As the son of a football coach, Marlow High School (OK) football player Jace Gilbert has always been around the game.
"I was on the sidelines and in the locker room, and it was just something I always wanted to do," Gilbert told Heartland Sports Report of how he got into football. "This past year, I was fortunate enough to win a state championship with my dad, and I also had a younger brother who played on the team. My younger brother also ran my soccer cleat onto the field to me for special teams, so it definitely runs in the family."
Gilbert was the quarterback, kicker and punter for Marlow and helped lead the Outlaws to a
15-0 season and the program’s first state title since 1964 as Marlow knocked off an undefeated Washington team, 17-13, on Dec. 11 for the 2A title. In the game, Gilbert threw for a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown and drilled a 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Handling the quarterbacking duties, as well as the kicking and punting for the Outlaws came with pressure, according to Gilbert, who added that the preparation always paid off.
"There was a lot of pressure during the week, to get prepared and to go out and win week after week, but we have a great coaching staff and a great group of leaders. So once game time came, I knew we were prepared and it was just a matter of going out and playing as hard as we could. Both of my parents are teachers, and I have 3 younger brothers, so it’s very competitive around my house," Gilbert told HSR.
Gilbert is a five-star kicker and punter, who was ranked first in Oklahoma and 13th in the country. He was ranked 18th by Kohl's Kicking Camps. In a write-up, Kohl's said Gilbert has a "very strong leg and was very consistent throughout camp. His punting has improved dramatically since the winter. In July of 2020, he charted 27 points in the field goal portion of camp and 108.51 points in punting. In July of 2021, he had a KO score of 112 at the National Scholarship Camp. Gilbert is a strong powerful specialist with the potential to continue to play early in college."
Gilbert says his success is the result of being surrounded by his teammates.
" have to give the credit to them. Ultimately, we fed off of each other and made each other better everyday," he noted.
With his prep career over, he looks back on it fondly, saying there are quite a few things that stand out.
"The main thing that stands out to me is the relationships I’ve made with my teammates, and the memories we will have forever. The small town support was unbelievable too. We constantly had packed stands and people overflowing onto the opposing teams side. After we won the state championship, when we returned to town, the streets were lined with tons of people. Throughout the playoffs we had anonymous donors donate steak dinners, so our whole team ate a steak dinner every week of the playoffs," Gilbert told HSR.
Gilbert's success drew the attention of several colleges along the way, but, in the end, he settled on Iowa State.
"I enjoyed recruiting for the most part, I got to go a lot of different places and meet a lot of different people. I really liked Iowa State. I liked the culture around the program, the coaching staff, and I really liked the town of Ames. It honestly just felt like a great fit. They liked that I’m a multi sport athlete and my competitive mindset," Gilbert said.
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