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D.J. Shafer
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D.J. Shafer
Hornets wary of winless Waller
Dangerous Bulldogs have lost three close games
Beware of the Bulldogs. That’s the message Huntsville football coach Mitchell Coey has been trying to make clear for the Hornets this week.
The Waller Bulldogs are winless in five tries this season, but Coey says tonight’s opponent may be one of the best 0-5 teams in Texas.
Twice, the Bulldogs have lost by four points this season, and on another occasion Waller dropped a tough 30-22 decision to a Rosenberg Terry team that is currently 4-1.
“Waller has played a pretty good schedule,” Coey said after a brief workout Thursday afternoon at Mance Park Middle School. “Their preseason schedule is as tough as any team around, with La Marque, Rosenberg (Terry) and Nederland. Against Nederland, they were leading most of the way until the end of the game.
“Waller hasn’t been real charmed. We kind of know that feeling, and hopefully, the tide won’t turn on Friday night.”
The Hornets (1-1 in District 18-4A, 2-3 overall) have seen the Bulldogs on film. They say Waller hardly resembles a team that is still searching for its first win.
“They look pretty good — they look pretty physical,” Huntsville defensive lineman Quenntin Tucker said. “They’re pretty big, but we’ve just got to do what we do and be physical back. We can’t underestimate them just because their 0-and-5. They’re looking for a win and they’re hungry for a win.”
Offensive lineman Jamaal Lenoir remembers the Hornets’ win over Waller last fall. The Bulldogs came up a yard short of a major upset. Huntsville gang-tackled Waller running back Jacobie White on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to preserve a 10-6 victory.
“They’re going to be looking for revenge,” Lenoir said. “We stopped them at the 1-yard line and they probably want to get even for that.”
After dropping all of their nondistrict games, the Bulldogs lost to Magnolia 24-20 when Magnolia scored a touchdown with 2:01 left in the game. Waller had taken a 20-17 lead by scoring two touchdowns in the second half, but coach Jason Morley’s team could not hang on in the battle of the District 18-4A Bulldogs.
Waller is led by senior quarterback Miller Pierce and senior tailback Glen Gilliam. According to the Hornets, Pierce makes the Bulldogs offense go.
“They count on their quarterback to make a lot of plays,” Tucker said of Pierce, who has rushed for 485 yards on 85 carries. He has run for five touchdowns and thrown for two more. “If we stop him, we should do pretty good.”
Coey said the Hornets better be prepared both physically and mentally. If they’re not, Waller will likely notch its first win against a Huntsville team that is trying to stay in the thick of the playoff race.
“Waller is probably thinking, ‘Hey, we’ve got a chance to get one from old Huntsville,’” Coey said. “We need to eliminate our mistakes and take care of the football. We’ve also got to execute on offense. We’ve got to be able to move the ball.
“Our defense is pretty good. It is potent at times, but we can’t leave those guys out there forever. We’ve got to make some first downs and we’ve got to move the chains.”
The Hornets moved the chains fairly well in their 52-15 win over Caney Creek two weeks ago in the district opener. Last week, Brenham’s defense kept the Hornets quiet for four quarters. Huntsville managed only 143 yards of total offense in a 30-14 loss to the Cubs.
The Hornets say they’ve learned from last week’s loss. They’re ready to back on track and resume their quest for a playoff spot.
“We’ve got to play with heart,” offensive lineman Danny Murray said. “We’ve also got to limit our mistakes, do our plays right and don’t mess up.”
Coey added, “Every other week we play pretty good football. That means we’re not very consistent, or we haven’t been so far this season. I don’t want to make excuses, but we didn’t have all of our starting offensive linemen healthy last week. Hopefully, we’re back intact there, but we’ve just got to execute what we’ve been doing since day one.
“If we keep our defense off the field a little bit and put some points on the board, I think we’ll be all right.”
- Hornet Sports
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Huntsville ISD hires new volleyball coach
On paper and in her head, Stephanie Branch quietly took notes while sitting in the stands at Bryan High School on Thursday night. She paid particular attention to the team from Huntsville, because in a little more than a month that bunch will be her’s.
