The Yoemen, after trailing at halftime, overcame a two-score deficit to top Waco Connally 41-37. The Hornets, after leading by a touchdown in the third quarter, saw Mexia score the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to play in a 15-14 loss.
How the teams react to their Zero Week outcomes could go a long way in determining who will win today’s 7:30 p.m. battle at Yoe Field.
For both teams, it’s all about regaining focus and getting back on an even keel.
Gatesville second-year coach Kyle Cooper said that’s already happened.
“One of the best things about this group is they are very resilient,” he said. “They were very upset Friday night, and they should be. But Saturday they were back in the right mindset and we’ve had a very good week of work.”
Even though the Hornets fell to 2-9 under Cooper, there were signs of improvement and reasons for Gatesville to be confident after the game.
For starters, part of the loss can be attributed to the wet field conditions that helped cause four Hornet fumbles.
Gatesville’s defense held Mexia to 230 yards, well below the Hornets’ average of 309 yards allowed last season.
The Hornets found some good options in the running game, relying mainly on Cody Sheets, who had 84 yards on 21 carries. They also got decent play from fullbacks Zane Evans and Maverick Williams, who start on defense and were rotated on offense.
“I think if there was one guy who really gave a great performance it was Zane,” Cooper said. “But we expected that from him as he’s a three-year starter. He led our defense and handled himself well at fullback.”
This week the Hornets should be even more improved on both sides. Seth Meadors joins the rotation at fullback, giving Evans and Williams more time to rest.
“One of our strengths is that there’s not a real weakness anywhere,” Cooper said. “But one of our weaknesses may be that we don’t have a lot of superstars.”
That’s hard to say about Yoe, which seems to produce some big names every year. This year’s top candidate to join that group is junior quarterback Steven Townsend, who passed for 217 yards and rushed for 67 more in last week’s win.
Townsend’s ability to pass has never been in doubt. He completed 161 of 271 passes for 1,741 yards as a sophomore in 2007, but it was nine games into the season before he reached the 100-yard rushing mark for the year.
“He’s just so much bigger and stronger this year,” Yoe coach Mike Mullins said.
Townsend also has some talent to work with in junior receiver Brandon Freeman, who had four catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Potent offense was a big reason the Yoemen defeated Gatesville 30-6 last year, and Yoe should again offer the Hornets’ defense a tough test.
“We went down there last year and they got after us,” Cooper said. “But so much has changed for us.
“Cameron can make some big plays and they’ve always had great athletes. They are again stacked this year. We have to contain them and we can’t give up the big plays.”
