Waddill: Young Hornets and their fans can learn lessons from last season

Sports

Discussion

September 5, 2010

By Tom Waddill Sports Editor The Huntsville Item Sun Sep 05, 2010, 12:25 AM CDT

HUNTSVILLE — Here’s a friendly reminder, Hornet fans: Huntsville started the 2009 season with two straight losses, but the Hornets hung tough and eventually got hot.

Huntsville won eight of its last 10 games, including a thrilling 45-14 victory over Buda Hays in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs. The Hornets also captured a share of the District 18-4A championship last fall, and they may make it three titles in a row in 2010 if they keep their heads up and continue working.

“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Hornets head coach Shane Martin often says. And he’s right.

The 2010 Hornets are far from a finished product. Another long and grueling season has barely begun, so now is not the time to panic.

Now is the time for patience, everybody. Better days are on the way.

Anything look familiar here?

“Offensively, the Hornets never got into a rhythm. ... Defensively, the Hornets had the same kind of problems as they did last year in a 27-24 loss to College Park.”

Those words were written in the Item after the Hornets’ meeting with College Park last year. The same could have been said about last week’s loss to the Cavaliers.

The final score of the 2009 game was 28-7. Thursday’s score ... 28-7.

What’s more, the Hornets were held to 240 yards of total offense in 2009; last week, Huntsville’s offense again sputtered, managing only 234 yards.

By contrast, College Park romped to 401 yards offense last year, 307 on the ground. The Hornets allowed 404 yards of offense this time around, 355 on the ground.

“We’ve got to go back to work,” Martin barked after last year’s loss. With a steely glare, Huntsville’s new head coach told the Hornets the exact same thing Thursday.

It’s time to work through the problems and figure out ways to correct the mistakes. Do that and the Hornets likely will make another strong finish in 2010.

Rebuilding takes time

Here’s another reminder: The Hornets have a ton of new faces this fall, young guys playing key positions like quarterback, running back and receiver. It’s going to take a while for Daniel Hazlewood, Henry Ford, Trevion Byrd and Cameron Simmons to adjust to their new starting roles.

Each of those players have shown flashes of potential already. They just need more polish in practice and a few more Friday nights under the bright varsity lights.

Defensively, Huntsville also has nine new starters in 2010. Utility man Mark Wheeler and middle linebacker Bridge Blount are the team’s only returning starters.

“... We’re not going to make any excuses,” Martin said last week when asked about numerous missed tackles that helped College Park turn short gains into big plays, the biggest of which were a 64-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds left in the first half and a 36-yard TD burst early in the second half that made it 21-0.

Like the new trio in the Hornets’ offensive backfield, it’s going to take a little time for guys like Melvin Lewis, Steve York, Quinton Merritt and Jordan Sandles to settle in and start making plays. Gabriel Franklin, Kervin Simmons, Marquel Kizzee and Kase Delaune became key contributors last season, and it’s a good bet that Merritt, Lewis, York and a few of their teammates will make the same kind of progress this fall.

Have some faith in the Hornets and their coaches

After the slow start last year, the Hornets made a few changes midstream and became much more efficient, especially on offense. Following a 30-14 bouncing by Brenham in the second district game of the season, and after being held to 143 yards of total offense, some fans surely felt the Hornets were a lost cause.

Those same fans probably changed their minds a week later.

The Hornets wisely turned the reins over to senior quarterback Justin Gilbert, who rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns in a spirit-lifting 21-0 win over Waller.

Coaches also turned big Shaquille Ross into Huntsville’s full-time running threat. All Ross did was rush for 495 yards and score seven touchdowns in the Hornets’ final seven games last fall.

Defensively, the Hornets clamped down and led the way during a five-game winning streak that capped the regular season. Then in the playoffs, it was Franklin’s interception that sparked a 28-point explosion in the fourth quarter against Buda Hays. Ross and Gilbert both ran for scores, then Ross picked off a pass and rumbled 56 yards for another touchdown.

Ford finished the Rebels off with a nifty 46-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter.

Martin and offensive coordinator Kane Harris made changes that worked last year, and they’ll likely do the same again in 2010, if they’re necessary.

