East Bay football is not built on tricks. The Indians from Gibsonton run the ball, rush the passer and tackle in numbers — and that honest, physical formula keeps working in Hillsborough County.

Start with the ground game. Junior running back Preston Cooper leads East Bay at 66.6 rushing yards per game and has scored a team-best six total touchdowns, according to MaxPreps. Senior Aric Person adds 48.6 rushing yards a game and four total touchdowns, giving the Indians a genuine one-two punch in the backfield that wears defenses down over four quarters.

The passing game has been a true committee effort — juniors Cannon Farragut and Jeremiah Argo have each thrown seven touchdown passes this season, keeping defenses from loading the box against Cooper and Person. Senior Carse Biggerstaff leads the receivers at 44.3 yards per game, with senior Richard McClary — who has also scored four total touchdowns playing both ways — right behind him.

Defensively, senior outside linebacker Dorian Edwards sets the standard, averaging a team-high 7.1 tackles per game with five sacks. The Indians’ front produces pressure from everywhere: senior Cole Sharpless has 4.5 sacks, junior Justin Miller has four, and senior Brittan Newton has been credited with a dozen quarterback hurries. In the secondary, seniors Shawn Daniels and Marquis Thornton have three interceptions apiece.

East Bay closed its most recent outing with a district win over Blake on October 16, the kind of workmanlike performance this program has made its trademark — control the ball, win the line of scrimmage, and let the defense squeeze.

Programs with glitzier numbers will grab the headlines in Tampa. But ask any coach in Hillsborough County which road trip they least look forward to, and Gibsonton comes up fast. East Bay’s formula is simple, physical and built to last.