By Rick Lanier
Opelika Observer
The bad news is that with Beauregard’s 27-7 loss to Charles Henderson Friday night, they slip to 0-5 for the first time since 1989. The better news is that with each game, regardless of the outcome, this year’s Hornets grow stronger together through the adversity, a phenomenon people in and around Beauregard are well accustomed to.
This year, four of the five offensive line starters are ninth graders. Ninth and 10th graders make up a majority of key positions on the defense as well.
As previously reported but well worth repeating, the 2019 Hornets are very young and inexperienced, but that is changing with each game. Coach Rob Carter said he likes what he sees.
“They never quit. They’re often undersized but they fight their butts off every day to be better,” Carter said.
Offensively Friday night, the Hornet running game struggled against the Trojans, managing only 16 total yards on 21 carries. However, the passing game fared much better.
Quarterback Hunter Gassaway threw for 183 total yards on 22 attempts, including a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Gordon on the second play of the game.
Anchored by defensive end K.J. Maloy, defensive lineman Eston Harris and defensive back Lardarius Webb Jr., the aggressive Hornet defense played very well in the first half, limiting the Trojans to just 80 yards of total offense. As has been the case however, they wore down a bit in the second half and were simply overmatched by an efficient and seasoned Trojan offense.
Friday night’s game featured more of the same as the previous four had. The improvement in all areas from week-to-week is evident and the team is becoming more confident in their abilities as the season progresses.
However, the Hornets simply have to get better at eliminating game altering penalties and mistakes.
“We have got to clean up our center to quarterback exchanges – we snapped the ball over his head a couple of times putting our defense in bad spots and costing us points,” Carter said.
When asked about the temperament of his locker room, Carter added: “the guys are fine, they understand what they’re up against and they accept the challenge.”
The Hornets travel to Montgomery Catholic High School on Sept. 27 for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The school is located at 5350 Vaughn Road in Montgomery.