HONDO, Texas – Homecoming games are where memories are made.
On Friday night, when the Hondo football team hosts Lytle, the Owls will look to bounce back from their loss against Jourdanton last week.
Last week, Jourdanton spoiled Hondo’s 5-0 overall record to start the season by handing the Owls a 56-25 loss.
“They’re a playoff team, right, so they show you what playoff teams are going to look like and the kind of caliber you have to play at,” 2nd-year Hondo football head coach Dustin Templin said. “So, we know we must up our game a little bit as well. We definitely had some guys step up, and we had a few that have got to play better when we go into those big games.”
The early loss to one of District 14-3A-D1′s best teams won’t phase Hondo’s goal to make a deep run in the postseason.
Last year, the Owls also fell to Jourdanton, but instead of getting down, Hondo finished the rest of its district schedule 4-0.
Wide receiver Ryan Gilliam is one Hondo star who will be critical in a potential bounce-back game. The senior is considering setting the school’s receiving touchdowns record. Right now, he’s tied with 11.
“I’m just super excited. This goal has been in my sights since the beginning of the season. I’m just ready to go out there and break it,” said Hondo’s senior wide receiver Ryan Gilliam. “It’s been pretty much a team goal for us because we’ve been wanting to throw the ball a little bit more and try to incorporate other areas into our game.”
Conversely, Lytle comes into the match-up fresh off a district win over Potent. The Pirates’ goal this year was to turn its culture around following their one-win season last year. And so far, they’re on track with a much improved 5-1 overall record.
