Former Greenback running back Br

Former Greenback running back Breeden Gilbert reflects on West Virginia move

When the opportunity arose, Breeden Gilbert couldn’t let it pass by.

Gilbert visited his brother, Bryson, in West Virginia for the first time at the age of 12.

It was the first time the two had seen each other in nearly a decade, and the seeds were planted.

The two discussed Breeden moving there, but it wasn’t until this summer that it worked out.

Within the last month, Breeden — the leading rusher on Greenback’s 2017 state champion football team — moved to Fairmont, W.V., to live with Bryson.

Breeden will play his senior season at Fairmont Senior High School.

Gilbert, who played a key role in each of the Cherokees’ three consecutive trips to the state title game, rushed for 1,150 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.

He was also second on the team in tackles, trailing only Bryce Hanley, with 161.

He had two sacks among 16 tackles-for-loss and led the team with 10 total tackles in the championship game win over Cornersville.

“The last time I came up here was for his graduation, and we talked about it again,” Breeden Gilbert told The Daily Times. “Then I turned 18, and was like, ‘Well I can do it now. Nobody can stop me from living with my brother.’ I hadn’t been able to see him my whole life, really.”

At Fairmont Senior, Bryson Gilbert was named All-State twice in football and helped the Polar Bears reach two straight state title games.

He parlayed his ability on the football field and the basketball court into an athletic scholarship at Fairmont State University where he will be a freshman this season.

Breeden is in the process of enrolling at Fairmont Senior, and while the brothers just missed each other in high school, Breeden couldn’t turn down a chance to play in front of his brother.

“That means a lot,” Breeden Gilbert said. “We’ve tried to play together our whole lives, but we just never could. Now that I can finally be up here and play in front of him, and then possibly have a chance to go play with him at the next level, that will be just amazing.”

Gilbert is still getting all the necessary paper work squared away to become a Polar Bear at Fairmont Senior, but that hasn’t kept him from working out with the football team.

The plan for his senior season is no different than last year at Greenback. Gilbert will play running back, mixing in some time at slot receiver. He enters a position similar to the one he was a part of at Greenback.

The Polar Bears have been to back-to-back state title games, losing last season by three points. Gilbert hopes to help get them over the hump.

“It was kind of easy to get adjusted because I had met most everybody on the football team on my previous visit,” Gilbert said. “We had gotten to hang out and stuff, so I kind of already knew them. Getting used to their workouts and stuff has been challenging. They’re a lot different in the weight room than we were at Greenback.”

The easy transition into Fairmont Senior doesn’t mean the transition away from Greenback has been easy. It’s not necessarily the memories on the football field that made the move to Fairmont so difficult, though.

“That’s really been the toughest part,” he said. “I feel like some of them have shut me out since I’ve moved, and I get that. But just being around them, not even really on the field, but just hanging out, I’m going to miss that. That’s the toughest part of making this move.

“I will say thanks to my coaches for everything they’ve done and how much better a player they made me. The same with my teammates, and how they just made me become a much better player and person over the years.”