DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

Van Vandal Head Football Coach Jared Moffatt will not have to answer any more questions for a while about his career record against the Gilmer Buckeyes as the Vandals took care of business at home in an impressive 48-38 victory Oct. 17.

Moffatt was 0-6 in his 16-year coaching career at Van against Gilmer but that changed at Van’s Memorial Stadium as his offensive unit finished with 28 first downs and 504 yards of total offense against the Buckeyes including 323 yards rushing and 181 yards passing.

Running back Da’Quavion Williams led the Vandal running attack with 197 yards rushing on 27 carries and three touchdowns.

Quarterback Rawly Hinch completed 10 out of 16 passes for 181 yards, one TD, and no interceptions in addition to carrying the ball 17 times for 122 yards rushing and two TD’s.

Receiver Cash Walker caught three passes for 69 yards and Connor Ammons caught three passes for 63 yards to lead the Vandal receivers.

Defensively, linebacker Carter Admire led the Vandals in total tackles with nine followed by strong safety Parker Rainey and linebacker Braydon Karwowski with eight each, free safety Ian Hopson with seven, and cornerback Dylan Johnson and defensive end Brigg Barton with six each.

The Vandals (5-2, 2-0) took their three-game winning streak into another important district game as they faced the surprising Pittsburg Pirates (5-2, 1-1) Oct. 23 in Pittsburg before visiting Paris North Lamar for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday, Oct. 31.

“I was really proud of the kids,” said Moffatt. “It was a big win for us obviously. It got brought up a number of different times but it was the first time that I have beaten Gilmer since I have been in Van. They are a tough team to beat and I have a lot of respect for their program. I thought our kids played really well. Our offense once again did not punt. Our offensive line is playing so well. ‘Q’ (Da’Quavion Williams) is running real hard. He had a lot of special runs. He used some real patience. He found the seams to run in. Rawly Hinch ran the ball well. It was not our intent to run him 17 times initially. He has been so good in short yardage situations. Our receivers made plays as well. We just kept making plays throughout the game. We were seven out of 10 on third down.

“Defensively, I thought Gilmer’s quarterback threw the ball really well,” continued Moffatt. “They got us on some big plays. Our defense made a huge play before halftime and also forcing a three-and-out in the third quarter which was big as well. We held them to 14 points in the second half. There is still work to do, but our guys made the plays when they had to make them. Special teams were critical for us. We recovered their onside kicks. Our kickoff return unit was good. Alex Aceves made all of his extra points and made two field goals. It was overall a great night for us.”

Gilmer received the opening kickoff and moved from its own 32 to the Vandal 4-yard line in seven plays including a 37-yard pass completion from quarterback Zade Taylor to wide receiver Solomon Jackson but on fourth down and three at the Van 4-yard line, the Buckeyes sent out their field goal unit. Buckeye kicker Miguel Castaneda drilled the 20-yard FG giving Gilmer a 3-0 lead with 9:13 remaining in the first quarter.

The Vandals responded by moving 56 yards in four plays to take the lead as Hinch connected with H-back Kace Lovett on a 17-yard TD pass play to end the drive. Alex Aceves kicked the first of his six extra points to give the Vandals a 7-3 advantage with 8:05 to play in the first quarter. Key plays in the first scoring march for Van included pass completions from Hinch covering 23 yards to Walker and 11 yards to Williams.

“We tried to throw him a couple of passes earlier in the season, but we just didn’t connect until that play against Gilmer,” said Moffatt. “That was Kace Lovett’s first varsity catch. It was a big play in the game for us. The offensive linemen were fired up with that touchdown.”

Gilmer needed only one play offensively to retake the lead as Taylor connected with Jackson on a 66-yard TD pass play. Castaneda added the extra point giving the Buckeyes a 10-7 lead with 7:57 remaining in the first quarter.

Van came right back again as the Vandals advanced 65 yards in seven plays with Williams ending the march with a 24-yard TD run. Aceves added the extra point, giving the Vandals a 14-10 lead with 3:51 to play in the first quarter. Pass completions from Hinch covering 20 yards to Walker and 22 yards to receiver Connor Ammons were key plays in the go-ahead scoring march for the Vandals.

The Buckeyes rallied with a 68-yard scoring drive in eight plays to again gain the advantage as Taylor connected with WR Trace Haynes on a 34-yard TD pass play to end the march. Castaneda added the extra point, giving Gilmer a 17-14 advantage with 1:33 still remaining in a wild first quarter.

Van responded by moving from its own 38 to the Gilmer 9-yard line in nine plays including running gains of 10 and 11 yards by Williams, and an 11-yard pass completion from Hinch to Ammons. Facing fourth down and seven at the Buckeye 9-yard line, Aceves was sent in to attempt a 26-yard FG which was good to tie the game at 17-17 with 9:20 to play in the second quarter.

Gilmer answered with a 72-yard scoring drive in five plays as the connection from Taylor to Jackson worked again, this time for a 12-yard TD pass play on fourth down and five. Castaneda added the extra point giving the Buckeyes a 24-17 lead with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter. The TD drive began with a 55-yard run by RB Aiden Thomas.

