Saturday, April 27, 2024
Lawson Mooney of Gatesville was named the Co-Defensive MVP and eight Hornets were named to the First Team as the All-District 11-4A Division II football selections were recently released.
Mooney, a junior, adds another superlative to an already long list. He was a First-Team All-District selection in District 6-4A in 2021 and was named the Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2020. In 2022 he had a remarkable 161 tackles including six for a loss. He shares the 2022 award with Waco Connally’s Jamarie Wiggins.
Mooney had a pair of interceptions, four pass breakups, and a quarterback sack on the defensive side and scored a receiving touchdown in the Hornets’ season opener. There is no official record for “opponents who needed help off the field” but Mooney is likely in contention to be the all-time leader.
“You never have to tell him ‘giddy up’,” Gatesville head coach Aaron Hunter said. “He sets energy of our team. He has one speed and I’m not going to be the one to tell him to slow down.”
The Hornets’ defense had three players named to the first team in seniors Lucas Garcia, Mason Mooney, and Kason Herbelin.
Garcia anchored the Hornets defensive line with 12 tackles for a loss, four forced fumbles, and three sacks. Mason Mooney had 130 tackles – five for a loss – and forced three fumbles.
Herbelin turned in a near-record year for a Gatesville cornerback by intercepting six passes including two each in wins over McGregor and Robinson. He also teamed with Sean Aguilar for the Hornets epic goal-line stop to beat Mineral Wells, 30-29.
On the offensive side, seniors Trevor Smith, Kyle Shafer, Steven Bomar, and Carter Williams along with junior Jacob Newkirk, were named to the first team.
Smith finished the season with 60 catches for 733 yards and six touchdowns. The three-year letterman wrapped up his career as the Hornets’ all-time leader in career receptions – a feat made even more notable when considering that Smith played with three different starting quarterbacks in his three varsity seasons.
Shafer, who filled the Hornets’ tight end role, finished tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with six and added a pair of two-point conversion catches. None were bigger than his touchdown receptions and conversion catch with 22 seconds left in the game to push the Hornets past Taylor in their season opener.
Those scores were made possible thanks in part to the arm of Newkirk, who threw 21 touchdown passes on the season. His defining district game was the Hornets’ win over Salado when he threw six touchdown passes and one two-point conversion.
Bomar was the anchor of a young offensive line while Williams averaged 33 yards per punt with a season-long of 52 yards.
Gatesville posted six on the all-district second team. Senior Thiele Alvarado, senior Ashtyn Culley, and junior Sean Aguilar were defensive selections while senior Tyler Shea and juniors Zach Bryant and Gabe Charles were chosen from the offensive side.
Seven Hornets received honorable mentions: senior Tatum Taylor, juniors L.J. Hall, Adrian Smith, Colton Taylor, Tommy Aaron, and Tookie Jones, along with sophomore Rayshon Smith.
Connally running back Kiefer Sibley was named district MVP while his teammate Jelani McDonald was the Offensive MVP. Connally also swept the lineman superlatives while Madisonville’s Tristan Whaley was the Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
Connally led the district with 16 superlatives or first-team selections followed by Madisonville with 12. The Hornets had nine while Salado six picks. Robinson had a pair of first-team selections.
