Friday, April 26, 2024
Gatesville’s Parker Allman was the man in the right spot Friday night with just under four minutes left in the Hornets’ season opening 27-7 home football win over the Llano Yellow Jackets.
Allman stepped up when his teammates were looking to close the door.
“We needed a big play,’’ said Allman, a defensive back for the Hornets. “I saw the ball coming in kind of high and he (the receiver) tipped it. The ball came down right in my hands.’’
Allman gripped the interception and made a nifty run toward the end zone to seal the fate of the visitors from the hill country.
“That was a great play,’’ said defensive nose guard Ryan Smiley. “I leaped as high as I ever have.’’
The 52-yard play set off a big celebration as the Hornets won their season opener for the first time since 2017.
“This is big,’’ Gatesville coach Luke Howard said. “We needed to face some adversity and bounce back from it.’’
The Hornets stood up well led by a stingy defense that held Llano in check for most of the game.
“We wanted to keep them from making the big plays and we pretty much did that,’’ Howard said.
Five Hornets finished with double-figure tackles led by Hayden Mooney with 22 tackles, 14 solo.
Mason Mooney had 14, Banner Allman 11, Lawson Mooney 11 and Theile Alvarado 10.
Defense set the tone for the game for both sides.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Hornets got on the scoreboard with a short field goal from Luis Macias.
The Hornets put together enough big plays to build a comfortable lead and had every answer to keep the Yellow Jackets in check.
Quarterback Wesley Brown was effective with 12 completions in 17 attempts for 177 yards passing to go with 24 rushes for 134 yards.
Brown also had two short rushing touchdowns. One of his biggest plays was a 51-yard connection with Logan Edwards. Edwards turned a short pass on the flank into an exciting race to the north end of the field. The 51-yard catch and run set up Brown for a 2-yard scoring run and a 10-0 lead.
Llano came out and scored its only touchdown on the first possession of the third quarter,
Macias had a career-best 42-yard field goal with 6:21 left in the game.
The Hornets outgained Llano, 370-212, in total yards and also won the turnover battle, 4-1.
Gatesville’s next game is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff this Friday at Glen Rose.