The Vandals tied the game again on their next offensive series as they advanced 68 yards in nine plays with Williams ending the march on a 2-yard TD run. Aceves added the extra point to deadlock the game at 24-24 with 5:07 to play before halftime. Key plays in the scoring drive for Van included a 23-yard run by Williams and a 26-yard pass completion from Hinch to Walker.

Gilmer threatened to break the tie on its next possession as the Buckeyes moved from their own 32 to the Vandal 4-yard line. Van’s defense responded with one of the big plays of the first half on fourth down and goal as Taylor was sacked behind the line of scrimmage by Van defensive tackler Ty’ler Williams at the Vandal 14 giving Van possession with 37 seconds to play before intermission and two timeouts.

The Vandals then executed seven offensive plays to near perfection including running gains of 11 and 17 yards by Da’Quavion Williams and 16 yards by Hinch to set up a potential go-ahead 35-yard FG with one second remaining. Aceves kicked the ball straight down the middle with plenty of room to spare giving Van a momentum-swinging 27-24 advantage at halftime.

“When we got the ball late in the first half, we knew that we were going to have the ball at the start of the third quarter as well so there was a conversation about just going to halftime with the score tied,” recalled Moffatt. “There was not a lot of time left. We started running the ball and we made yards and got out of bounds. ‘Q’ did a great job running out of bounds on three different running plays. Gilmer was playing deep so we kept running the ball. Rawly Hinch ran a well-executed quarterback draw and he slid allowing us to call a timeout with one second remaining. Lining up for the field goal, we were concerned about Gilmer’s ability to block kicks. As it turned out, Alex Aceves made the field goal with room to spare. That was such a huge momentum switch in the game.

“In the third quarter, Caison Sieja made an unbelievable onside kick recovery allowing us to go down the field and score to give us a 10-point lead,” continued the Vandal head coach. “We went from being tied to being 10 points ahead in those two possessions. We made some big plays throwing and catching. The game was won up front with the way our offensive line played. We ran the ball well, especially in the second half.”

The Buckeyes attempted to surprise Van with an onside kick effort to start the third quarter, but Van’s Caison Sieja alertly recovered the ball giving the Vandals excellent field position at the Van 46.

A total of 10 plays later, the Vandals extended their lead as Hinch ran into the end zone on a 2-yard TD run. Aceves added the extra point, giving Van a 34-24 lead with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. Key plays in the Vandal scoring march included pass completions from Hinch covering 13 yards to receiver Aiden Willis and 30 yards to Ammons.

Van’s defense then forced a three-and-out on Gilmer’s next offensive series leading to a Buckeye punt and the Vandals again having fine field position at the Gilmer 38.

Four running plays later, Williams raced into the end zone on a 10-yard TD run. Aceves added the extra point, giving the Vandals a seemingly comfortable 41-24 lead with 4:17 to play in the third quarter. Williams began the scoring march with a 23-yard run.

Gilmer refused to go down without a fight as the Buckeyes advanced 66 yards in eight plays with Taylor connecting with Jackson on a 27-yard TD pass play to end the march. Castenada added the extra point, cutting Van’s lead to 41-31 with 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Pass completions of 12 yards each to RB Tahj Bush and Jackson along with a 12-yard run by RB Tayveon Horne were key plays in Gilmer’s scoring drive.

The Buckeyes again attempted an onside kick, but Walker recovered the ball for the Vandals, giving Van good field position at its own 49.

Four plays later, Hinch outran the Gilmer defense on a 42-yard TD run. Aceves added the extra point, giving the Vandals a 48-31 advantage with 10:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

Gilmer closed out the scoring in the game on its next offensive series as the Buckeyes advanced 68 yards in seven plays with Taylor connecting with WR Gauge Trossbach on a 33-yard TD pass play. Castenada added the extra point, cutting Van’s lead to 48-38 with 8:20 remaining. Pass completions from Taylor covering 14 yards to fullback Masyon McDonald and 22 yards to Trossbach were key plays in the final scoring drive for the Buckeyes.

Another onside kick attempt failed for Gilmer as Ti’ler Williams recovered the ball for the Vandals at the Buckeye 48.

Seven plays later, including an 11-yard run by Da’Quavion Williams, the Vandals had a fourth down and four at the Buckeye 17, but the scoring threat ended when Hinch’s rollout pass to Lovett was incomplete giving Gilmer possession at the two-minute timeout.

Gilmer’s final offensive possession ended seven plays later on fourth down and three at the Buckeye 42 when Taylor’s pass to Trossbach was incomplete allowing the Vandals to run out the clock.

Moffatt also recognized the individual performances of Willis, Ty’ler Williams, Barton, Admire, Karwowski, Tate Young, Adam Beall.

The Vandal head coach discussed the significance of the win over Gilmer. “I never felt like that we needed to answer a lot of questions about us beating Gilmer,” emphasized Moffatt. “We played against one of the best Class 4A programs in the State of Texas and they have been that way for the past 25-30 years. They won the state championship two years ago. They are tough to beat. They continuously have talented football players that are well coached. I am real proud of our team. We have played some good games against Gilmer in the past.”