Huntsville kicked off the new season against Brenham, one of the best 4A teams in the state, and last week, they lost to Class 5A College Park for the fifth consecutive time. Playing quality opponents will help the Hornets, not hurt them.

One more reminder: College Park looked like world beaters early last season. But after starting 3-1, the Cavaliers lost five of their last six games and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.

Huntsville did the reverse, starting 2-3 and finishing the regular season with five consecutive victories.

Fired up fans jumped on the bandwagon and had a big time rooting in the playoffs for the co-champs of District 18-4A.

Hang in there Hornets. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

Text Only

Sports

Outright champs, again
Even with a little bit more difficulty, the Lady Hornets weren’t going to be denied another outright district championship, especially not on their own floor. Despite a first quarter filled with turnovers, the Huntsville girls turned up the heat and eventually wore down Kingwood Park on Friday night. Led by seniors Ceidra Coleman, Breanna Fuller and Dequayla Terry, the Lady Hornets beat the Lady Panthers 64-43 to clinch their second straight outright District 18-4A girls basketball title.

February 4, 2012 2 Photos
Hornets struggle in 4-1 loss to Pasadena Dobie
The problems with Huntsville’s boys soccer team are fixable, head coach Robert Taylor said after a 4-1 loss to Pasadena Dobie on Friday night.

February 4, 2012 1 Photo
Lady Hornets make progress in shortened golf tourney
The Huntsville girls cut a substantial amount of strokes off their score from a week ago and finished fourth in the College Park Invitational that was shortened to one round because of wet conditions at the River Plantation Country Club in Conroe.

February 4, 2012
Bulldogs primed for today’s powerlifting meet
The first-year powerlifting program at New Waverly High School is embracing the underdog role, especially at today’s meet in Shepherd.

February 4, 2012
Rivalries Renewed
Starting this fall, Huntsville will be back in a district that includes Montgomery, Magnolia, Magnolia West and Waller. The new District 18-4A also will include Bryan Rudder and Brenham. That’s going to make it tough on all sports, from volleyball and football in the fall, basketball and soccer in winter, to softball, tennis, track, baseball and golf in the spring.

February 2, 2012 3 Photos
Not many changes for Bulldogs
Bulldogs athletic director and head football coach M.K. Hamilton couldn’t sleep for nervousness Wednesday, the night before the latest realignment plan was released. It happens every two years, when the University Interscholastic League announces its classification and alignment adjustments by conferences in each region around Texas. As a result of this year’s realignment, the Bulldogs will travel less during the football season, where the district remained relatively intact, but substantially more in all other sports.

February 2, 2012
Hornet wrestlers ready for district
The Hornet wrestlers enter the District 20-5A meet today with a high level of experience compared to this time last season. Huntsville wrestlers have more than 20 matches under their belts, whereas they only had eight a year ago. That experience, the Hornets believe, is what allows them to have a little more confidence than expected as they travel to Conroe today for a meet that begins at 9:30 a.m.

February 2, 2012 1 Photo
Hornets RB Ford and OL Long headed to Kingsville
Huntsville teammates Henry Ford and Aundra Long knew exactly what they were going to do after taking a visit to Texas A&M-Kingsville. In limbo about where their college football careers would kick off, Ford and Long found a home as soon as they stepped foot on the campus in Kingsville.

February 1, 2012 3 Photos
Huntsville's Blount, Hazlewood and York earn academic scholarships
Huntsville linebacker Bridge Blount described the recruiting road he recently trudged as rough and rocky at times, full of twists, turns and changes in direction. When Blount finally reached the end of the road Wednesday morning and accepted a preferred walk-on offer from Sam Houston State coach Willie Fritz, he was thrilled beyond belief.

February 1, 2012 4 Photos
Bearkats building for the future
On the heels of a trip to the Football Championship Subdivision title game, Sam Houston State coaches had very little time to square away their 2012 recruiting class. In a span of less than a month, Bearkats coach Willie Fritz and his staff did some last-minute selling and signed 17 recruits on Wednesday on national signing day.

February 1, 2012 1 Photo
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Discussion

Waddill: Young Hornets and their fans can learn lessons from last season

Site Map

Contact Us