TAMPA, FL  -- Gaither High football is ready to put their offense on display.

The Cowboys boast one of Florida’s top passing attacks, averaging over 28 points per game.

Quarterback Jayce Nixon has numbers that rank among the best in the state, throwing for over 3,000 yards for 35 touchdown passes.

But what makes the Cowboys offense even more impressive, is the adversity it had to overcome.

Kirk Karsen is in his sixth year as Gaither football’s head coach, he’s been coaching for 24 seasons total, but he’s never experienced anything quite like this year.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, it’s been the most unique year that I’ve ever had as a head football coach, we lost 4 kids for the season, which they were all major contributors,” Karsen said.

That included their star player and Florida commit, Eugene Wilson III.

“The first game was rough, when you lose your team captain, and we’re very young, we have 18 underclassmen who are starters right now, so when you lose your team captain, we were a little but shell shocked," Karsen said.

After that first game, the Cowboys embraced a next-man up mentality.

“Number one, our whole offensive line really did a good job because we knew we had a special quarterback, he leads the state of Florida in passing, we knew we had to step up and protect him a little longer, because those guys we used to have could get open a little quicker and easier,” Karsen said.

Now, their standout receiver Wilson is back on the field. After recovering from turf toe and a fractured collarbone, he’s making up for lost time.

“I never really looked at myself as a type of quitter," Wilson said. "I always called myself a fighter, but, really after being able to come back and put up numbers I have, I really feel I live up to that.”

“It all has to do with Trey (Wilson) you know, Trey was the heart of the team, he comes back and we were able to do what our initial plan was,” Nixon said.

Wilson has only played in six games this season, but he’s already racked up over 700 yards, 34 catches and 10 touchdowns.

“I had a plan to hit a 1,000 yard season, I had broken a school record last year, I plan to break it again,” Wilson said.

Karsen said Wilson gives the entire team confidence.

“He’s just electric and we feel like any time he’s on the field, we have a chance to win, and I think that’s what’s exciting about the playoffs is that when he’s playing, it’s tremendous confidence we have. “