After struggling to establish the run early, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley relied on explosive plays through the air and a lockdown defensive effort to beat the Marquette Crusaders 28-6 in a 1A first-round playoff matchup Saturday afternoon in Gibson City.

The first half was a battle to establish the run, with both defenses playing physical, disciplined and gap-sound in their run fits. And after a scoreless opening quarter, the Falcons were the ones who made the necessary offensive adjustments to break through.

“We wanted to run the ball heavy, but as soon as we saw how things were going after the first quarter, coaches made adjustments, and so did we,” GCMS junior quarterback Tucker Mueller said. “Sometimes it’s not just about executing during the practice week and initial game plan. Being able to adjust during the game is sometimes just as important.”

Mid-game adjustments were certainly just as important in this one, and the Falcons made those adjustments – letting Mueller drop back and sling it.

“They were moving around and shifting a little bit up front, which gave our run blocking some trouble early,” GCMS head coach Chad Augspurger said. “We knew we had to start throwing a bit if we wanted to move the ball, and I trust our guys.”

Mueller completed 8-of-17 passes for 142 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and added five carries for 3 yards and a rushing score.

A large share of those passing yards went to junior receiver Graydon Leonard, who made three acrobatic, contested grabs at different points of the game. Leonard finished with five receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown.

“Our No. 1 key today was to stop 22 (Jacob Chase), and I thought we did a pretty good job for the first three quarters,” Marquette head coach Ken Carlson said. “But they took advantage of us getting more guys in the box, and No. 3 (Graydon Leonard) went up and made some plays over our guys.”

The only other Falcons receiver to catch a pass was senior tight end Trent Wetherell, who hauled in three for 40 yards and two touchdowns.

“They were really taking away Jacob (Chase), who’s our top playmaker, but our receivers really stepped up - Graden Leonard, unbelievable; Trent Wetherell, unbelievable,” Augspurger said. “Tucker (Mueller) has worked hard all year and has really improved as a quarterback, and I’m proud of the way he led today.”

Chase was the Falcons’ leading rusher, and although he finished with 24 carries for 101 yards, most of those yards came late in the game when GCMS was up multiple scores.

Despite the Falcons’ explosive plays in the passing game, Marquette fought hard to stay within a couple scores until the final whistle.

“The effort’s always there. We didn’t quite execute as well, and that’s on me,” Carlson said. “Gibson City played one heck of a game and made more plays than we did.”

The Cru’s leading rusher was senior running back Grant Dose, who carried 18 times for 64 yards and added two receptions for 11 yards. Dose also intercepted a pass in the first quarter while playing linebacker.

Senior quarterback Anthony Couch completed 8-of-15 passes for 96 yards with two interceptions and added nine carries for 42 yards.

As a first-year head coach, Carlson reflected on the season overall - making sure to thank his senior leaders and Marquette’s community.

“I’ve told my seniors many times that they made this job really easy for me, because they took care of the team,” he said. “There’s a lot of support at Marquette. The parents are great, and the community here made my first year very enjoyable.”