MATEWAN — The Gilbert Lions showed the Matewan Tigers they were "King" friday night, taming them with a score of 52-20.

The Tigers and Lions both started the night off slowly, going scoreless through the first quarter.

The Lions' running back Josh Carter helped strike first blood against Matewan with a three yard goal line score to open the second quarter. Carter would go on to score four of Gilbert's seven touchdowns throughout the evening.

"This was one of the better games he (Carter) has played, Gilbert's Head Coach Gordon Carter. "He ran the ball hard and the players had a tough time tackling him."

"We are glad that this is the kind of game he played tonight," the coach added. "We have been expecting this kind of game from him all year."

The Gilbert senior also helped set up a successful touchdown run by Cameron Ellis after returning the opening kickoff for the second half to Matewan's one yard line.

"I think we came out and really played some good defense tonight, which we have been lacking in the past few games," said Coach Carter. "We knew Matewan was going to come out and do a lot of different stuff so we tried to prepare our kids offensively and the kids responded and really did well."

"This is always a big game and our boys came prepared, especially to come over here and score 50 points."

The Matewan Tigers allowed Gilbert to score 32 unanswered points before putting 20 points on the scoreboard in the final quarter, two of which from successful runs by running back Justin Bradford.

Matewan Head Coach Danny "Yogi" Kinder was disheartened by the loss, stating, the Tigers had no heart.

"Gilbert has just got a better team than we do, the better team usually wins," said Kinder. "This is a real simple game you block and you tackle and if you don't do that then you are going to lose."

"We are lacking a lot of heart," said Kinder. "If you don't try very hard and if it doesn't bother you if the other school scores or makes touchdowns your not going to win many games."

Kinder commended Bradford for his plays saying, "he played real hard for us tonight on both sides of the ball."

The game was not without penalties, highlighted by unsportsmanlike conduct by a member coaching staff, Terry Joe Harrison, who was ejected early on from the game and a personal foul against Carter for for showboating while scoring.

The Tigers' record stands at 4-3 and will face Mt. View and Man in the upcoming weeks.

Gilbert, currently at 5-3 with this win, will have an open date next Friday and go on to face Tug Valley in their final game of the season at Lowell Phipps Stadium in Gilbert.