GATESVILLE, Texas — The penultimate week of the Texas high school football season has arrived and more playoff pictures will be shaped.
For our Game of the Week in Week 10, 6 News is headed to McKamie Stadium in Gatesville where the Hornets host district rival Connally in what will likely end up as a playoff seeding game. It's the first time the 6 News Game of the Week has been in Gatesville since 2018.
Connally gets on the bus with a 3-4 overall record, sitting at 2-1 in District 9-4A Div. II play. The Cadets are through the easiest portion of the district schedule, having already beat both Jarrell and Robinson.
The Cadets are still working through the complications involved with a late coaching change, after Connally alum Shane Anderson was hired as the head football coach at Midway after six seasons in the same role in Lacy-Lakeview.
Terry Gerik was promoted from offensive coordinator to the big chair and has helped the Cadets navigate COVID issues after CISD was forced to close its campuses and cancel a rivalry game against La Vega in Week 2 because of a spike in cases at the schools.
Meanwhile, Gatesville snapped a three-game skid Friday with a 37-20 win at Robinson to improve to 3-5 overall, 1-2 in district. The Hornets have already made it through the hardest part of their district schedule, having opened district play against China Spring and Salado.
The Hornets, with a win in their final two games, would clinch their best season since 2017, when now Ponder head coach Kyle Cooper was still in Coryell County. A 5-5 finish would be the best finish of the Luke Howard era as he continues working to rebuild his alma mater.
Howard's hornets are looking to move up in seed-line, after qualifying for the playoffs in 2020 but were forced to cancel their Bi-District game against eventual-champ Carthage when GISD closed its campuses in November due to rising COVID cases.
6 News sports reporter Matt Lively will be live at McKamie Stadium with Howard at 6 p.m. and again during an all-new Friday Night Lights beginning at 10:10.
Then, join sports director Kurtis Quillin and weekend sports anchor Niki Lattarulo on Friday Night Lights from the studio Friday night, as 6 News brings you the most comprehensive high school football coverage in Central Texas.
