a Western Michigan recruit, caught a 30-yard TD pass from junior quarterback Darnell Bowles. Junior running back Jac’Quarious “JQ” Johnson added a 3-yard TD in the fourth quarter.
Crown Point has won three straight games in the series with Merrillville.
“It’s one game,” Buzea said. “We came in, we know it’s tough to win here. The last time somebody won here was us two years ago. But our guys wanted to do it on their field. We did the same thing to them last year. The talent level they have is incredible. We’re not going to match them player for player. We have to play as a team.
“We did a lot of things this summer against really, really good competition to get us ready for a team like this. Everybody saw how we struggled last year with speed in the last game of the year. We’re doing a better job of handling that type of speed.”
The Bulldogs haven’t lost a regular-season game since Oct. 15, 2021, and have won back-to-back DAC titles.
“They have some dudes over there,” Buzea said of the Pirates. “They can run. They’re fast. They’re big. They’re physical. … I don’t know if there’s a more talented team in the state than those guys. Everywhere you look.
“We know at Crown Point we have to find a way, if we’re going to be in the conference run, that we have to find a way to combat what they have and we don’t. Our defense started rallying to the ball, and we did a really good job.”
Gibbs appreciated the victory.
“We’ve been working all week,” he said. “We wanted it. We saw what they were saying. We don’t talk. We show our actions on the field. So we’ve been waiting.”
