The only people not surprised by that hot start heading into Friday night's TAPPS District 3-Six Man opener at home against Cedar Park Summit Christian, though, are the Celtics themselves.
"I felt like going into the year with the talent we've got and the changes we've made, I felt pretty confident we'd be where we're at," second-year Holy Trinity coach Bryan White said.
In Holy Trinity's second year since reviving the football program after a two-season absence, the Celtics' biggest improvement might be a newfound sense of belief. That's just part of the reason they've been able to rally back from first-quarter deficits in both games.
"They actually believe in what we do," White said. "They're buying into the program, working hard at it and getting better every week."
The Celtics are coming off a 36-18 road victory over Dallas Academy, scoring 36 unanswered to wipe out a 12-point first-quarter deficit. In the opener, Holy Trinity trailed by nine after the first quarter and still was down by one before scoring 15 points in the fourth to earn the victory.
Sophomore quarterback Jacob Daheim has led the offensive charge, throwing for eight touchdowns and rushing for one to open his second season as starter.
"He's still a young quarterback but he's come on pretty strong," White said. "I think he's really stepped it up. He's starting to feel confident with the offense."
Receiver Chris Watson has six catches, four for touchdowns. Carlos Frederique, Sam Daheim, Austin Walker and James Frost also have a TD reception.
The Celtics' defense is much-improved and has allowed an average of 203 yards and 31 points in two wins. Frederique had a pair of fumble returns for touchdowns in last week's win.
"Our defense just really stepped up and took control and shut them out until the end of the fourth quarter," White said. "Our defense, especially against the run, has been our strong point and hopefully it can continue."
Holy Trinity has had Friday's game against Summit circled for quite a while. Not only is it the Celtics' first district game since their return, but White also expects it will set the tone for the rest of the season.
"This Friday night is the most important date on the schedule," White said. "We want to let everybody in the district know that we're going to be the darkhorse. We're going to surprise some people. That's what we look forward to this Friday night."
Gatesville QB Truss
questionable after accident
Gatesville junior quarterback Jake Truss might miss Friday's game against Fairfield after being involved in a single-vehicle accident Sunday evening.
According to his father, Gatesville offensive coordinator David Truss, Jake Truss has a bruised lung and has soreness in his chest, back and neck.
Coach Truss indicated that his son resumed practice Wednesday after sitting out Monday and Tuesday. His status for Friday against Fairfield (0-2) still is uncertain and will depend on how he feels in practice the rest of the week.
Truss leads the area in passing with 412 yards on 40-of-59 accuracy, with five touchdowns.
If Truss doesn't start the duties will go to junior Jonathan McConville. McConville is a middle linebacker who has 11 tackles, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.
Rockdale optimistic
Despite Lampasas scare
Rockdale coach Jeff Miller admitted that his team was fortunate to beat Lampasas 7-6 last Friday, but he also said his team is just fine right now.
"I've been real pleased with the way we've played defensively," he said. "Our first unit has given up just one touchdown in these first two games. Our front line and linebackers are playing well and our inexperienced secondary is coming around."
Miller said the Tigers' offense has had a few miscues that can be attributed to inexperience and early-season learning.
"Offensively in eight quarters, we've played 1½ quarters of real good offense," he said. "We are seeing good things, just not finishing things off.
"Lampasas came over here and played us really hard," he added. "We had four opportunities to score in the first half: We overthrew one, dropped a couple and fumbled on the 10-yard line. That's all in the first half, and you feel like if you get those and get that 28-0 lead it's a whole different game at halftime. But Lampasas came here and took the momentum and kicked us in the mouth."
The Tigers will look to improve to 3-0 at Marlin (0-2) on Friday night.
Lampasas feeling confident
The Lampasas Badgers missed two field goals and had a bad snap on an extra point which proved costly in the Badgers' 7-6 loss to Rockdale last Friday. But coach Joey McQueen said the team is still confident and special teams is one area they still feel strong in.
"One field goal was a 50-yarder that hit the upright and sailed wide," McQueen said. "The other was a 43-yarder that finished about a yard short. But we were excited about how we played.
"The kids were disappointed and I was too, but I told them I wasn't down on them because they played a great game against a good Rockdale team."
Now at 1-1, the Badgers are building confidence heading to a game at San Marcos.
"The kids are excited about playing at Texas State, where San Marcos plays their home games," McQueen said. "And we knew if we had a good spring and beat Manor, we'd have a lot of confidence. You could see it last week against Rockdale and I think it's continuing to grow."
Gadison, Walker lead
unbeaten Bartlett
The dangerous backfield duo of quarterback Gabriel Gadison and running back Eric Walker has Bartlett off to an unbeaten start.
Gadison and Walker have totaled 413 rushing yards and average just more than 6 yards per carry for the Bulldogs, who have won seven straight regular-season games.
The threat of Gadison taking off for big gains has opened things up for Bartlett, which is throwing the ball more this season under offensive coordinator and former Rogers coach John Stillwell.
"(Gadison and Walker) . . . they're really getting after it," Bartlett second-year coach Joe Mullins said. "They're doing a good job. They're both doing about what we expected."
Walker, who rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last year in his first varsity season, has 238 yards on 36 carries, along with five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Gadison has 175 yards and four TDs on 32 carries and has thrown for 187 yards and a score.
The Bulldogs' early-season success also has been helped by the quick development of a young offensive line that includes four freshmen.
"They're coming together good," said Mullins, whose team hosts Lago Vista on Friday night. "They've had to grow up pretty quick."
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
mhood@temple-telegram.com
