Trick and treat: Gadget play helps Hornets clinch playoff berth Posted On: Saturday, Oct. 31 2009 05:01 AM By Nick Talbot
Killeen Daily Herald

GATESVILLE – For a brief second Gatesville coach Kyle Cooper thought about just taking the knee.

He didn't and now his team is in the playoffs.

Coming into the game, the Hornets needed to defeat West by 10 points to clinch a playoff spot.

Thanks to a trick pass out of the victory formation, two personal fouls by West and a key two-point conversion, the Hornets defeated West 31-21 and clinched a District 7-3A playoff berth Friday at McKamie Stadium.

Now, even if Gatesville loses by more than 14 points to China Spring next week, the Hornets are still playoff bound. In that scenario, Gatesville would be a positive six points and West would be a positive four, thanks to West's four-point win over China Spring earlier this season.

"We talked about that (trick) play in meetings…," said Gatesville quarterback Jake Truss. "It wasn't a very pretty throw, but it worked."

Gatesville was in control for much of the game, using its ground game and key passes to control the clock in the first half.

The Trojans only had the ball three times in the first half, gained only one first down and held the ball for only 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

Meanwhile, the Hornets moved the ball efficiently with Kevin Clarke, who rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries, and with Dominique Moore in the air and when needed on the ground too. Moore caught eight passes for 75 yards in the first half, mostly on out routes that he was able to convert for first downs.

More important, though, might have been his two plays out of the wildcat formation. Moore had a 16 and a 6-yard run to put the Hornets deep into Trojan territory in the second quarter.

The runs set Gatesville inside the West 20.

A couple of penalties set the Hornets back, but Truss heaved a pass on fourth-and-12 from the 19 deep into the end zone.

Dexter Knox, who also had two key interceptions in the second half, caught the pass that looked like it was throwaway by Truss and the Hornets went up 10-0.

The drive itself went 65 yards on 14 plays and took more than 10 minutes off the clock.

"We ran our 99 bench out of the backside and coach told me if it is covered up then run a drag in the back of the end zone," Knox said. "So I ran my drag and truthfully I was covered. I don't know if it was a throwaway play, but I fell right under it."

After an interception stopped a West drive at the Gatesville 45, the Hornets embarked on another long drive. This time the drive went 55 yards in 10 plays and was capped off with a 1-yard run by Truss.

"We executed our offense real well," Truss said. "We made plays when we had to and were smart."

The 17-0 Gatesville lead held until the fourth quarter.

Then things got crazy.

West scored on its first play of the final quarter on a 25-yard pass from Kelvin Anthony to Cody Aycock.

Its lead at 11, Gatesville responded with yet another long drive. This time going 85 yards in 12 plays and scoring on another short-yardage run by Truss.

With time winding down, West took to the air. Anthony completed 9 of 14 passes for 148 yards in the fourth quarter alone. More importantly he had three touchdown passes – the second of which was a 10-yarder to Heath Harris with 2:58 remaining.

West, of course, went for the ensuing onside kick. They recovered and then Anthony threw his third touchdown pass – a 6-yarder to Harris – a little more than a minute later.

"Going into halftime we knew they have come back to beat people down 20, 30 points," Truss said. "Our mindset throughout the whole thing was 'be ready, they are going to come back.'"

With a minute remaining, Gatesville recovered the second onside kick and seemingly the game was over with the Hornets ahead 23-21.

Cooper had other ideas.

He called for Truss to throw a pass to Cody Navarro out of the victory formation – they had to win by 10.

It worked. Visibly upset, West was flagged for back-to-back personal fouls and Gatesville found itself on the 4-yard line.

Truss then hit Navarro for the score and Garrett Johnson for the two-point conversion.

The result of the crazy fourth quarter? The playoffs.

"There were a few seconds (I thought about kneeling it)," Cooper said. "I am glad we didn't … We understood what we had to do to get in."