BOSQUE SIX-MAN SPOTLIGHT: Week 1

With mixed bag of results, Kopperl, Walnut Springs post big wins as Bosque County six-man football season opens with some unexpected twists

With five of the area’s eight high schools – Cranfills Gap, Iredell, Kopperl, Morgan and Walnut Springs – playing six-man football in Bosque County, the opening weekend of the 2023 Texas high school football season provided a mixed bag of results.

While Walnut Springs battled to a wild win and Kopperl surprised in dominating fashion, the other three Bosque County six-man team struggled in their season openers.

WALNUT SPRINGS 49, RANGER 48

Despite losing senior playmaker Diego Muniz to an injury in the second quarter, the Walnut Springs Hornets rose to the occasion to edge Ranger, 49-48, at home last Thursday night.

Junior Josue Ontiveros rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two more after Muniz got the Hornets started with two early scores. Ontiveros connected with Landon Chambers for an early one-point conversion that proved to be the difference in the game.

“One-point conversions in six-man football can win games,” Walnut Springs veteran head coach Lonnie Flippen said. “After our most consistent playmaker Diego Muniz went out early in the second half with an injury, Ontiveros took the team on his shoulders and made key plays the rest of the game.”

Ontiveros completed 14 of 17 passes for 204 yards while rushing for another 119 yards and accounting for four scores. In limited action, Muniz finished with 74 yards on seven carries, while junior Jesse Lamb added 58 yards on seven attempts and a touchdown. Senior Santos Pina hauled in four receptions for 65 yards and a score, senior Adrian Chavez caught four passes for 64 yards, and Lamb added four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

“I felt like the team as a whole grew up some last night,” Flippen said. “We played with more physicality than I had seen in a while, and I can only hope that sets the tone for the rest of the season.”

Defensively, sophomore Cameron Mitchell and Chavez led the Hornets with six tackles each, followed by Lamb with five, along with Muniz and senior Luis Fraire with four apiece while Ontiveros pulled down an interception.

“We gave up far too many big plays on defense, and that will have to be corrected in order to have a successful season,” Flippen said. “But these young men are very coachable and have great desire to be successful.”

KOPPERL 68, HILL COUNTY 18

With seven different players getting on the scoreboard, the Kopperl Eagles dominated the Hill County Wolves, 68-18, at home Friday night in their non-district season opener.

Senior Chrisitan Falk passed for one touchdown and returned an interception for another, while junior Anthony Johnson and sophomore Bearon Brinkley rushed for two score apiece to lead Kopperl.

“Overall, our performance was good, but we still have a long way to go to get where we want to be,” Kopperl first-year head coach Ken Davis said. “But the Eagles are proving that for us to win, you have to play as a team. This is what I have been saying since practices started July 31. And Friday night, everyone played a part in the win.”

Johnson led the Eagles in rushing with 61 yards on seven carries, followed by Brinkley with 44 yards on five totes. Christian Falk completed four of five passes for 55 yards, connecting with junior Kevin Eilers all five times, while freshman Dalton Tidwell returned a kickoff 64 yards for a touchdown.

Coming up with four turnovers, Christian Falk led the Eagles with 14 tackles, followed by Brinkley with eight, while freshman Everett Falk grabbed an interception while junior Isaac Payen and Johnson came up with fumble recoveries.

“It’s been a while since Kopperl opened the season with a win, and it is causing a lot of excitement and enthusiasm at the school,” Davis said. “If we continue to play as a group and improve in a few areas, we could be in for a winning season.”

MAY 59, IREDELL 28

Forced to find a new opponent for their 2023 Texas high school football season opener less than eight hours before game time, the Class 1A, DII’s 18th-ranked Iredell Dragons found themselves being tested by one of the best teams in the state right out of the gate. And after the sixth-ranked May Tigers handed Iredell a convincing 59-28 defeat last Friday night, the Dragons found out early what it will take to reach their goals.

Although Iredell had originally planned to host Gustine on opening night, the Tigers did not have enough players to field a team.

“Well obviously, it was a big change going from Gustine to sixth-ranked May in less than eight hours,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “In the end, I knew we needed to play a game, and we knew it would help us in the long run playing a tough opponent in May.”

In the losing effort, junior Westen Chandler rushed for two touchdowns, while sophomore Jordan Gutierrez led Iredell with 92 yards rushing on seven carries, followed by sophomore Cole Heutzenroeder with 84 yards on 18 attempts.

“Offensively, it was definitely a roller coaster,” Guereca said. “We started off slow, and then we were able to gain some momentum. In the second half, we just couldn’t maintain consistency on each drive.”

Chandler led the Dragons with eight tackles, followed by senior Connor Sweat and sophomore Caleb Garland with seven, as well as Heutzenroeder with five. Sweat also came up with a fumble recovery.

“Defensively, big plays put us in bind throughout the game,” Guereca said. “Although, I do believe I saw some good things defensively that we can move forward with.

“Overall, it was a good game to learn from. We can pinpoint some things that I will definitely be focusing on to get better this week. We had our opportunities, and we were not able to convert on them. I know the team will be ready to get better and move on to Covington.”

IRVING FAUSTINA ACADEMY 62, MORGAN 26

Looking for their fourth straight trip to the Class 1A, DII playoffs, the Morgan Eagles struggled to get off the ground in their season opener as the Irving Faustina Academy dealt the Eagles a disappointing 62-26 loss last Friday night.

“This was a tough game,” Morgan’s first-year head coach Chuck Wilson said. “And although the Eagles fought hard, they came up short to the Falcons. The Eagles had a good offensive showing with 320 yards of total offense, but were a little weak on the defensive side of the ball.”

Senior quarterback Mark Anthony Garcia completed 15 of 20 passes for 134, connecting with junior Zach Mitchell for 70 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Adrian Alonso led the Eagles with 89 yards rushing on 11 carries while Garcia added 70 yards on 12 carries.

BYNUM 62, CRANFILLS GAP 14

Aiming to get back to their winning ways after a disappointing 2022 season, the Cranfills Gap Lions still have some work to do after opening the season with a 62-14 loss to the Bynum Bulldogs.

“Well, the season opener did not go well,” Cranfills Gap first-year head coach Josh Raulston said. “It’s a disappointing loss after so much work for the past few weeks. However, its back to the drawing board and back on the grind to prepare to bounce back in week two.”

Leading the Lions offensively, senior Blake Allen ran the ball 18 times for 101 yards, and completed five of 13 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, while contributing four tackles and a forced fumble on defense. Sophomore Diego Rodriguez caught three passes for 73 yards and a score, and senior Adan Flores ran twice for 39 yards and a touchdown while hauling in a 55-yard reception.

Making his presence known defensively, senior Johnathan Rodriguez collected four tackles and several assists.

“Our offense missed out on a couple opportunities,” Raulston said. “We have to get better at blocking if we want to be more efficient at scoring. Our defense was virtually non-existent. Too many mistakes to make a stop, and we will need to clean up. “This game was an eye opener for our kids, and we will take it as a lesson for the rest of the season. We need to learn and improve from this. Our mistakes are very fixable.”

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