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October 24, 2009

Gilbert, Ross combine to rush for more than 300 yards in 41-28 victory over Magnolia

By Tom Waddill The Huntsville Item Sat Oct 24, 2009, 01:26 AM CDT

MAGNOLIA — Huntsville has discovered a deadly combination of thunder and lightning.

In seniors Shaquille Ross and Justin Gilbert, the Hornets have a 1-2 punch that knocked out another opponent Friday. Ross rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Gilbert ran for 248 yards and two more scores.

Ross and Gilbert even hooked up on a 17-yard touchdown pass to lead the Hornets to a 41-28 victory over Magnolia.

The win was the Hornets’ third in a row and fourth in five District 18-4A games. With Friday’s victory, Huntsville (5-3 overall) closed in on its second consecutive playoff berth, something the Hornets have not done since the 1991 and ’92 seasons when Joe Clements was Huntsville’s head coach.

“We’re close, but I don’t know for a fact that we’re in the playoffs yet,” Hornets head coach Mitchell Coey said. “It depends on what happened in other games tonight.”

That hardly mattered to Coey and his players. They were excited about putting another notch in the win column, one that came with relative ease.

While the speedy and slippery Gilbert hurt the Bulldogs by going zig, zag, zoom, Ross, the bull, went boom, boom, boom.

Huntsville took a 35-14 lead early in the fourth period when Ross banged in from 5 yards out. Magnolia, which dropped to 2-3 in district play and 5-3 on the season, scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but the outcome was never really in doubt.

Running behind the blocking of Jamaal Lenoir, J.R. Venette, Jimmy Spivey, Xavier Briggs and Forbes Baggett, Gilbert and Ross made sure the Bulldogs did not get too close. After Magnolia scored to make it 35-21, Gilbert took off on runs of 13 and 32 yards. The future Oklahoma State Cowboy hurdled a Bulldog defender standing straight up on one play.

Ross capped the quick 90-yard drive with a nifty 16-yard TD run.

“With me at quarterback and Shaq at running back, it’s hard for a defense to focus on one of us,” Gilbert said. “We’re a pretty dangerous duo. Plus, we’ve got some good receivers in Mark (Wheeler), Gabe (Franklin) and Tre (Byrd). (Ross) Nesselrode made a couple of good catches tonight, too.”

In addition to his 248 yards on 14 carries, Gilbert completed 10-of-17 passes for 165 yards with no interceptions.

Franklin caught four passes for 78 yards, Nesselrode snagged two throws for 38 yards, while Byrd and Wheeler caught one pass apiece. Ross cashed in on that part of the game, too. He caught two passes for 51 yards.

For the first time since beating Caney Creek in the district opener, the Hornets did not turn the ball over.

“We’re starting to play consistently,” Coey said. “We’re not getting hit with a whole lot of penalties like early in the season, plus we’re starting to take care of the football.

“Everything is starting to come together. We’re playing well together — each week we get a little better.”

Gilbert, who put his name in the Huntsville High School record book Friday with the sixth-best single-game rushing performance, said he’s feeling much more comfortable leading the Hornet offense.

“I have a lot more confidence in my line right now,” Gilbert said. “They’ve gotten a lot better at blocking, staying on their blocks and doing what our coaches are asking them to do.”

Venette said it took some time to learn the blocking schemes in the Hornets’ new spread offense, but the players have made steady progress that is starting to pay big dividends.

“We’re moving as one instead of individuals now,” Venette said. “Tonight, we played against two really good defensive tackles and we shut them down.”

Venette said it’s fun blocking for play-makers like Gilbert and Ross.

“It’s a sight to see J. Gil,” Venette said. “He makes amazing cuts, then leaps over a guy. That definitely motivates you. When he makes plays like that, it makes you want to make plays.”

The Hornets head back to Magnolia next week to take on the Mustangs of Magnolia West.

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Hornet Sports

Back to work
Tick tick tick. Tick tick tick tick.
It won’t be long until the alarm goes off early Monday morning, signaling the start of high school football practice in Huntsville.
Freshmen hit the field at 8 a.m. Monday and Hornets head coach Shane Martin can’t wait. Huntsville’s defensive coordinator the past two years, Martin has been waiting seven long months for the first day of serious summer workouts.

July 31, 2010 1 Photo
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.

June 17, 2010
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.

May 18, 2010
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.

May 12, 2010 1 Photo
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.

May 11, 2010
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.

April 12, 2010 1 Photo
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.

April 12, 2010 2 Photos
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.

April 2, 2010
‘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.

April 1, 2010 2 Photos
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.

March 17, 2010
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Hornets run wild

Gilbert, Ross combine to rush for more than 300 yards in 41-28 victory over Magnolia

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