Southside and Keith QBs take friendship to the field
Published 8:29 pm Wednesday, August 26, 2015
By Justin Fedich | The Selma Times-Journal
Keith quarterback Brian Crum and Southside quarterback Khamari Gibbs have a lot in common.
They’re both the leaders of their team, they both are competing off the field to become valedictorian of their class and they both missed last year’s Keith-Southside game due to injury.
And finally, they both want to beat one of their closest friends, each other, on Friday.
The Keith-Southside rivalry dates back roughly 40 years, but the Crum-Gibbs rivalry dates back to first grade.
Crum and Gibbs spent five years together in elementary school. After Crum moved, the two went to separate schools. Since then, both quarterbacks have been successful on the football field, but it was their drive to be competitive in the classroom that brought them back together.
In ninth grade, Crum and Gibbs began taking classes together at Wallace Community College as part of a dual enrollment program. Gibbs said he and Crum may be school rivals, but they are still committed to each other’s success.
“We push each other to strive hard on the field and in the classroom because we both know how important it is for both of us,” Gibbs said.
Southside senior Khamari Gibbs hands the ball off to his running back during a Tuesday practice as he prepares to face his long-time friend Brian Crum.
Gibbs said Crum often gets more competitive with academics than with football. As a result, the two quarterbacks often talk about school more than they talk about what happens on Friday nights.
“Me and him, we’re not talking about who’s scoring more touchdowns,” Gibbs said. “We’re seeing who can get the higher grades on the next test.”
Just because academics are taken seriously, it doesn’t mean Friday won’t be a big deal. Both Crum and Gibbs said the importance of a win against their rival carries an added importance because of how well they know the person snapping the ball on the other side.
The two see each other in classes the whole week after the game at Wallace. If one player makes a mistake, it’s going to be brought up the following week.
Gibbs isn’t prepared to let that happen.
“He’s going to have to respect me in my house,” Gibbs said. “In the classroom, we can be friends and we can share the classroom but we can’t share my field.”
Keith senior Brian Crum looks downfield during a Wednesday practice as he prepares to play his long-time friend Khamari Gibbs.
Crum wasn’t deterred by Gibbs’ comments.
“We’re going to try to beat them on their own field,” Crum said. “That’s the plan, to beat them on their own field and show them that just because we’re 1A it doesn’t mean we can’t play on their level.”
Regardless of who wins the game, there will be no love lost between the two close friends. That is, with the exception of the following week in class when the losing player has to listen to the winning player talk about the game.
“I’m real excited to see what the outcome is,” Crum said.
