Hornets return with revamped offense, sights set on playoff success
Offensive line, backs will key offense while secondary will anchor Hornets defense
Figuratively speaking, the personnel losses facing the Gatesville Hornets football team loom large as they head into the 2023 season.
Literally speaking, the returners loom even larger.
As they embark on a new season with a revamped offense, the Hornets will follow the lead – figuratively and literally – of their big boys up front.
Returning offensive line starters Tookie Jones, Zach Bryant, Gabriel Pollard, and Gabe Charles, along with first-year starter Logan Busch will lead the way for second-year running backs Rayshon Smith, LJ Hall and newcomer Zavier Clater in the Hornets new run-oriented offense.
Defensively, an experienced secondary – led by all-state safety Lawson Mooney, Sean Aguilar, Colton Taylor, and Adrian Smith – and an underrated line will anchor the defense.
For second-year head coach Aaron Hunter, the hope is that it all adds up to Gatesville’s first playoff win since 2012. Last season, a 7-3 regular season ended with a surprising 24-14 bi-district round loss to Smithville on a frigid night in Hutto.
The loss to Smithville was not the impetus for the Hornets offensive shift. But with an expectation of a future of playoff football, Hunter decided the personnel and timing were right to adopt an all-weather, “win-in-November” offense that embodies his blue-collar hometown.
“This offense fits Gatesville, Texas. It’s the best thing we have done,” Hunter said. “This is how Gatesville will be successful.”
One year ago, the Hornets spread attack averaged over 370 yards and 28.5 points per game. They scored 43 in a win at Mexia, 56 in a win over Godley, 49 in defeating Salado, and 49 in a win over Robinson. Collectively and individually, it was their best offensive season in years.
In his sophomore season, Smith rushed for 1,092 yards and scored 11 touchdowns while Hall added 292 yards and five touchdowns. In the win over Godley, Smith ran for 268 yards and scored 5 touchdowns while Hall shined in a 27-20 win over McGregor scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Also returning is quarterback Jacob Newkirk, who threw for 2,155 yards and 21 touchdowns en route to a First Team All-District selection in his first season as a starter.
“Man, I love Jacob to death,” Hunter said. “Jacob got thrown into the fire last year.”
A change in offensive philosophy might seem unnecessary but makes more than perfect sense when you consider not just who the Hornets have coming back but also realize who they lost.
While the bulk of their rushing yards returns, most of their receiving production does not. Gone are wide receivers Trevor Smith and Tyler Shea, and all-state tight end Kyle Shafer – a trio combined for 1,543 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns in 2022.
“I don't know if we'll ever get a better receiving corp than what we had last year. It is so hard for us to roll out that kind of crew year after year after year,” Hunter said.
While a change in philosophy and a crew of fresh faces at receiver might also appear to mean Newkirk won’t be slinging it around this year, that also couldn’t be further from the truth. This isn’t a “three yards and a cloud of dust” offense.
“You know it's just going to be different. Hitting the fullback in the flat for 20 yards, that's going to be the throw now instead of catching and reading a linebacker and running an RPO (run pass option),” Hunter added. “I think it's going to be really good. I think it will shock some people. Obviously, it's not going be perfect, but I think it fits us.”
After taking almost every snap in the shotgun in 2022, Newkirk will be under center and using a snap count in 2023. For the first time in more than a decade, the Hornets will regularly utilize traditional fullbacks and tight ends.
Hunter said that Dutch Nielson and Amos Phillips have both seen time at fullback and brothers JT Coffman and Kaden Coffman have stood out at the tight end spot during fall camp.
With the introduction of a new system, Hunter and offensive coordinator Jacob Hunter, have stressed the importance of execution, limiting turnovers, and being penalty-free. Said Hunter, “a first and 15 will kill you in this offense.”
In their first scrimmage of the pre-season on August 12 against Caldwell and Academy, the offense delivered as well as could be expected.
Rayshon Smith scored a pair of rushing touchdowns – including a 24-yard, tackle-breaking run against Caldwell. He averaged nine yards per carry in the scrimmage while Hall averaged 5 yards per carry. Clater picked up more than four yards when he carried the ball.
Newkirk threw for three touchdowns in the scrimmage with all three passing touchdowns coming on bootlegs and landing in the hands of wide-open receivers.
In 68 plays of total offense, there were only two fumbled snaps and two false starts. Conversely, the Hornets snap count forced the defense to jump offsides three times.
Nielsen will also be featured on the defensive line along with Charles Kemmitz, Corey Burns, Nathan Elliott, and Tookie Jones – who will play both ways at times.
The versatile, hard-hitting sophomore Phillips, who is arguably the best pure athlete across the Gatesville athletic program, will also be tasked with playing linebacker – another position group decimated by graduation.
Last season’s linebacking crew featured Ashtyn Culley (three-year letterman), Thiele Alvarado (three-year letterman) and Mason Mooney (two-year letterman) meaning the Hornets will start fresh at the three linebacker positions.
“Amos is a natural at everything. He’s also one of our best receivers and has probably the best hands on the team right now,” said Hunter. “He has a knack for the ball and he's not at all scared to tackle.”
Speaking of not “not at all scared to tackle”, the Hornets defense will feature Lawson Mooney for one more year. A TSWA/Blue Bell all-state selection in 2022, the Gatesville safety is receiving recognition as one of the state’s best players ahead of his final season.
Mooney has been named to the prestigious Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Class 4A Preseason All State Team along with being recognized on the Waco Tribune-Herald’s Preseason Super Centex team.
“That’s a big deal,” said head coach Aaron Hunter of Mooney’s DCTF selection. “For somebody in Gatesville, Texas to be in that list. Yeah. It's a big deal. That's awesome. And it's well deserved.”
Last season Mooney had a remarkable 161 tackles including six for a loss he also had a pair of interceptions, four pass breakups, and a quarterback sack on the defensive side. He scored a receiving touchdown in the Hornets season opening win over Taylor.
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 there as well with Aguilar giving him a run for his money.
Aguilar had 94 tackles, five interceptions and four pass break-ups in his junior season in 2022. Perhaps his best outing was in the win over Salado when he had a game-sealing interception and also delivered a bone-crushing blow to an Eagles receiver inside the ten-yard line.
Taylor picked up 42 tackles and recovered two fumbles in ten varsity games last season while Smith is a bit of a Swiss-army knife for Hunter to use on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, he had a pair of interception returns for touchdowns and also caught 22 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown on offense. As the Hornets primary kickoff return man, he averaged 27 yards per kick return including a 71-yard return against Connally.
Mooney, Aguilar, Charles, Adrian Smith, Hall, Nielsen, and Logan Biggs will captain the Hornets this season as they face another stout schedule.
In Week Two they will travel to Glen Rose to face a Tigers team coming off of a state semi-finals run and in week five they will travel to Godley team bent on some measure of revenge. The Wildcats started the 2022 season 2-5 including their 56-42 loss to the Hornets. From there they won five straight games and advanced to the regional semi-finals before losing to Monahans.
District 6-4A play begins at Connally this season and the Cougars are likely favored to repeat as champions. The Hornets will also travel to Madisonville to face a seasoned, athletic Mustang team that dealt the Hornets a 38-19 loss last year.
Salado – in their second year under Tom Westerberg – will be much improved and will visit Gatesville in Week 8. Robinson, under new head coach Chris Lancaster, come to Gatesville to wrap the regular season in Week Ten.
They will open the season on August 25 at home against Taylor. Last season, the Hornets defeated the Ducks 22-21 on the road in the season opener.