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November 7, 2009

Hornets Repeat

Huntsville tackles Wildkats to earn share of district crown after Brenham loses at Waller

By Tom Waddill

Word got around quickly: Waller upset Brenham 15-14 on Friday night.

That means Huntsville, which took care of business and beat Willis 23-7 at Bowers Stadium, claims a co-championship with the rival Cubs in District 18-4A.

Dust off the trophy case, coach Mitchell Coey, the Hornets earned another gold football.

“That’s great,” Coey told his wife, Kay, while the Hornets celebrated on the field with their friends, parents and fans. “These kids deserve it. They work hard every day.”

The Hornets (6-1 in 18-4A play, 7-3 overall) worked hard Friday night, especially on defense.

Led by Mark Wheeler, Bridge Blount, Brodrick Hadnot, Quentin Smith and Kervin Simmons, Huntsville held the upset-minded Wildkats to 24 yards rushing and 247 yards of total offense.

Willis (2-5 in 18-4A, 3-7 overall) scored its only touchdown late in the third period when Quan West caught a 15-yard pass from sophomore Fred Nixon. The Hornets had a 20-7 lead at that point, and they added to it a few minutes later when senior Martin Juarez kicked a 23-yard field goal.

In a game that had added meaning for the Wildkats, who learned Friday they had a shot at the playoffs thanks to a ineligible-player forfeit by Magnolia West, the Hornets did enough offensively to make it fairly easy on themselves.

Quarterback Justin Gilbert scored two touchdowns, one on a 35-yard run in the first quarter and another on a slick 63-yard punt return in the third. Wheeler also dove over the goal line from 1 yard out to put Huntsville on top 14-0 at halftime.

This night, like several others this season, belonged to Huntsville’s defense.

The Hornets chased Nixon around and made the young quarterback throw many passes on the run. Nixon and his receiving corps did a solid job. The Wildkats completed 17-of-26 passes for 223 yards, with only one interception.

Wheeler picked off one of Nixon’s throws late in the first half. The ball bounced off one of the Willis receivers, and Wheeler snagged it with one hand.

Prior to Friday’s game, Coey asked the Hornets to play a perfect game. They didn’t do that, but in a game that had no bearing on Huntsville’s postseason plans, the Hornets played well enough to get the job done.

“This was a big win for us,” Coey said, even before he learned that Brenham had lost. “We won ugly, but that’s a sign of a good team when you win ugly.

“We’ve got some things to work on before we head to Georgetown next week,” the coach added. “Offensively, we didn’t execute very well in the second half. We made too many mistakes. ... We played pretty good defensively, but our offense sure wasn’t clicking on all cylinders.”

Huntsville, which meets Buda Hays on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. in a bi-district playoff game at Georgetown High School, is making its second consecutive playoff appearance for the first time since the 1991-92 seasons. Most of the current Hornets were not even born when Joe Clements was wrapping up his legendary coaching career.

None of the Hornets remember Huntsville’s glory days on the gridiron. They’re excited to be making their own memories, building on the new winning tradition kicked off by Coey and his assistant coaches.

“We’re going all the way,” Hadnot said happily. “We’re not slacking up now.”

“This feels so good,” defensive tackle Marquel Kizzee added. “I hope we go deeper in the playoffs this time. We’ve got to come together as a team.”

Huntsville lost to Lockhart in the first round of the Division I playoffs last fall. The Hornets remember that game like it was yesterday, and they don’t want to experience an early exit in 2009.

“We’ve got five more games left,” Kizzee said confidently. “We’re going to try have a little fun on the way.”

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