CORRYTON — Scott scored on its first three possessions, then held on for a 22-17 victory over Gibbs here Friday evening.

The Highlanders scored three times in the first half to build a 22-3 halftime advantage, then withstood a fourth quarter rally by the Eagles to win their fifth consecutive game against Gibbs.

Scott’s defense, much-maligned against York’s powerful rushing attack a week earlier, held a pass-happy Gibbs offense to minus one yard rushing and did not allow a rushing play of more than eight yards. The Highlanders’ defensive front recorded six tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

The Eagles completed 13 of 24 passes through the air for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

The Highlanders offense, kept the ball primarily on the ground, despite their shotgun formations and four-wide receiver sets. The ground game paid off with 274 yards rushing.

“We were trying to keep our defense off the field and give them a rest,” Coach David Gillum said. He added that Scott was having trouble with its punting unit and entered the game with an emphasis on not having to punt the ball often.

“Goal one was to play for first downs and not have to punt, to get to where we could go for it on fourth down if we had to and still feel comfortable with our field position,” he said.

The absence of Joe Brooks, who appears to be out for the season after suffering a knee injury in the Highlanders’ season-opener against York Institute, also affected the Highlanders’ game plan, Gillum said.

“Joe was definitely our go-to receiver, and at the same time, we had to put new people in different positions because he was out, and that caused some confusion,” Gillum said.

Quarterback Josh Terry ground out 203 of the Highlanders’ 274 rushing yards, including nine runs of 10 or more yards. Terry also completed four of nine passes for 27 yards. Junior tailback Josh Jeffers added 71 yards for the Highlanders on 13 carries.

“(Terry’s effort) wasn’t a surprise for me, (but) I’m sure Gibbs wasn’t looking for that,” said Gillum, who has said that Terry has the potential to be an all-state player in his senior season. “He’s a great athlete. More than that, he has a lot of heart and he’s a good leader.”

After limiting Gibbs to three-and-out on the Eagles’ first possession of the ballgame, Scott took possession at the Eagles’ 36-yard-line and immediately put a touchdown drive together, covering the yardage in seven plays. Jeffers capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run, and Terry found Jared Sexton in the endzone on the two-point conversion to put Scott up early, 8-0.

Gibbs moved the ball deep into Highlander territory on the ensuing possession, but after reaching Scott’s 18-yard-line, the drive stalled, and Derek Cole banged home a 36-yard field goal for the Eagles to cut the gap to 8-3.

Scott put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive on the ensuing possession, with Jeffers and Terry teaming up to march the ball down the field. Terry capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown with 9:21 remaining, putting the Highlanders up 16-3 after Terry again found Sexton for a two-point conversion pass.

Gibbs would reach midfield on its ensuing possession before Scott’s defense stiffened and forced a punt attempt by the Eagles. But a low snap resulted in a turnover on downs at Gibbs’ 27-yard-line, with senior linebacker Matt Watson knocking down Cole before he could get a punt away.

Scott would cap its scoring five plays later when Terry found Eric Bowling for a 17-yard touchdown pass, putting the Highlanders up 22-3 with 4:43 remaining in the first half.

Three plays later, the Highlanders had the ball again when Gibbs quarterback Aaron Large fumbled after being hit by Steven Kries. Craig Owens recovered, giving Scott possession at the Eagles’ 28-yard-line.

The Highlanders would march inside the 10-yard-line before the drive stalled, with the ball going over on downs at the Eagles’ four-yard-line when Terry was stopped short of the goalline on a quarterback keeper with 42 seconds remaining.

The Highlanders began the second half by again marching inside the Eagles’ 10-yard-line, but again the drive stalled, and the ball went over on downs at the Eagles’ nine-yard-line with 8:36 remaining in the third quarter.

After a three-and-out by the Eagles, Scott took possession at midfield and advanced the ball inside the 30-yard-line before again turning it over on downs.

Taking possession at its 28-yard-line, Gibbs was able to climb back into the game with a nine-play, 72-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard pass from Large to Chris Kitts, cutting the deficit to 22-11 after Large carried the ball into the endzone for the two-point conversion.

While the Highlanders did not score on the ensuing possession, they did manage to chew up much of the time remaining, using 16 plays to move the ball to Gibbs’ 25-yard-line. There, however, the Highlanders were tagged with a pair of penalties, and turned the ball over on downs two plays later, giving Gibbs possession at its own 43-yard-line with 2:39 remaining.

Passing efficiently, Large led his team quickly down the field, scoring on a seven-yard pass to Chad Clark with 1:00 remaining in the game to cut the gap to 22-17.

With no timeouts remaining, however, Gibbs needed an onside kick recovery to keep their hopes alive. The kick was recovered by Sexton, and the Highlanders successfully ran out the remaining clock to claim its first victory under their new head coach. The Highlanders will be at home tomorrow (Friday) night, for a non-region matchup with Oliver Springs.