Gabe Garber

Heading into this season off a 3A State Championship the Sabetha football team had question marks with the biggest one being the fact that they didn’t know what they were going to get out of the quarterback position.

Junior Gabe Garber has answered all questions and more, as he has the Bluejays back in the 3A title game for the second consecutive season after a 21-0 shutout win over Galena last week in the sub-state round.

The thing that makes Garber stand out the most is the fact that he’s not just Sabetha’s quarterback, but he’s also one of their top defensive players and perhaps one of the best linebackers in the entire state of Kansas.

On offense last week Garber ran for 83 yards and touchdown to go along with 74 yards passing, but he was even bigger on defense recording 10 tackles as the Bluejays held down a Galena offense that was averaging over 40 points per game.

Garber ranks second on the team in tackles with 103, while he also has two interceptions and one forced fumble on the year as well.

According to Sabetha defensive coordinator Nathan Bauman, “Gabe is the lightning to Cauy’s (Rokey) Thunder and has an unteachable skill of being able to avoid a blocker and knife it to make a play.”

He’s also leading an offense that is averaging over 35 points per game and is second on the team in rushing with 1,057 yards and 17 touchdowns.

What puts Garber over the top is that he brings a passing element to the table that Sabetha hasn’t had, as he has also thrown for 930 yards and 11 scores to just one interception.

Garber will look to lead the Bluejays to a second straight 3A State Championship this Saturday, as Sabetha will take on last years 4A-II champ Pratt in Hutchinson with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. and live coverage on KNZA 103.9 FM and online.