The season-opening loss to Mexia is a distant memory. The one-point win over Lampasas is long forgotten. And last week's dominant win over Hillsboro is yesterday's news.

For the Gatesville Hornets (6-1 overall, 2-0 in District 7-3A), the season really begins when they travel to play the Glen Rose Tigers (5-2, 2-0) at 7:30 tonight with first place on the line, and every player is focused on what lies ahead.

"The guys understand there is an increased sense of urgency," Gatesville coach Kyle Cooper said. "We know that Glen Rose is undefeated and a great ballclub."

The Hornets also know that last year they were 2-0 in 7-3A when they played Glen Rose and suffered a disappointing 44-29 home loss, followed by losses to West and China Spring that left the Hornets out of the playoffs.

That's why since the start of the year the Hornets have said their season begins today, because these three games will make them or break them.

With that attitude it would have been easy to see Gatesville getting caught unprepared in one of its two previous district games. But last week the Hornets came out strong, scoring 27 points in the opening quarter en route to a 46-7 win over Hillsboro.

mhood@temple-telegram.com