The Brownwood Lions defeated the Gatesville Hornets Friday night 69-33 in the last home game of the season and a must-win for the team.
After a sluggish first quarter, the Lions came to life for the win posting some big numbers and executing plays.
Brownwood High School Head Coach Chuck Howard was very proud of how the Lions played, especially senior members of the team as BHS celebrated Senior Night at Gordon Wood Stadium.
“I’m so proud of these kids, especially the seniors. It’s a great memory for them. They have invested a lot of time and effort in our program,” said Howard. “There are 16 seniors that have stuck with us and stayed with us and fought hard. They have invested a lot of time and effort in our program. It was a great night and a great memory, I’m so glad for those kids and their families.”
Howard went on to say that the seniors have provided great leadership and that he appreciated the years of effort and time they, along with their parents, have put into the Lions’ program. He also stated that he was proud of the whole team and how hard they have worked this year.
Two seniors in particular had terrific nights along with other teammates. Braxton Kilgo achieved 174 rushing yards and five touchdowns while Kaimon Ontiveros was able to make 7 receptions for 97 yards and 1 TD.
Although it was a winning night for the team, the opening quarter began with the Lions fumbling in their first possession, which Gatesville recovered, making the team lose momentum fast. Gatesville then went on to score twice before Brownwood got on the board in the middle of the second quarter.
After that, it seemed the Lions came back to life. After scoring two touchdowns, the Lions gained momentum.
“I’ll be honest; I was worried for about a full quarter. I thought we had a funeral there was no emotion. You could see it from the stands as they (Gatesville) went up 14 points,” said Howard. “We finally found some life. The real turning point for us in the first half was when we were 14-13 and got a pick, then we were able to get up to 20-14. Our kids kept fighting and finally we got some emotion and that was good to see.”
Howard stated that he was proud of how the offensive line has developed and how the coaches have helped the offense perform.
“We’ve really grown up as an offense. Our kids have a lot of confidence. The coaches have done a great job,” Howard said.
He explained that the team is looking good on blocking but that tackling still needs improvement.
“Ninety percent of success in anything is mental. You’ve got to play with passion—we found that and it’s amazing how we started playing,” explained Howard.
Regarding the playoffs, Howard stated that the Lions could still secure the top seed in Division 1 and play Alvarado if they beat Llano next week. If not, they could be a #2 seed in Division 1 and face a tough Stephenville team.
“We’ve got to beat Llano, and then we don’t have to worry about anything else,” said Howard.
He stated that the team will enjoy the win for the night and then get “back to work” at 8:00 a.m. Saturday to practice for the Llano game. The Lions go 2-2 in district and 4-5 for the season
The Lions will travel to Llano next week with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. All Lions fans are encouraged to come to the game and support the Lions on their way to the playoffs.
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Scoring Plays and Highlights:
Q1
0-7 5:59 GHS Andraque Jones makes a touchdown, completing the 80 yd 11 play 4:01 drive
0-14 7:53 GHS Jake Kee completes a 41 yard pass play for the touchdown.
Q2
6-14 6:24 Kilgo makes a 20 yard pass play for the touchdown.
13-14 2:17 Howard makes a 23 yard reception for the touchdown, extra point is good. This completed a 45 yard 5 play drive that took 2:14 off the clock.
2:03 Seth Hardy makes an interception at the BHS 33 yard line.
20-14 1:07 Seth Hardy completes a 37 yard pass play for the touchdown; ending the 67 yard 5 play drive.
0:06 GHS misses a field goal just before the half.
Q3
20-20 8:42 GHS’s Zee Packet completes a 53 yard pass play for the touchdown, but the extra point is no good. This 65 yard 6 play drive took 3:18 off the clock.
26-20 7:47 Ontiveros makes a 27 yard reception for the touchdown, completing a 47 yard 2 play drive.
With about 6 minutes left in the quarter, Ontiveros makes an interception
32-20 3:36 Kilgo makes a diving 1 yard rushing touchdown, in a 53 yard 8 play drive in 3:50.
34-20 Lions go for the 2 point conversion which is completed by a pass to Hayden Day.
41-20 11:19 Kilgo rushes for 2 yards and the touchdown, completing a 7 play 38 yard drive that took
2:18 off the clock.
Ontiveros makes another interception and runs to the 8 yard line, and then a penalty moves the ball to the 4 yard line.
48-20 9:39 Lion Brandon Diaz makes a 3 yard run for the touchdown.
48-26 9:20 GHS makes an 80 yard kickoff return for the touchdown.
55-26 8:27 Kilgo makes a 42 yard rushing touchdown and the extra point is good.
55-33 6:41 GHS’s A. Jones makes a 58 yard pass play for a touchdown.
Brian Johnson makes an interception
61-33 4:24 Kilgo makes a 30 yard rushing touchdown, completing a 49 yard 4 play drive in 2:17.
69-33 1:23 Colt Bertrand makes a 33 yard rushing touchdown, diving into the end zone. The extra point is good.
Statistics ————————-BHS—————————————–GHS
Total Offense 514 525
Rushing 259 244
Passing 255 281
First Downs 27 23
Punts 2/36.5 yds. 2/29 yds.
Penalties 5/44 yds. 6/29 yds.
Turnovers 1 fumble 5 interceptions
BHS’s QB Keesee was 15/19 with 255 yards, 3 touchdowns and 13 catches.
Kilgo led with 174 rushing yards, had 25 receptions and 5 TDs.
Ontiveros had 7 receptions, 97 yds, and 1 TD.
GHS’s QB Jeff Spear threw 14/33 with 281 yards and threw 5 interceptions.
Kee led GHS with 177 rushing yards.
