Gatesville Looks To Rebound After Tough Week

The Gatesville Hornets lost their first game of the season last week to China Spring 43-16. An argument could be made the Hornets were distracted with off the field issues.

La Vega kept rolling with a commanding victory on the road against Lampasas, 62-7. Gatesville will be looking to respond against adversity, while La Vega will be looking to stay undefeated.

Gatesvilles’ offense showed signs of potential against the Cougars, including the opening possession of the game where they marched into the red zone. The opening drive stalled with back-to-back penalties and the Hornets were forced to settle for a field goal. Gatesville quarterback Jett Truss was able to heat up in the second half and finished the game 16-31 with 255 yards passing.

La Vega wasted no time establishing their identity against Lampasas, as Kemoche Hobbs exploded for a 51 yard touchdown run on the Pirates second play from scrimmage. The Pirates offense put up 615 yards against the Badgers. Five of them were on the ground and two passing.

Defense

The Pirates defense is what really makes this team special. La Vega is holding their opponents to an average of 7.8 points per game. It held a good China Spring team to 10.

Gatesville is balanced and uses the rushing abilities of Anthony Costas to get playmakers open in space. When this happens, it makes it easy for Truss to hit in the passing game.

“I told our kids that we hadn’t played that bad of football in a long, long time in Gatesville, Texas,” Gatesville coach Kyle Cooper said.

Don’t expect the Hornets to come out flat, as they have the opportunity to give La Vega the same experience they felt last week.

La Vega will test the physicality of the Hornets as they force them to stop the running game, rotating fresh backs continuously. The Pirates have an added advantage with the dual-threat capabilities of quarterback Jamal Williams. Luckily, they can throw when they need too, but they prefer to run the ball and drain the clock.

The Hornets and Pirates have both secured a spot in the playoffs, but La Vega is in position to win the district 13 4A Championship. La Vega is currently in first place at (8-0, 3-0), while Gatesville sits in third (7-1,2-1).