BOSQUE SIX-MAN SPOTLIGHT: Week 10

Battling For Berths: Positioning for Class 1A, DII postseason, state-ranked Iredell, Kopperl secure playoff spots; Cranfills Gap & Walnut Springs in contention, Morgan eliminated

With five Bosque County six-man football teams battling for four playoff berths in two separate districts, the 14th-ranked Iredell Dragons and surprising Kopperl Eagles punched their tickets to the Class 1A, Division II postseason last Friday night.

And heading into the final weekend of the 2023 Texas high school football regular season, the resurgent Walnut Springs Hornets control their postseason destiny, while the Cranfills Gap Lions remain in contention for the district title, but need an upset win over the Dragons. Additionally in the District 12-1A, DII race, if Walnut Springs loses to Bluff Dale and Iredell takes care of Cranfills Gap to wrap up the district title, there will be a three-way tie for second place leading to a coin flip to determine which team goes to the playoffs.

But unfortunately for the Morgan Eagles, their District 10-1A, DII championship reign came to an end last Friday night and the Eagles have been eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

IREDELL 53, WALNUT SPRING 8

Securing their second straight trip to the Class 1A, DII playoffs, the 14th-ranked Iredell Dragons stormed past the resurgent Walnut Springs Hornets for a dominating 53-8 home victory last Thursday night.

Sophomore Jordan Gutierrez scored three touchdowns and sophomore Cole Heutzenroeder threw two scoring strikes and ran for another as the Dragons (2-0 in district, 8-1 overall) moved one step closer to the District 12-1A, DII title.

“Beating Walnut Springs always feels good,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “I think we’ve stepped it up, the guys are committing to the team a little more each week. The winning streak has been nice, and we hope to carry it on next week.”

Gutierrez rushed for 96 yards on only two carries, both breaking for scores, and scooped a fumble for another touchdown. Heutzenroeder only completed two passes but both went for touchdowns, connecting with sophomore Caden Sweat on a 54-yard strike and sophomore Caleb Garland for a 15-yard score.

“We’re still young and getting better each week,” Guereca said. “We’re young and they’re still in that learning process. Our expectations are high, and it’s been great to see the growth they’ve had this year. Super proud of the way they’re growing up.”

In the losing effort for Walnut Springs (1-1, 3-6), senior Bryan Chavez completed nine of 16 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, connecting with senior Adrian Chavez for the scoring strike, who finished with three catches for 37 yards. Junior Jesse Lamb led the Hornets in rushing with 44 yards on 11 carries.

“The Iredell Dragons totally dominated the Hornets on both sides of the ball,” Walnut Springs head coach Lonnie Flippen said. “The young Dragons are going to be a team to deal with this year and for several years in the future. Their speed and physicality will be difficult to deal with by anyone they play in the future.”

Physically dominating the Hornets and shutting down their potent offensive attack, Garland led Iredell with 18 tackles, followed by Heutzenroeder with 16, junior Westen Chandler with seven, as well as sophomore Adan Aguilar-Diaz and freshman Gavin Vara with six each.

“We’ve been proud of the defense all year,” Guereca said. “I think that’s the difference in being better than last year. We have six guys flying to the ball, trying to do their job. Coach (Shane) Gallagher is doing a super job with the defense, and I’m super proud of them.”

While Iredell battles for the district title, Walnut Springs meets the Bluff Dale Bobcats this week to determine a playoff spot.

“Bluff Dale has a limited number of players this year, but have done a great job competing against teams such as Iredell all year,” Flippen said. “Our kids will have to determine if they want to rise to the occasion in order to represent the district and the Walnut Springs community in the playoffs. Hopefully, our seniors will step up and lead the rest of our guys in accomplishing that goal.”

KOPPERL 40, MORGAN 6

In a game called at halftime due to lightning, the young and surprising Kopperl Eagles left no doubt with a convincing 40-6 victory over the two-time defending District 10-1A, DII champion Morgan Eagles last Friday night. With the win, Kopperl (2-0, 7-2) clinched its first trip to the playoffs since 2018, the last time the Eagles won the district title.

“It was a great win for us, but we did not get to celebrate much because of the pouring rain,” Kopperl first-year head coach Ken Davis said. “I was really proud of the team. W hen the storm came in during the second quarter, they were business as usual and actually seemed to thrive on the poor conditions.”

Junior Christian Falk tossed two touchdown passes and ran for another while junior Isaac Payne ran for two scores. Falk connected with Hunter Johnson on a 41-yard touchdown pass and hooked up with Kevin Eilers for an 18-yard scoring strike, while booting three-for-three on two-point conversion kicks.

Defensively, the Eagles stayed in Morgan’s backfield the entire game, shutting down the Eagles (0-2, 2-7). Junior Anthony Johnson returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown and made a tackle for safety, while freshmen Dairo Vega and Dalton Tidwell led Kopperl in tackles.

“It was a big win in many ways,” said Davis, as Kopperl will take on Bynum (2-0, 6-3) for the district title this Friday. “We know we are going to the playoffs, it’s our first two district wins since 2018. This also gives us a four-game winning streak, and hopefully, some momentum going into Bynum. They are a very good, hard-nosed team, and we will have to play our best game to hang with them.”

CRANFILLS GAP 45, BLUFF DALE 34

Bouncing back from their disappointing District 12-1A, DII opening loss to Walnut Springs, the Cranfills Gap Lions stayed in contention for the district title with a hard-fought 45-34 victory over the defending district champion Bluff Dale Bobcats last Thursday night. Senior Blake Allen and senior Adan Flores ran for three touchdowns apiece as the Lions (1-1, 4-5) pounced on Bluff Dale (0-2, 4-5).

“It was an incredible game where our defense improved on some things that got us beat against Walnut,” Cranfills Gap athletic director Josh Raulston said. “We are looking to carry this momentum into the Iredell game to finish the season off right. Right now, we have at least given ourselves a chance. So, we need to continue to compete and hope things swing in our favor.”

Allen finished with a game-high 191 yards rushing on 23 carries, followed by Flores with 121 yards on 13 attempts. Sophomore Diego Rodriguez tossed a touchdown pass, and senior Gabriel Falcon ran for another score.

Defensively, freshmen Gage Aaron led the Lions with eight tackles, followed by Rodriguez with seven takedowns and an interceptions, freshman Michael Green with six tackles, and sophomore Jake Cox with an interception.