CLASS 1A SIX-MAN ROUNDUP: Kopperl, Walnut Springs and Morgan post impressive wins; Class 1A, DII’s seventh-ranked Iredell falls to DI’s ninth-ranked Newcastle
While the Class 1A, Division II’s seventh-ranked Iredell Dragons losing to the Class 1A, DI’s ninth-ranked Newcastle Bobcats, 50-20, drew all of attention on the opening weekend of the 2024 Texas high school football season among the area’s six-man ranks, the Kopperl Eagles, Walnut Springs Hornets and Morgan Eagles posted big wins to steal the Bosque County Friday night spotlight.
With two new coaches in the county, both Walnut Springs and Morgan were able to celebrate new beginnings under new direction.
KOPPERL 51, HILL COUNTY 6
After becoming a surprising playoff qualifier with a young team last season, the Class 1A, DII Kopperl Eagles will not sneak up on anyone this season. Consequently, the Eagles made a statement with their overwhelming 51-6 victory over the TAIAO Division 3’s Hill County Wolves last Saturday night.
Senior Christian Falk ran for one touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and threw for another while senior Isaac Payen rushed for two scores as Kopperl (1-0) eased to their first win of the season by virtue of the 45-point mercy rule at halftime as five different Eagles found the end zone against Hill County (0-1).
“After having three of our starters out with various injuries over the last two weeks, I was concerned whether we would be ready,” Kopperl head coach Ken Davis said. “I got my answer on the first play from scrimmage, and that set the tone for the rest of the game. We played with a confidence that was not there at the beginning of last year, and we really played pretty well, in my opinion.”
Falk finished with 91 yards rushing and 42 more through the air, while junior Bearon Brinkley and sophomore Jairo Vega added rushing touchdowns, and senior Joshua Eaton hauled in a three-yard scoring strike.
“Our offense scored on every possession and converted on several fourth downs,” Davis said. “If I had to pick out something we really need to work on, it would be our passing game. We have very good receivers and Christian can put it in there, but we haven’t jelled as of yet. The kicking game is one of our strengths as we converted four out of five.”
Defensively, Falk led Kopperl with six tackles, while senior Anthony Johnson added three tackles, two for losses and a fumble recovery, Brinkley collected three takedowns and a 22-yard interception return for a score, sophomore Dalton Tidwell pulled down three tackles, Isaac Payen picked up a fumble and Hunter Johnson pulled down an interception.
“On the defensive side, we are a much better team than last year,” Davis said. “Instead of relying on one or two guys to make the tackle, there are always three or four guys around the ball. Eleven different players had at least one tackle. Two interceptions and two fumble recoveries also helped.”
This week, Kopperl will host the Mount Calm Panthers (0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Panthers lost their season opener 37-21 to the Waco Valor Prep Knights.
“The Eagles did not lose anyone to graduation last year so we are experienced,” Davis said. “Our bench is also deeper than it has been in a long time. When one of the starters needs a break, I can sub in someone now and not worry what is about to happen.
“This will help against Mount Calm because they are very physical. I won’t have to keep the same six out on the field all the time. The Panthers have been in our district the last two years, so it will be a change facing them in a non-district battle this early in the season.”
WALNUT SPRINGS 72, RANGER 27
Senior Jesse Lamb rushed for six touchdown and caught a pass for another as the Walnut Springs Hornets crushed the Ranger Bulldogs, 72-27, in their first game as a Class 1A, DI team since 2014.
“It was a big win for our program,” Walnut Springs new head coach Richard Dye said. “With new coaches and a new system, the great buy-in showed last night. With a couple of our young men having injuries evaluated, we’ll now have to develop some more depth.”
Balancing the run with the pass, senior Josue Ontiveros tossed five touchdown passes while completing nine of 11 passes for 164 yards, connecting with junior Landon Chambers twice, and senior Angel Muniz caught a scoring strike and ran for another touchdown in a backup role.
“We did liked I’d hoped offensively,” Dye said. “Great performances by starting spread back Lamb and quarterback Ontiveros, along with backups Muniz and Rodriguez. We scored every time we had the ball, converting a couple of big fourth down plays.”
Defensively, sophomore Jesus Rodriguez led the Hornets with six tackles, followed by Lamb and Ontiveros with five and Dawson Gorney with four.
“We played pretty good defense all night with a couple of breakdowns here and there,” Dye said. “Lamb and Rodriguez were strong last night, along with Muniz and senior center Deegan Murrah coming off the bench to anchor the defensive line. Our kickoff team was great, too, recovering a couple of onside kicks.”
With the smallest enrollment in Class 21A, DI, the Hornet will continue getting ready for District 9-1A, DI competition with another non-district game against the Priddy Pirates at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Walnut Springs.
