Hill Country Elite wins the River City Bowl
Hill Country Elite won the River City Bowl Dec. 2-3 in San Marcos by going 3-1 to begin the winter season.
The Elite, which features seventh- and eighth-graders living in Burnet, Llano, Marble Falls and Fredericksburg, beat the San Marcos Sharks in the championship 28-0 in a contest that was called in the fourth quarter after losing to them 8-2 to begin the event. Other wins were against the Belton Storm 29-0 and the San Marcos Mambas 32-6.
“They always found a way to beat us,” head coach Ray Gurley said of the Sharks. “We lost to them seven times, and they always found a way to beat us. They are getting us to play out of our comfort zone. It’s good to give it to them one time. I’m real proud of our guys, our players.”
He noted that in the first game against the Sharks, the Elite “moved the ball up and down the field, but we couldn’t score.”
“We got to the one-yard line and on fourth down, we got stuffed,” he said. “First game jitters. I felt like some people were nervous.”
But in the championship, the Elite didn’t hold back, Gurley said.
“Players executed,” he said. “The scheme was the same. We are driving the ball on offense. There was more pass protection and blocking.
One key play during the championship was made by linebacker Gladen Smith, who didn’t tackle the ball carrier on the second possession. Instead, he ripped the football out of the runner’s hands. That fired up Smith’s teammates.
The Burnet residents playing for Elite are Haiden Allen, Malachi Calderon, Cooper Churchwell, Jordan Depaz, Edgar Duran, Jayden Heffington, Jeffrey Nevarez and Ethan Sanchez.
The Llano residents on the team are Gabe Gurley and Roswell Vargas.
Representing Marble Falls are Diego Aguilar, Landon Campbell, Quincy Rodriguez, Clayton Thompson, Noah Walker and Smith.
The Fredericksburg residents on the squad include Christian Bermudez, Canon Fitts, Javien Hernandez, Leo Lindo, Jaxon Meyer, Mason Parsons, Xander Quintero, Angel Ramirez and Ruger Tekulve.
The Liberty Hill residents are Richard Downing, Rylee Downing, Owen Green and Ben Rawlins.
The team will play most of its winter events in the state.
“Our new players have been great,” the coach said. “Our defense played extremely well every game. As our offense was still finding its footing, the defense was solid every game. Even the first game they were great all tournament.”
The Elite will compete in the 2023 Holiday Bowl Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16-17, in San Marcos.
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