Hornets looking for consistency as district play starts

Sep. 21—HUNTSVILLE — Wrapping up the non-district portion of the 2023 season, Huntsville will have to put its 1-3 record behind them for a second straight year.

The Hornets have the opportunity to right their ship after dropping the last two games to Montgomery, with last year being a game that was winnable for Huntsville.

To right the ship and get back to Huntsville's winning ways, it all comes down to playing consistently while taking time off the clock. Against Belton, Huntsville opened with a seven-minute drive that took time off the clock but resulted in no points. But against Clear Springs, the Hornets fell flat in the second half.

"In certain games, we've played a great third quarter or started out with a long drive, Huntsville head coach Rodney Southern said. "There have been spurts where we did not play very well. We need consistency throughout the game. Overall, we need to have consistency in execution, especially the special teams."

At the top of the offense, Huntsville has had two separate quarterbacks take reps, with both getting at least one start. Sophomore Markcus Lewis started last week instead of junior Austin Taylor — he missed the game with an illness that kept him out of practice all week.

Through the four games, Taylor has appeared to win the job and is expected to be back in his starting role against the Bears. In his three games, Taylor has tossed the ball for 500 yards on 51 attempts. Taylor had a few passes against Belton that made him look like an everyday QB, one was a bullet that sliced through defenders to find senior Melton Green III for a touchdown.

The downside is the ability to roll out and make key plays with his feet. While Taylor took off for a 37-yard TD against Belton, in two other instances he went out of bounds just short of the first down marker leaving the Hornets short and needing another yard.

But the success that has driven them is the daily competition that ensues in practice, the film room and anywhere football activities can take place.

"They have both practiced well this week and I've been proud of the way that Austin has bounced back," Southern said. "They are both ready to go if we have to play both of them. Having them competing on every throw and drill keeps you sharp."

The success of Taylor throwing the ball has led to the balanced approach offensively, too. The Hornets were poised to have a strong year with sophomore Trae'shawn Brown taking the helm and junior Braylon Phelps taking the secondary charge.

With Brown getting 20+ carries in the first couple of games, his reduction has been lowered slightly as he has 14 carries in the last two games. Brown had been battling a minor injury.

Now Phelps has gained the reps as the Hornets have a dual-headed beast in the backfield.

Going into the season, Huntsville wanted to get the tight end more involved in the passing game.

Leading the charge was sophomore Jerious Singletary.

Singletary has the size but the youthful factor leaves the Hornets looking for a threat that is not only in the middle of the field. His size though lets the Hornets use him as a sixth offensive lineman.

"Jerious is young and I'm not sure he will have the 'breakout' game where he has five or six catches. He has gotten better at blocking every week," Southern said. "We need him to become an extension of the offensive line. It's hard for a young tight end."

With last year's loss, Huntsville is looking for answers. The Bears hit the Hornets in the mouth in the second quarter and were able to take the 21-7 lead going into the half. The Bears scored on their first drive of the second half. While the Hornets rallied, a 14-point fourth quarter was not enough.

Montgomery has a similar roster to the Hornets. The Bears are built mostly by juniors as they lead the way with 26 on the roster. Of the juniors, Reggie Williams has taken a majority of the same passes under center.

Williams has split time with senior Nick Shivers but Williams leads every statistic. Last year, Shivers was a dual threat that landed 77 yards in the air and 87 on the ground.

"They are very similar to us when you look at numbers," Southern said. "Their schedule has been a tough one like ours. They are dealing with a lot of the same things and their second year under a new head coach. On paper, they are similar to us."

The best thing for Huntsville at this point is the health of the team. Huntsville has seen some bumps and bruises along the way. Against the Bears, Huntsville's defense is shaping up to be a complete unit and at full strength.

Senior cornerback Isaiah Collins missed the first three weeks with a lower leg injury but returned to the field last week against Clear Springs. With his return, they were without starting linebacker Jawann Giddens as he was injured in the game against Bryan.

With the expected return of Giddens, the Hornets can rotate a trio of Shiloh Jones, Mu'Koryc Norman and Giddens has the linebackers in the middle of the field with Destin Zapoli being able to come in off the bench after getting the experience in the absence of Giddens.

Not only is the linebacker core strong and now deep, but the defensive line has become something the Hornets can rely on.

Sophomore Fred Oladele has been one of those members as late in games he can get into the backfield and disrupt late in games. Senior KeDarian Easley has been another defender who has excelled and has boded well for Huntsville's roster.

"You go into the non-district and you'd love to be able to set where you are going to play guys at," Southern said. "With Jawann being a senior and Isaiah being a senior, those guys have been through the good and the bad. Having them all on the field with eight D-linemen that can rotate. Being full strength feels good."

Huntsville and Montgomery are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium. This game will serve as the last game at Bowers Stadium as the new Huntsville ISD Stadium is scheduled to host Huntsville's Oct. 6 homecoming game against Bryan Rudder.