By Justin Josselet, Register Correspondent
Gainesville Daily Register
Ponder —
The Muenster Hornets traveled to Ponder last Friday night to take on the Ponder Lions in the season opener.
The Hornets, led by new head coach Brady Carney, never trailed in the contest, coming away with a 34-13 victory earning the inaugural win for the first-year head coach.
The new look Hornet offense showed explosive potential ripping off large chunks of yardage in a few amount of plays.
Tyler Anderle’s pass to Andy Flushe was the first of these, as the two hooked up for a 67-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring.
The Lions answered on the ensuing possession, knotting the score at 7-7.
The game did not remain tied for long as Chase Hammer found the end zone on the next Hornet drive with a 65-yard scamper to push the Hornet lead back to 7.
The Muenster defense stood tall on the next Lion possession forcing a punt and allowing the offense to take the field once more.
The offense did not disappoint, as Tyler Anderle connected with Jason Luke for his second touchdown pass of the night, increasing the lead to 21-7.
Another stellar defensive effort by the Hornets allowed the offense to add another Hammer touchdown run to the tally, this time from 11 yards, to widen the margin to 28-7 in the third quarter.
The Lions, however, would not go away quietly, answering the Hornet score with one of their own late in the 3rd quarter, cutting the lead to 28-13.
The Hornet offense was turned away on their next possession as the Lions seemed poised for a comeback heading into the fourth quarter.
The Hornet defense was up to the challenge however, and stuffed the Lions, who turned the ball over at the beginning of the final period.
The Hornets wasted no time in slamming the door on the Lion comeback attempt as Anderle hooked up with teammate Dalton Koelzer for his third touchdown pass of the evening and the final score of the ball game, as the Hornets locked up their first win of the season, 34-13.
The Hornets are set to square off with the Nocona Indians next Friday night in Nocona. The 1-0 Hornets will face the 0-1 Indians in the second game of the season.
