GATLINBURG — Hindsight is 20-20.

Although the Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders gridiron gang escaped District 3-AA rival Gibbs Eagles with a 20-14 triple-OT victory Friday night, Blue-and-Gold coach Benny Hammonds would have changed something about that soggy night in Corryton if he could.

Not the win, but at least one of several first-half decision to go for it on 4th-and-Goal from inside the 10.

The Highlanders penetrated the Gibbs 10 several times during the first half, but G-P managed to put just one in the end zone — at the 11.4-second mark of the first quarter — which gave the Blue and Gold a 7-0 lead that held until 57.2 seconds remaining in regulation, when the Eagle offense finally showed some signs of life and drove the ball down the field for the game-tying score.

Hammonds said he regretted not settling for a field goal attempt on at least one of the first-half drives that proved fruitless. A field goal would have made it a two-possession game and likely would have prevented the triple-OT needed to decide a contest that didn’t start until 9:21 p.m. Friday night due to lightning and didn’t end until 12:05 a.m. Saturday morning due to the OT.

“If we could go back, right there at the end of the first half I would have tried a field goal,” said Hammonds. “But I just had all the confidence in the world that when we were inside the 10 our offense was going to put it in the end zone.

“But any time you get a chance to set back and think about it, and you know the outcome of the game, yeah I wish I would have tried a field goal about 50 seconds before the end of the first half.”

But the important thing for G-P was the final result, another win to remain a perfect 4-0, 1-0 on the season.

That win against Gibbs, which entered Friday’s contest as the No.8-ranked scoring offense in the state with a 41-plus point average per game, gave the G-P squad some pride and confidence heading into the meat of its District 3-AA schedule with upcoming games against Fulton, Austin-East and Carter.

And when the Highlanders learned they were named the No.9-ranked team in the state by the AP prep poll this week, it just added to the positive attitude the team is feeling right now.

“We realize we still have the toughest part of our schedule to go,” said Hammonds. “But that’s an honor for the boys, and it speaks well of them and this program.

“It instills a little pride, and we’ll take any high marks we can get when we’re being tested, and we’re being tested every Friday night.”