Saturday, April 20, 2024
The Gatesville Hornets had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 35-6 loss to Connally in the district opener for both teams on Friday.
The Cadets, who were briefly ranked in the 4A Division II top ten early in the year, had been without quarterback and Oklahoma St commit Jelani McDonald since Sept. 9. At full strength for the first time in a month, the Cadets looked every bit like one of the state’s best ten teams.
McDonald accounted for almost 200 yards of offense and three touchdowns and was also used most of the night as a defensive back as the Cadets attempted to thwart a Hornets offense that came into the game averaging 32 points per game.
While they were successful, holding the Hornets to a pair of Javier Bonilla field goals, the Hornet defense was equally as stingy in the first half.
Connally led 7-6 at the half but a pivotal swing in the third quarter proved to be the difference.
First, McDonald threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Ke’Are Riley. Then, on the ensuing possession, Kaiden Turner picked off a pass and returned it 30-yards for a score and a 21-6 lead. In 90 seconds, the Hornets deficit went from down one to down 15.
The Hornets coaches track “explosive plays” – a play in which their opponent gains 25 yards or more on a play. Connally had just two on the night. In addition to the 36-yard touchdown pass to Riley, McDonald hit Issacc Perez for a 49-yard touchdown early in the fourth.
“I loved how we played defensively,” said head coach Aaron Hunter, “You take away two plays and we really played great defensively all night long.”
Offensively, the Hornets were limited coming into the game. Running back Rayshon Smith was injured in the second half of last week’s win over Mineral Wells and the standout sophomore had only eight carries against Connally. Junior Jimmy Hall led the Hornets with 53 yards rushing in the loss but was also banged up in the first half against the Cadets.
Hunter noted that McDonald’s move to defensive back as well as the lack of consistent run game made for a tough night for the Hornets offense. He was also quick to credit Connally’s Terry Gerik and his team.
“They did a heck of a job, and they had a good game plan,” he said. “Our run game kind of went away and (Connally) are just dudes.”
Though they didn’t have their running back tandem at full strength, the Hornets were still able to move the ball effectively in the first half, getting into the Connally red zone three times.
After forcing a turnover on downs on the Cadets opening possession, the Hornets drove down to the Connally ten-yard line before settling for the field goal and a 3-0 lead. The drive was highlighted by a pair of fourth down conversions – a 36-yard run from Lawson Mooney and a fourth down grab from Adrian Smith both kept the drive alive.
After Connally took a 7-3 lead, Adrian Smith returned the kickoff 71 yards and the Hornets got down to the Cadet two-yard line before cutting the lead to 7-6.
The long kickoff return nearly broke a drought that started long before any current Hornets were born. According to Hunter, it is believed that the Hornets have not returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 25 years.
Smith is one of several under-sized but talented, dogged, and fiery players that have helped guide the Hornets to their 5-2 mark this season. Though they aren’t built like the four and five-stars that Connally touts, defensive coordinator Jose Aguirre has described his defensive players like Smith, Mooney, Sean Aguilar, and Ayden Necessary as “some of the best guys in the state”.
Smith has tallied almost 450 yards with the ball in his hands this season. He has 205 return yards, 163 receiving yards, and 78 rushing. All while registering 48 tackles and breaking up four passes for the defense.
“Adrian is a kid who has grown so much this year. He makes some big catches, had the big kickoff return, and makes a ton of plays you wouldn’t expect him to make. He plays both ways so we have to be smart with him, but we want to keep getting him the ball,” Hunter said.
Against Connally, quarterback Jacob Newkirk completed 11 passes to 5 different receivers. Trevor Smith had four catches while Aguilar, Shea, and Adrian Smith each had 2 catches. Kyle Shafer had one catch on the night.
The Hornet defense was led by the usual suspects against Connally. Mooney had 21 tackles while Thiele Alvarado had 20 – one for a loss. Mason Mooney had 14 tackles and Ashtyn Cully played his second straight outstanding game tallying 12 tackles including one for a loss. Aguilar had ten tackles on the night.
The Hornets now turn their attention to Salado, who opened district with a 33-24 win over Robinson. Hunter believes his team his team’s response to Connally will resonate over the final three regular season games.
It’s just as important right now how we handle this. We can let this dictate the rest of our season or you can take it as ‘we had them right where we want them and didn’t finish’. You can’t look at it like a negative thing. You look at it as a positive thing,” he said.
“The next three games are big games for this program. We have to come back and go to work,” he added. “You have to have the same focus and intensity after that loss after you do a win. That’s what OTA stands for, it’s not just when good things are happening. It’s the hard times.”
After traveling to Salado, the Hornets will host Madisonville on Oct. 21 before finishing the regular season at Robinson on Oct. 28.
