Thursday, May 2, 2024
In early December, as I watched Gatesville High School’s 2022 football awards banquet via Hornet Broadcasting and listened to head coach Aaron Hunter heap praise on his players, I thought back to a conversation I had with defensive coordinator Jose Aguirre after the Hornets had dismantled Mexia, 49-14.
After taking a shutout late into the game, Aguirre told me that his defensive players were realizing they had a chance to be special — if they continued to do the jobs they were assigned and trusted in their coaches and each other.
Special is a fluid word in sports. You can’t really define what makes someone or something special. Some teams are objectively special, and others are special in relation to a person or program or an era.
For the Gatesville Hornets football program, it doesn’t get any more special than their undefeated 2000 state title team. When that team is called “special,” everyone nods their head in agreement.
In more recent memory, the Cole Edmiston-led team of 2015 would absolutely qualify as special. A 13-1 squad that made a deep, unexpected playoff run gets to wear the “S” on their chest for sure.
I guess “special” is in the eye of the beholder when talking about Gatesville’s 2022 football team.
Objectively they were a good football team. They won seven games for the first time since 2017 and did it in a variety of ways.
They beat Taylor and Mineral Wells thanks to defensive stops in the closing seconds. They beat Mexia, Godley, and Salado with offensive outputs that would make your head spin. They beat McGregor when they were undisciplined and sloppy, and they beat the brakes off Robinson when they were laser-focused and surgical in their attack.
There is no analysis of the 2022 Gatesville Hornets that leads to the conclusion that they were not a very good football team. But were they special? I think so.
Did they win a state title? No. Did they win their playoff game? No — and that will eat at these kids for a while.
Did they have special players? More than I can list. I will tell you from standing on the sidelines for almost every game that guys like Lucas Garcia don’t come around very often. Neither do players like Tyler Shea or center/part-time comedian Steven Bomar. And rarely do you get a pair of 5-foot, 6-inch cruise missiles like Lawson Mooney and Sean Aguilar dominating on defense.
Two sons (Kason Herbelin and Mason Mooney) joining their dads (Eric Herbelin and Matthew Mooney) on the Hornets Wall of Honor is about as special as it gets for those two families.
Did they move forward a program that is still recovering from the stigma of 2019 by leaps and bounds? You bet they did.
Special takes shape a little bit more when you zoom in closer and examine some of the moments. When it comes down to it, sports are ultimately about the stories we tell and the things we remember. Special creates tales that are told and retold at 10- and 20-year reunions.
I had a unique perspective on this. I get to carry a camera around and film footage of the team so coach Hunter gave me free reign to go wherever I need to in order to get as much footage as I could.
This meant that I had an up-close-and-personal view of many of the great moments that made up the 2022 season. It also meant that I had a view of some moments that didn’t occur in plain sight. It’s the closest I have ever been to the incomparable energy and chaos of a football sideline, and I loved it.
I was often just a few feet away from coach Hunter as he had “discussions” with officials. I was in huddles during timeouts listening to coaches and players scheme on the fly and I was there for the raucous rendition of the GHS school song in Taylor’s locker room after the season opener.
I stood in the back of the end zone in Taylor and watched the Hornets grow from unknown to dangerous in a matter of two Jacob Newkirk-to-Kyle Shafer scoring plays.
I heard every big hit delivered by Lawson Mooney and Thiele Alvarado. I had games where I couldn’t take my eyes off of Adrian Smith because a guy his size shouldn’t be able to do what he does.
I stood on the sidelines and watched Trevor Smith catch ball after ball after ball after ball. I also ran down the sidelines, camera in hand trying to keep up with him in Mexia and Salado as he sprinted past defenses for touchdowns.
I witnessed just about every one of Rayshon Smith’s 1,092 rushing yards on the season – 1,091 of which seemed to come after someone had failed to tackle him on their first try.
I lingered nearby as teammate after teammate and coach after coach came over to Ayden Necessary in Salado and offered their embrace as this poor kid finished his season on crutches for the second year in a row.
The knock I hear most often these days is about parents who seem to think their kid is special. They think that their kid is above the rules or exempt from them. When we hear the phrase, “They think they are special” we often say it as an insult.
But when it comes to the 2022 Gatesville Hornets football team, I think it’s simply just an accurate statement. It was a special group led by special coaches. If you ask me, this won’t be the last Hornets team we refer to as special. I think there are even better things ahead for coach Hunter and his program.
The years ahead may be special. The one in our rear view most certainly was.
