Leopards falter against Hirschi
Oct. 23—Gainesville started Friday's game with impressive defense against Wichita Falls Hirschi, but one touchdown run changed everything.
The Leopards fell 54-12 at Leopard Stadium despite playing well defensively for most of the first half.
Gainesville (2-6 overall, 1-2 District 4-4A-1) kept the Huskies out of the end zone for the first 20 minutes of game time but could not maintain that performance as the game wore on.
No. 9 Hirschi (6-2, 3-0) broke the game open in the second half, turning a defensive slugfest into a track meet.
Gainesville coach James Polk said his defense played great in the first half.
"I thought we had a plan, I thought it all worked out," Polk said. "We put ourselves in some bad situations because of what we didn't do on offense. The penalties, once again, we just shot ourselves in the foot. Bad snaps, there's not many teams that can be first and 15 all the time. We gotta continue to clean that up."
In the second quarter, Gainesville sophomore Dedaunte Scott intercepted a Hirschi pass, setting up the Leopards on the Huskies' 25-yard line. Gainesville pushed the ball to the 5-yard line but couldn't find the end zone. On 4th down and goal from the 3-yard line, Gainesville kept the offense on the field in a 0-0 game. The Hirschi defense stood tall and got the stop.
Polk said he elected not to settle for a field goal because Gainesville was facing the ninth-ranked team in the state.
"I felt like it was the right decision," Polk said. "Talked to the coaches, and they were like, 'Yeah.' We have everything to gain. It shows our kids that I'm confident in them, but that's what it was. When you're playing the No. 9 team in the state, you take those chances. You try to create opportunity. It just didn't work out."
The Huskies punted after three plays, giving Gainesville the ball at the Hirschi 43. The Leopards fumbled on the next play. Two plays later, Hirschi junior A'marion Peterson broke free on a 51-yard touchdown run, ending the shutout 3:59 before halftime.
The Huskies added another after getting the ball at the Gainesville 34 following a short punt. After leading 14-0 at halftime, Hirschi exploded in the second half and quickly put the game out of reach.
Polk said the Leopards had trouble staying calm and focused.
"I thought they got a little hyper out there," Polk said. "Sometimes, you can get yourself so worked up that you forget the little things. Some of the plays that I saw happening, that's what I was seeing. We know what to do in this play, and we've been practicing it forever... I think I got some ideas for next week to help work with them mentally."
Gainesville senior Harrison Dempsey got the Leopards on the board with 4:32 to play in the third quarter with a 3-yard run. Late in the fourth quarter, Gainesville put several backups in the game for an offensive possession. Junior Elijah Gonzalez stepped in at quarterback and led the team down the field and finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Jesse Luna.
"I'm happy for those guys," Polk said. "They practice, and they got an opportunity to go out there, and they executed. So, it worked out for them, and I'm happy for those guys."
