November 01, 2022

Sending shockwaves through Bosque County six-man football & beyond, the young Iredell Dragons shock Walnut Springs, while Morgan Eagles soar to the top by winning again

While the Iredell Dragons turned the District 12-1A, Division II playoff race upside down with a shocking upset of the Walnut Springs Hornets, the Morgan Eagles took control of the battle for the District 10-1A, DII crown.

In the process with all postseason berths still on the line, it sets up crucial contests in the Heart of Texas six-man football this Friday as Morgan visits Mount Calm, Bluff Dale hosts Walnut Springs and Cranfills Gap travels to Iredell.

IREDELL 70, WALNUT SPRINGS 22

In shocking fashion, the young Iredell Dragons shook off their district opening loss to Bluff Dale for a dominating 70-22 victory over the Walnut Springs Hornets in a key District 12-1A, DII clash last Friday night.

“It was a solid win for us,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “I’m very proud of our team. Our defense was dialed in, and our offensive line did great. They made big lanes for our backs to have a successful night. It was just an overall solid team win.”

Freshmen Cole Heutzenroeder and Jordan Gutierrez ran for three touchdowns apiece as the Dragons (1-1 in district, 4-5 overall) quickly jumped out to a 24-0 lead, built a 38-6 advantage by halftime and ended the game in the third quarter by virtue of the 45-point mercy rule.

“The Iredell Dragons just gave the Hornets an old-fashioned country whipping,” Walnut Springs head coach Lonnie Flippen said. “They dominated from the opening kickoff, scoring twice on their first three plays, and the Dragons capitalized on two Walnut Springs fumbles.”

Heutzenroeder rushed for 165 yards and Gutierrez ran for 123, while senior Preston Robinson connected with freshman Caleb Garland on a touchdown pass for Iredell. Defensively, sophomore Duece Paul led the Dragons with 10 tackles, followed by sophomore Westen Chandler, Robinson, and Heutzenroeder with eight each.

“We have good momentum to carry us into the next game,” Guereca said. “Obviously, it’s a big game for us this week. Cranfills Gap has a good team over there, and we are going to need to play well to give us an opportunity to make the playoffs.”

For the Hornets (1-1, 4-5), sophomore Jesse Lamb, junior Diego Muniz and freshman Cameron Mitchell scored touchdowns, while Lamb led the Walnut Springs defense with six tackles.

“I’ve always had to compete against Cranfills Gap through the years and was seldom a fan even though I’m an alumni,” Flippen said. “But this week, I’ll be the Lions number one fan because a Gap win over Iredell puts us back in the playoff picture.”

MORGAN 57, KOPPERL 12

Leaving no doubt on a rainy, wet field, the Morgan Eagles soared to a dominating 57-12 victory over the young Kopperl Eagles last Friday night to take control of the District 10-1A, Division II race. Sophomore EJ Aviles threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as Morgan (2-0, 6-3) wrapped up the win in the third quarter by virtue of the 45-point mercy rule.

“All the rain didn’t really let us air it out like we normally do,” Morgan head coach Eduardo Aviles said. “So, running the ball became the focus. We really tried to execute as best as we could with the sloppy field. The team did a great job of executing.

“Offensively, we tried to run the ball effectively. We had a couple of missing assignments, and it cost us from keeping Kopperl off the scoreboard. For the most part, our defense did a great job.”

Senior Adrian Vera-Rico led the Morgan ground attack with 140 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Aviles added 96 yards rushing on six carries. Aviles tossed two scoring strike to sophomore Zach Mitchell and another to senior Kason Sims. Defensively, Aviles led Morgan with 14 tackles, followed by Vera-Rico with nine and senior Keylan Watts with seven.

“We were totally dominated on both sides of the ball all night,” Kopperl first-year head coach Darrell Wallace said. “We felt like we would play a little bit better than we did with it being a district football game. All in all, it was a rough night with a few bright spots. We will go back to work and get ready for Bynum this week.”

Sophomore Anthony Johnson led Kopperl (0-2, 3-6) with 48 yards rushing and a touchdown while collecting six tackles on defense.

“Next week, we face Mount Calm, and it will be our opportunity to claim our district outright and represent our district throughout the playoffs,” Aviles said. “We have prepared for this opportunity for some time, and we are looking forward to it.”

BLUFF DALE 57, CRANFILLS GAP 12

Losing their second straight District 12-1A, DII game, the Cranfills Gap Lions proved no match for 10th-ranked Bluff Dale as the Bobcats ran away with a convincing 57-12 victory last Friday night to remain undefeated in district.

“Bluff Dale is a very good and well-coached football team,” Cranfills Gap first-year head coach Rodie Johnston said. “We knew we had our hands full coming in. I thought we had a good game plan and were able to play with them for a half before mistakes and turnovers got the best of us.”

Junior Blake Allen led Cranfills Gap (0-2, 5-4) with 161 yards rushing and a touchdown, while senior Aiden Doty completed six of 11 passes for 85 yards, connecting with Allen on a scoring strike. Senior Case Koehler and Allen led the Lions with eight tackles each against Bluff Dale (2-0, 8-1).

Photos by WENDY OROZCO & EUGENE MAZZURANA

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