STEVE JACKSON FILE PHOTO
The Lennard Longhorns enter the field in style at a previous game. Their win over Durant elevates them to a 4-2 record.
Longhorns back at corral after goring Cougars 15-0
By STEVE JACKSON
Lennard Longhorns head football coach Matt Kitchie last season.
STEVE JACKSON FILE PHOTO
DURANT — There was no way Coach Matt Kitchie’s Lennard team was going to lose three games in a row. A stout Longhorn defense, combined with the dependable, grind-it-out running of Tino Hunt behind Lennard’s bulldozing offensive line, made sure of that last Friday night. The 15-0 victory over Durant in the far-reaching, rural eastern sector of Hillsborough County boosts Lennard’s overall worksheet to 4-2.
The Horns have an 8A District 8 match-up with 3-3 Ridge Community this Friday night at the corral in Ruskin. The Bolts travel from Davenport, in northern Polk County, fresh off a 35-0 whipping over hapless 0-6 Haines City. Coach Dedrick Dodge’s Ridge Community team has put up 113 points on the season and yielded 176. In the same points scored/yielded category, Lennard has registered 160 points and given up only 74 in six games. The math would make Lennard a favorite, but games are played on the gridiron and not on paper.
The Longhorns scored early and late, proving almost impenetrable on defense, to put away the 3-4 Durant Cougars coached by Mike Gottman. Both TDs were scored by #21 Tino Hunt, the dashing and slashing bell cow of Lennard’s offense. Hunt lunged for a one-yard touchdown in the opening quarter. Much later Hunt took it to the house on an exciting 91-yard gallop in the fourth stanza to end any hopes for Durant. Two-way 225-pound strongman Davian Papius plowed for the two-point conversion to cap the scoring after kicker Jocelyn Diaz kept her perfect PAT streak alive with the extra point after the first score.
STEVE JACKSON FILE PHOTO
Longhorns’ QB Gavin Henley, #9, is shown with offensive lineman #75, Hayden Gondelman.
Designated as players of the game by the Lennard coaching staff were #21 Hunt – Overall; #75 Hayden Gondelman – Offense; #24 Darius Frazier – Defense; #22 Camari Richardson – Special Teams. Stat-wise, Hunt totaled 155 rushing yards and a 10-yard pass reception. Quay Smith, a junior, rushed for 74 yards and had 5 yards pass receiving. Dax Corr grabbed a pass for 10 yards, and Josh Culpepper had a 22-yard kick return.
Another highlight was #23 Justin Dixon, also a senior defensive back, who contributed 32 yards running on a surprise fake punt. Sophomore quarterback #9 Gavin Henley put in another well-managed game as field general, passing for 35 yards and rushing for 12.
Runningback Hunt now is only 82 yards shy of the 1,000 yards rushing mark for the season. Going into this Friday’s game, the senior has 918 of the Horns 1,691 total yards rushing for the season. Hunt has carried the ball 110 times out of the team’s total of 221 carries. He has five 100 yards-plus games rushing and has scored 9 TDs. Junior Quay Smith has carried the ball 51 times for 443 yards and 7 touchdowns in the Longhorns 6 games.
