By Clay Whittington
Messenger Correspondent
The Hornets almost let a victory slip away.
Playing in its first road game of the season, Gatesville traveled to China Spring, where it established a commanding 18-point, 34-16, lead on senior running back Samuel Howard III’s four-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes, 34 seconds remaining in regulation.
The deficit did not matter to the Cougars, though, and they responded with 21 unanswered points, but just when it seemed the Hornets were doomed, they found a way to win.
Gatesville constructed a nine-play, 64-yard drive and produced the go-ahead score with 36 seconds left in the game to escape with a 41-37 victory versus its longtime rival.
Grady Keeton, a junior, caught a pass that slipped through the hands of a China Spring defender for a 27-yard touchdown on third-and-20 to secure the outcome.
Keeton finished with six receptions for 66 yards and carried the ball four times for 31 yards and a score, while junior quarterback Elijah Phillips completed 13 of 19 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns along with leading the Hornets’ ground game. He had a game-high 96 yards rushing on 21 carries.
Howard complemented the effort with a 10-carry, 72-yard showing.
While the contest came down to the wire, it appeared Gatesville (2-1) was poised to cruise after Phillips and sophomore tight end Jaxson Franks connected for a six-yard touchdown with 36 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Moments later, on the heels of a three-and-out for the Cougars, Howard crossed the goal line for his lone score, but China Spring capitalized on a fumbled kickoff return and scored twice in 66 seconds to pull within five points, 34-29.
Then, after forcing the Hornets to punt, another quick drive into the end zone from the Cougars set the stage for Gatesville’s rally.
The first half saw a similar letdown from the Hornets, who led 21-3 before allowing 13 unanswered points.
After exchanging a pair of unsuccessful possessions to start the game, China Spring (1-2) posted the first points as senior kicker Joseph Dickerson connected on a 35-yard field goal.
The advantage, however, was short lived.
On the ensuing possession, Gatesville covered 75 yards in 13 plays, converting a fourth-and-1 along the way before punctuating the 7:34 drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Phillips to junior Stefon Boyd.
The Hornets were only getting started too, as sophomore defensive back Theo Williams intercepted a pass five snaps later and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, extending Gatesville’s lead to 11 points, 14-3, with 21 seconds remaining in the opening period
The score held into the second quarter, where China Spring had a three-and-out with the punt setting up the Hornets at their own 29-yard line, but once again, they delivered offensively.
Gatesville had another five-minute drive that ended midway through the period on Keeton’s untouched, 30-yard, misdirection run into the end zone.
The 21-3 cushion deflated to five points before halftime, though.
Cougars junior running back Hudson Brown capped off the next possession with a three-yard touchdown, and the Hornets lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and it only took four plays for China Spring to capitalize.
Jack Kennedy, a junior quarterback, found junior Benny Bolton for a 24-yard touchdown, and Gatesville took a 21-16 lead into halftime.
Along with three carries for 33 yards, matching sophomore Bennett Eggeling’s output on six rushes, Keeton caught four passes for 24 yards, helping the Hornets amass 146 total yards through the first two quarters.
Kennedy finished with 241 yards passing and two touchdowns and ran for 64 yards and a score. Brown led China Spring with 70 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while junior receiver Brock Sebesta had a game-high 157 yards receiving and a touchdown on 10 catches.
Now, the Hornets turn their attention toward the third home game of the season, hosting Whitney on Friday.
The Wildcats enter the contest with a 2-1 record following Friday’s 68-26 win against Hillsboro, and the outcome extends a string of high-scoring affairs. Whitney defeated Mart 40-0 before falling to Cameron Yoe in a 62-61 shootout.
The game will be the first meeting between the programs since 2009.