Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Though separated by less than 20 miles, the Gatesville Hornets and McGregor Bulldogs faced each other in football for the first time since 2005 on Friday night in McGregor.
The results were the same as they were 17 years ago.
Jimmy Hall rushed for two touchdowns, Kason Herbelin intercepted two passes, and the Hornet defense held off a late McGregor push to beat the Bulldogs 27-20 on the road Friday.
The win was the third straight over the Bulldogs. They defeated the Bulldogs 34-0 at home in 2005 and won the 2004 matchup 36-21 in McGregor. It also pushes the Hornets to 2-1 on the season, their best start since 2017.
It was a win that featured the best – and worst – of head coach Aaron Hunter’s relatively inexperienced football team.
The Hornets forced five turnovers on defense. On offense, the duo of Jimmy Hall and Rayshon Smith combined for 155 yards rushing and three scores, and quarterback Jacob Newkirk completed 11 of his 15 pass attempts and threw his sixth touchdown pass of the season.
But the Hornets were nearly undone by a slew of penalties and a handful of big plays – particularly in the second half. They led 27-7 midway through the third and looked like they were going to run away with the win.
“Oh, man, I like that we won. I don’t like how we’re still making a ton of mental mistakes, little things that are going to end up costing us in big games,” Hunter said. “But the kids fought, and, man, they find a way to win somehow and I’m proud of that.”
Coming into the season, the Gatesville coaching staff had often referenced the “1-2 punch” that Hall, a junior, and sophomore running back Rayshon Smith would provide the Hornet offense. On Friday, the duo delivered.
While Smith dealt the majority of the punches in the Hornets 22-21 win over Taylor it was Hall who pounded the Bulldogs into submission on Friday. The junior averaged 6.5 yards per carry en route to 71 yards on the night.
He punched in a five-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 first quarter lead that was extended to 12-0 in the second quarter when Newkirk hit Theron Stone for a 26-yard score. The 12-0 lead lasted into the half – the second time in three games the Gatesville defense has pitched a first-half shutout.
“Defensively, they played lights-out in the first half. We’re going with the shutout in the first half, which is huge,” Hunter said. “But then in the third quarter, offense got going and gave us some big scores.”
McGregor finally got on the scoreboard in the third to cut the defict to 12-7. The Hornets responded and pushed the lead to 20-7 on a scoring drive that was capped by Smith’s 16-yard touchdown run and a Newkirk two-point conversion run.
The Hornets forced a punt on McGregor’s next possession and took full advantage as Hall raced 49 yards for a touchdown and a 27-7 lead.
“He turned it on tonight,” said Hunter. “I’ve been saying it the whole time, both those running backs can play, and we just got to give them the gaps … give them some creases. We finally did, and you saw what happened.”
McGregor’s Sebastian Torres scored on a long run to cut the Gatesville lead to 27-14 in the fourth quarter, and then the Bulldogs recovered a surprise onside kick. The ensuing drive resulted in a turnover on downs, and their next drive was thwarted by Herbelin’s second red zone interception of the game.
“The receiver bled the end of his route so whenever I reacted I was able to jump in front of him and get the pick,” Herbelin said. “Since we watched tons of film I knew that the quarterback likes short routes so that helped as well”
Herbelin has battled injuries and missed significant time in each of the last three seasons. Now healthy, the senior is contributing on both sides of the ball. He leads the team in interceptions (two), pass break ups (four), and is tied with five other teammates for the lead in fumble recoveries. He also has three catches for 75 yards and a score on offense.
“It feels great to be playing again. It’s the best experience I could ever ask for. I’ve been waiting so long,” Herbelin said.
Hunter also expressed satisfaction in seeing Herbelin producing on Friday nights.
“Kason is a kid that has been through so much,” Hunter said. “He has fought extremely hard, and he’s fought injuries, and he found a way to come back and be a player this year … he is finding ways right now to be one of our best players, and he’s a captain, and he’s earned that. I’m just proud of how much he’s grown.”
McGregor added a late score to make it 27-20 but the Bulldogs’ final onside kick attempt sailed out of bounds and the Hornets closed out the win in victory formation.
Smith finished the game with 84 yards rushing while Hall had 71. Newkirk hit six different receivers on the night, with Sean Aguilar and Trevor Smith leading with three catches apiece.
Defensively Mason Mooney and Aydan Necessary led the team with 11 tackles apiece. Mooney had two tackles for a loss and forced a fumble that was recovered by Ashtyn Culley, who had eight tackles including six solo and a tackle for a loss. Aguilar and Lawson Mooney each had nine tackles.
The 2-1 start gives the Hornets their first winning record through three games since the 2017 Hornets went 3-0 on their on their way to a 7-0 start. Since then the Hornets have had three 1-2 starts (2018, 2020, and 2021) and one 0-3 start.
The Hornets next travel to Mexia to face the winless Black Cats. But Hunter is less concerned with Gatesville’s opponents than he is with his team taking care of business.
“We are always going to be about us doing what we do and learning how to win. We’ve got to start building our confidence,” he said.
According to Hunter, the win at McGregor will only add to the Hornets’ confidence and contribute to the emergence of a winning culture.
“Our kids… they are 100 percent bought in to our culture. That, being family and playing for each other and being on the anvil and grinding through those hard moments. And they have continuously showed that they are 100% bought in and they find a way to win (in) the end.”
Sub-varsities split
The Hornets junior varsity dismantled the Bulldogs 40-14 while the freshmen were dealt their first loss of the season with a 22-8 setback.
All three Hornet squads sit 2-1 through 3 games.