“We’ll get a good look at them on film this coming week,” Dye said. “We’re really looking forward to our home opener next Friday. We just need to get better every day.”
MORGAN 33, CRANFILLS GAP 12
In a clash of two Bosque County rivals entering the season with only seven players suited up on both sides of the field, injuries proved to be the difference as the Morgan Eagles scored 33 unanswered points on their way to a convincing 33-12 home victory over the Cranfills Gap Lions in a game halted in the third quarter due to not enough healthy players remaining.
Junior Adrian Alonzo ran for four touchdowns and returned an interception for another score to lead the Eagles (1-0) over injury-plagued Cranfills Gap (0-1).
“The main take away is the game was a positive for us because we walked away with no serious injuries other than some bumps and bruises,” Morgan first-year head coach Alan Berrio said. “Having a small group, it’s important to stay healthy. This was going to be a much closer game, but Cranfills Gap has been dealing with injuries since the first scrimmage. I wish we could have continued, but player safety is the main thing. We just hope the Gap will be ready for district.”
Cranfills Gap jumped out to an early 12-0 lead as junior Jake Cox broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown run and freshman Rylan Young tossed an 11-yard scoring strike. But once Cox went down with an injury late in the first quarter, the Lions struggled to move the ball.
“It’s a shame we didn’t get to finish this game,” Cranfills Gap head coach Josh Raulston said. “Our guys have been working hard and have been looking to be rewarded. I thought the game was going well for us. Our offense was finding a groove, and our defense was solid. Unfortunately, injures have plagued us and losing Jake Cox during this game really hurt.”
After the Eagles got off to a slow start, Alonzo provided all of the offense needed for the win by finishing with a game-high 165 yards rushing on 10 carries before ending the game early in the third quarter.
“Our offense sputtered to begin with and we never really got going like I wanted,” Berrio said. “Our center was out sick and with him gone, the playbook shrunk considerably. But overall, it was a good night.”
Defensively for Morgan, David Garcia led the Eagles with six tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles, followed by Alonzo with 5.5 tackles and a pick-six.
“The defense is starting to find its groove,” Berrio said. “As a new coach, installing new defensive packages is a hard adjustment. But my guys are very coachable and are starting to get a grasp of new concepts. Most of our tackles were team tackles, which is fun. As long as we keep flying around the ball, we will be successful.”
Hoping to build on a strong start, Morgan will hit the road this week to take on the TAIAO Divison 1 Texas Wind (1-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Waco. The Wind opened the season with an impressive 54-26 victory over Grace Classical Christian Academy last Friday.
“The team is starting to grow, and hopefully, we can add a few more bodies to the team over the next few weeks,” Berrio said. “It was pretty clear that Adrian Alonzo is very fast and does very well following his blocks. I really think my young guys are going to start shouting out in the weeks to come.
“Texas Wind will be difficult. They look very athletic and play hard until the whistle. The main problem with playing private schools is a lot of the offensive and defensive formations are hardly seen in UIL schools. So adjusting to some creative formations will be difficult. But at the end of the day, the game is not hard if you can block and tackle.”
In the meantime, Cranfills Gap hopes to have enough healthy players to host the Blanket Tigers (0-0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Tigers opened the season with a 14-14 tie against the Menard Yellowjackets last Friday.
“A lot of these guys are looking to prove themselves this year, and it was nice to see them compete,” Raulston said. “I’m excited to see what they will do for the rest of the season. But for now, we need to get healthy.”
NEWCASTLE 50, IREDELL 22
Certainly, taking on a state-ranked Class 1A, Division I team provided a stern challenge to open the season, but it proved to be too much to handle as the Class 1A, Division II’s seventh-ranked Iredell Dragons fell to the Class 1A, DI’s ninth-ranked Newcastle Bobcats, 50-20, last Thursday at a neutral site in Gordon.
“Although I do believe we did some good things, in the end, turnovers ultimately hurt us the most,” Iredell veteran head coach Luis Guereca said. “With a team like Newcastle, mistakes are magnified, and they took advantage of it.
“There were just too many turnovers, and our blocking needs to be more consistent. Our defense gave us several opportunities, but we couldn’t take advantage of those opportunities.”
Hoping to get on the winning track, Iredell (0-1) returns home to host the Class 1A, DI Covington Owls (0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Owls opened the season with a 48-20 loss to the Aquilla Cougars last Friday night.
“Covington has always given us fits,” Guereca said. “I don’t expect anything less out of them this week. They will come out and be ready. We look forward to the challenge, and I believe our guys will be ready to get in the winning column.”
Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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