Thanks to a strong opening night by quarterback Chase Gommert and his talented group of receivers, the Bumblebees’ passing game might be just as dangerous.
Academy kicked off its season with a 24-0 win over Copperas Cove’s junior varsity “white” team Saturday night at Bulldawg Stadium.
Cove wasn’t Academy’s original opening-night opponent - Riesel’s varsity and Waco University’s JV were both scheduled at one point - but the Bees got exactly what they wanted.
“Our guys did a good job,” Academy coach Royce McAdams said. “We had to execute well and come up with some big plays, which we did.”
Academy has long had success out of its Wing-T offense. The Bees have a crowded backfield that can beat opponents with speed and power.
But with three quarterbacks who saw time last season, the question was how much the Bees would pass downfield.
It turns out that Academy’s willing to air it out at every chance it gets.
Gommert completed 12 of 17 passes for 159 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. His first completion of the night was a 21-yard strike down the middle of the field to running back/receiver Andrew Sodek that got the Bees’ offense rolling.
Two players later, Gommert found Sodek down the left sideline for a 21-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter.
Gommert also completed a pair of passes to running back Layton Willis on the next drive to set up Cody Sultenfuss’ 32-yard field goal, giving the Bees a 10-0 lead.
“Chase had a real good night,” McAdams said. “He got it in the right hands tonight. He came through and played really well.”
Distributing the ball in the Bees’ offense is the easy part thanks to what McAdams called a plethora of talent.
Noah Hamill, Chase Reeders, Sodek and Willis each caught at least two passes.
And with that crew of receivers, McAdams plans to get the ball to them as often as possible.
“We say every year we’re going to be balanced and we don’t - we lean toward the run,” he said. “With (Gommert) back there and our receivers, we will.”
Gommert had success on the ground as well, finishing with a team-high 85 yards rushing on 15 carries, including a third-quarter touchdown.
He and Willis, who had 27 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, provided the power in the Wing-T.
With young offensive linemen, McAdams was interested to see how they would come together. The Bees rushed for 147 yards and controlled the clock for most of the game.
So far, so good.
“We had a young line and they really came on tonight,” he said. “Cove had some big ol’ guys up there and we really had to block well to keep them out of our backfield.”
The offense was able to hold the ball so much thanks to a suffocating defense. Academy held Cove to one first down and forced two first-half turnovers.
Things didn’t get much better for the Bulldawgs in the second half. Academy twice forced a turnover on downs and recovered a fumble with less than 2 minutes left.
“Our defensive line, I thought, played extremely well,” McAdams said. “We felt like we kind of controlled the line of scrimmage there. That’s really what we’ve been pushing for.”
Academy will host Granger, which beat Johnson City LBJ 40-27, on Friday.
COPPERAS COVE - Academy’s power rushing game had always been there.
Thanks to a strong opening night by quarterback Chase Gommert and his talented group of receivers, the Bumblebees’ passing game might be just as dangerous.
Academy kicked off its season with a 24-0 win over Copperas Cove’s junior varsity “white” team Saturday night at Bulldawg Stadium.
Cove wasn’t Academy’s original opening-night opponent - Riesel’s varsity and Waco University’s JV were both scheduled at one point - but the Bees got exactly what they wanted.
“Our guys did a good job,” Academy coach Royce McAdams said. “We had to execute well and come up with some big plays, which we did.”
Academy has long had success out of its Wing-T offense. The Bees have a crowded backfield that can beat opponents with speed and power.
But with three quarterbacks who saw time last season, the question was how much the Bees would pass downfield.
It turns out that Academy’s willing to air it out at every chance it gets.
Gommert completed 12 of 17 passes for 159 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. His first completion of the night was a 21-yard strike down the middle of the field to running back/receiver Andrew Sodek that got the Bees’ offense rolling.
Two players later, Gommert found Sodek down the left sideline for a 21-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter.
Gommert also completed a pair of passes to running back Layton Willis on the next drive to set up Cody Sultenfuss’ 32-yard field goal, giving the Bees a 10-0 lead.
“Chase had a real good night,” McAdams said. “He got it in the right hands tonight. He came through and played really well.”
Distributing the ball in the Bees’ offense is the easy part thanks to what McAdams called a plethora of talent.
Noah Hamill, Chase Reeders, Sodek and Willis each caught at least two passes.
And with that crew of receivers, McAdams plans to get the ball to them as often as possible.
“We say every year we’re going to be balanced and we don’t - we lean toward the run,” he said. “With (Gommert) back there and our receivers, we will.”
Gommert had success on the ground as well, finishing with a team-high 85 yards rushing on 15 carries, including a third-quarter touchdown.
He and Willis, who had 27 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, provided the power in the Wing-T.
With young offensive linemen, McAdams was interested to see how they would come together. The Bees rushed for 147 yards and controlled the clock for most of the game.
So far, so good.
“We had a young line and they really came on tonight,” he said. “Cove had some big ol’ guys up there and we really had to block well to keep them out of our backfield.”
The offense was able to hold the ball so much thanks to a suffocating defense. Academy held Cove to one first down and forced two first-half turnovers.
Things didn’t get much better for the Bulldawgs in the second half. Academy twice forced a turnover on downs and recovered a fumble with less than 2 minutes left.
“Our defensive line, I thought, played extremely well,” McAdams said. “We felt like we kind of controlled the line of scrimmage there. That’s really what we’ve been pushing for.”
Academy will host Granger, which beat Johnson City LBJ 40-27, on Friday.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
