Hornets rain down on Coyotes

Crazy weather plagued mid-Missouri Friday night as the Westran Hornets opened up Lewis and Clark Conference play with a win over the Paris Coyotes. Quarterback Tyler Hunt looked fast as lightning as he led the Hornet offense with 309-yards combined passing and rushing, and all the rain couldn’t stop defensive leader Drake Buffington who had an interception to go along with his 8 tackles. The Hornets won the game 49-6, improving to 3-0 on the season.

It seems to be a trend the Hornets are setting to score within the opening minute of the game. This week, after a kick return to the 42-yard line by Matt George and a rush down to the 31-yard line by running back Kalob Dale, Buffington, in at quarterback, would use two more plays to run the ball in for the score. All this happening in under 60 seconds of clock time.

After a few more series of play Paris quarterback Alex Thomas passed the ball and just as it looked as if his receiver had the completion, Hunt forced a turnover and took it the other way on a wild play before being brought down. He ran in for the score a few plays later. Tyler Aulbur went for the extra point but on the snap, the wet ball slid around. The Hornets reacted quickly as Aulber picked the ball up and threw to Bradley Minor for the unplanned 2-point-conversion, in a showing of great coaching as well as team unity and awareness.

The lightning and rain heading into Huntsville seemingly had no effect on Westran as Hunt threw for a 49-yard touchdown pass to Buffington just before mother nature put a hold on everything with a weather delay.

Both teams would come back out fired up hitting hard. Westran Head Coach Curtis Jasper said about the Paris team, “They were a well-coached team that came out fighting the whole game”.

George put Westran up even more with a touchdown reception but Paris answered with a score of its own, a catch by Kable Ragsdale over the head of two Hornet defenders sprinting 79-yards to the end zone.

Coming in from halftime Westran was up 35-6. Later, Hunt ran 35-yards for another score putting the Hornets up 48-6. Jordan Melendez fought hard on the return and after some rough play between the two teams, Paris came out trying to get some points on the board. It was abruptly ended with an interception by Buffington to take the game into the fourth quarter.

The last minutes of the game were spent with Westran running out the clock. They called on their favorite play, the quarterback kneel out of the victory formation, to burn the rest of the time on the scoreboard.

When asked what he is most looking forward to this season Coach Jasper said with a laugh “The next week. I mean obviously there are some big games out there and you can probably figure out what those are but we always have to keep those blinders on and just take it a week at a time”.

The win Friday night sends the Hornets to Schuyler County next week. After that it’s homecoming week in Huntsville with a much anticipated match against Carrollton.