By Clay Whittington
Messenger Correspondent
BURNET– After putting together their most well-rounded game of the season, the Hornets are ready to rest. In their final nondistrict contest, Gatesville traveled to Burnet on Friday and dominated.
The Hornets trailed enroute to their most one-sided win in more than a year as four play-ers recorded touchdowns in a 42-7 victory.
Following the pro-gram’s first 35-point win since defeating McGregor 55-12 on Sept. 18, 2025, Gatesville head coach Jose Aguirre admitted it was an ideal outing to take into their bye week.
“It feels really good to have this kind of momentum right now,” he said.
“We scheduled a really tough nondistrict sched-ule, and the question was, ‘Are we more prepared for district by going 3-2 or 2-3 against those opponents or going 5-0 against opponents who wouldn’t really push us?’ We took the harder route and really got pushed.
“We will see how the district shakes out, but everyone looks really good right now, and I think we are ready for the race,” Aguirre said.
Junior dual-threat quarterback Elijah Phillips finished with 336 total yards, completing 13 of
17 passes for 171 yards and a score to go along with 165 yards and two touchdowns rushing on 21 carries.
Additionally, sophomore running back Bennett Eggeling carried the ball 11 times for 56 yards and a score while Samu-el Howard III, a senior, added a pair of one-yard touchdowns and junior receiver Grady Keeton caught nine passes for 120 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Hornets limited Burnet to 160 total yards and did not allow the Bulldogs to score until four minutes remained in the third quarter. Burnet turned the ball over on downs twice, punted four times and saw Gatesville senior defensive back Seth Baize intercept a pass in the red zone.
“The guys were focused and committed to the process,” Aguirre said. “They were doing all the fundamental things and just doing their jobs. They did everything they needed to do.”
Gatesville produced an almost flawless first half, outscoring the Bulldogs 21-0 while crossing the goal line on all but one possession.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Hor-nets (3-2) turned the ball over on downs, but then they found their rhythm in all aspects.
While limiting Bur-net (0-4) to just 51 total yards — all rushing — in the half, the Hornets were efficient on the ground and through the air thanks in part to Phillips. He carried the ball 13 times for 93 yards and had the ex-act same yards passing on a seven-of-10 showing.
It was Howard, however, who jumpstarted the scoring.
The senior punctuated Gatesville’s next two drives with a pair of one-yard rushes into the end
Following the Bulldogs’ second punt, the Hornets engineered a nine-play, 69-yard scoring possession culminating with Phillips finding junior receiver Stefon Boyd for a two-yard touchdown with three seconds remaining in the first half.
Keeton led Gatesville in receiving, catching a trio of passes for 42 yards, while Bennett Eggeling, a sophomore, and Howard had 31 yards rushing apiece through two quarters.
The Hornets saw their shutout slip away in the third quarter but respond-ed with another 21 un-answered points thanks to touchdown runs measuring one and 48 yards before Eggeling’s three-yard touchdown with 6:21 remaining in regulation.
Now, the Hornets can officially turn their attention toward the District 13-4A, Division II sched-ule.
Following a bye, Gatesville travels to Waco Connally for the league opener. The Hornets have only beat the Cadets once since 2017, emerging from the contest with a slim 35-34 victory in 2024.
“We had two straight games where we gave up 21 unanswered points within a seven-minute timespan,” Aguirre said, “and you can’t win ballgames like that, especial-ly in our district. So, the challenge was to be consistent, play a complete game and not allow a momentum shift turn into 21 points.
“We had to be able to stop those shifts and find a way to get back on track. We did that.”