Sunday, April 28, 2024
Gatesville battled back from a deficit to take a late lead for the second straight game, but a final minute touchdown pass allowed No. 8 Glen Rose to sneak past the Hornets 21-20 on Sept. 1.
The loss to the Tigers – who had beaten Gatesville by an average of 30 points in their last four meetings – overshadowed a career night from senior running back LJ Hall.
Hall carried 22 times for 133 yards and averaged six yards per carry - aided by a 46-yard run in the first half. He leads the team in rushing through two games with 218 yards and is almost certain to top his rushing total from 2022 when he ran for 292 yards.
“LJ had a very good off season and worked really hard in the weight room. It definitely showed Friday night,” said head coach Aaron Hunter.
Gatesville trailed 14-0 in the first quarter before getting on the board via Jacob Newkirk’s third touchdown pass of the season. On fourth-and-8, Newkirk hit sophomore Amos Phillips with a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-7.
Phillips, who starts at middle linebacker in addition to playing fullback, started as the up-man behind Newkirk before motioning out wide on the right side of the field. From there, he ran past his defender and under a beautifully thrown ball from Newkirk for his first varsity touchdown.
“Amos is an amazing athlete that we feel can play anywhere,” Hunter said. “We always have to remind ourselves he is only a sophomore. It was awesome to see him get himself a TD and play as well as he did on defense.”
The Hornets defense as a whole showed marked improvement between weeks one and two. In their season-opening win over Taylor, the Hornets allowed 355 yards of offense, including 163 on the ground. Glen Rose gained 263 yards total with just 40 yards coming via the run.
Following the Taylor win, defensive coordinator Jose Aguirre talked about his new linebacking corp needing to gel in a hurry and they responded against the Tigers – particularly senior Tommy Aaron.
Aaron had nine tackles on the night - four were tackles for a loss and three were sacks. Phillips also had a sack as did defensive lineman Corey Burns and Dutch Nielsen.
“Defensively, as a whole, I feel like we played much better. Communication was great, and everyone did better at just doing their job and not trying to do too much,” said Hunter. “Tommy has been playing amazing. His effort and energy he plays with is contagious and he has had a great two weeks.”
Gatesville tied the game at 14-14 when Rayshon Smith punched in a two-yard touchdown run. On the following possession, Adrian Smith stepped in front of a Canyon Evans pass into the end zone to thwart a potential Tigers score.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Hornets took a 20-14 lead on a two-yard sneak from Newkirk, but the PAT failed. After forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs on their next possession, the Hornets failed to convert on a fourth-and-3 from the Glen Rose 30-yard line and gave the ball back.
From there, the Tigers went 70 yards in 14 plays for the winning score. The drive was capped when Evans found Camden Raymond for a 14-yard touchdown.
Newkirk finished the game 4 for 9 passing for 74 yards. He threw for one score and ran for another. Phillips had two catches for 30 yards, while Theron Stone had a 2-yard reception, and Gage Ford had one catch for 17 yards.
Defensively, Lawson Mooney led the Hornets with 15 tackles and broke up a pair of passes. Colton Taylor was second on the team with 12 tackles and also a broken up pass.
The Hornets welcomed McGregor to McKamie Stadium on Sept. 8 for their annual Homecoming Game. Aaron Hunter said that while the loss to Glen Rose was certainly a gut-punch, his team bounced back quickly.
“Practices were good last week. We have to learn from the loss and make sure we grow from it,” he said.
Last season, Gatesville beat McGregor 27-20 in McGregor. Hall and Rayshon Smith combined to run for 155 yards and score three touchdowns in the win.
