Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons wins playoff game with field goal at buzzer

Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons senior kicker Evan Windley made a 26-yard field goal as time expired to top Garner (N.C.) High on Friday in the NCHSAA 7A playoffs.

Cardinal Gibbons improved to 12-1 and will play NC State senior commit Aiden Smalls and Clayton (N.C.) High next Friday, with a trip to the state title game on the line. Smalls played his first two years at Cardinal Gibbons.

The game

Junior running back Amir Wallace ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run to give Garner a 14-13 lead with 1:22 left in the third quarter.

Cardinal Gibbons got the punt with 3:53 left in the game and methodically went down the field. Garner’s defense stiffened and the Crusaders had to kick the field goal to win it, and Windley made it.

Senior quarterback Conner Lindsey, the son of Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, has been filling in for injured Wake Forest-bound quarterback Gannon Jones. Lindsey completed 19-of-27 passing for 250 yards.

Garner got down to the one-yard line before halftime, but on the last play of the half, the snap went came in hot and through the hands of junior recruit Aroson “A.J.” Randle in the Wildcat formation, and the Trojans came away with zero points.

NC State commit

The Wolfpack have a junior commitment from Cardinal Gibbons junior Griffin Cockerham, who mostly played defensive end, but will be a tight end at NC State. Cockerham had six tackles in the game, and played a few plays at tight end.

NC State targets

The Wolfpacker has seen Cardinal Gibbons previously this season, but it was the first live look at Randle, who had eight tackles in the loss and two passes broken up. Randle plays a outside linebacker/free safety hybrid in Garner’s scheme. Randle was offered by NC State on Oct. 12, and went to a Wolfpack practice. He’ll be at the North Carolina at NC State game tonight.

NC State has offered junior cornerback Xavier Hasan and sophomore middle linebacker Skylar Alston, and both played well. Alston unofficially finished with 14 tackles and set the defensive tone from the start. Alston will also be at the NC State game tonight.

Hasan had four tackles on defense and played some at wide receiver late in the game. He also was Cardinal Gibbons’ punt returner and kick returner, but didn’t have any opportunities to make things happen on special teams.

Coming up

The Wolfpacker will have a story on Randle and various scouting videos, which will be found here.