The daughter of a teaching and coaching couple, Branch, 31, was hired this week as the Lady Hornets’ new head volleyball coach. She replaces Brittany Brumbelow, who stepped down from her position at the end of the school year to spend more time with her family. -
High school notebook: Brenham boys edge Hornets at state track meet
Round one went to the Brenham boys. The Cubs won the District 18-4A boys track and field title last month in Willis.
The Huntsville boys took round two. Led by state qualifiers Justin Gilbert, Brodrick Hadnot, Henry Ford, Dimitri Collier and Cameron Simmons, the Hornets evened the score by outscoring the Cubs at the Region III track meet in Huntsville early this month.
In Austin last weekend, the Cubs edged the Hornets in the unofficial battle for track and field supremacy in District 18-4A. -
Going for gold
It wasn’t that long ago. RaKira Turner stood in the shot put ring and with all of her might, flat-footed she heaved the heavy ball forward.
Her first throws from the discus ring were even more memorable. With no idea about how to hold the strangely shaped disc, Turner did her best but the results were far from pretty. -
Hornets finish strong
They easily could have gone through the motions.
Sitting eighth in the team standings after a miserable first day at the UIL Boys Golf State Championships, the Hornets could have trudged around the Jimmy Clay Golf Course without a care.
They could have turned in another big score, gotten back on the bus and hit the highway headed home to Huntsville.
These Hornets had too much pride to mail in the second round of the tournament. On Tuesday, the Huntsville boys made a huge turnaround, shooting a team score of 307, which moved them up to sixth in the team standings. -
Difficult district
The Lady Hornets played their best round of golf Monday at Raven Nest Golf Club. Unfortunately for the Huntsville girls, they are stuck in District 18-4A with two, and probably three, of the top teams in the state.
Led by junior Madison Ward, who shot a solid 79, Huntsville’s varsity team posted a 349 team score during the first round of the District 18-4A tournament. That total puts the Lady Hornets in fourth place behind Montgomery Gold (310), Montgomery Purple (313) and Magnolia A (319) heading into today’s final round. -
Hornets finish first at Dayton track meet
The track teams from Huntsville High School did exactly what their head coach wanted them to do last week in the final tune-up before the all-important District 18-4A meet.
The Hornets finished first and the Lady Hornets placed third in the team standings at the Bronco Relays in Dayton. -
Gilbert advances to 100-meter finals at Texas Relays
Huntsville senior Justin Gilbert booked a spot in the main event. With a sizzling showing in the prelims for the 100-meter dash, Gilbert earned a place in the finals of the Texas Relays this afternoon in Austin.
Hopefully, he will have some company as some of his teammates try this morning to advance to the finals at Mike Myers Stadium at the University of Texas. -
‘I’m going to be nervous’
Austin’s Mike Myers Stadium is the place to be this weekend. The top track and field athletes not only in Texas, but from across the United States, will be competing inside a stadium full with the sport’s most passionate fans.
As a reward for weeks of hard work, and also to act as a possible tune-up for next month’s season-ending state meet, Huntsville High School is sending its best athletes to Austin, too. -
Top-ranked Cubs bring big bats to Huntsville
On a night when Brenham’s Chase Wellbrock nearly threw a no-hitter, Huntsville head coach Jeff Brumbelow shook his head more about the Cubs’ impressive hit parade.
Brenham came to Kate Barr Ross Park on Wednesday and quickly took control on the District 18-4A baseball game against the Hornets. The top-ranked Cubs banged out 16 hits in the first three innings and scored 13 runs on their way to a commanding 18-1 win over Huntsville. -
Just deserts
Seniors Jeremy LaDay, Marvin Dunbar and Justin Gilbert refused to listen to the people who said the Hornets were headed for a subpar season in 2009-10.
Huntsville’s run was done, some folks said last fall. That only fueled the fire for LaDay, Dunbar and Gilbert. - More Hornet Sports Headlines
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Huntsville ISD hires new volleyball coach
