Mineral Wells Area News
Special By DAVID MAY
ARLINGTON – All season the Gordon Longhorns have dominated opponents with a smothering defense and quick-strike offense, mercy-ruling opponents each week in near merciless fashion.
That continued Wednesday at AT&T Stadium as the ‘Horns claimed a Class 1A-1 sixman state championship with a 70-20 three-quarter win over two-time defending champs the Westbrook Wildcats.
Both teams ran the ball well.
Westbrook had 261 yards on the ground to 204 for Gordon.
But because of Gordon’s quick-strike offense,
Westbrook ran twice as many plays, 47-23.
The Wildcats finished with 362 total offensive yards (7 yards per play) to 363 for Gordon (16 yards per play).
Time of possession heavily favored Westbrook, 20:42 to Gordon 5:33, including {Westbrook} possessing the ball for nearly the entire second quarter.
But thanks to Gordon’s defense, that Time Of Possession advantage did not translate into Wildcats points. Gordon had no offensive possession of more than four plays, and three of the offense’s eight touchdowns came on only one play.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st quarter
• 09:05 GORDON – Riley Reed 14 yd run (Juan Cabrera kick) 4 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:55 0-8
• 07:14 WESTBROOK – Keegan Gilbreath 46 yd run (Bo Payne kick) 4 plays, 60 yards, TOP 1:51 8-8
• 06:49 GORDON – Brayden Walters 10 yd pass from Stryker Reed (Juan Cabrera kick) 1 play, 10 yards, TOP 0:12 8-16
• 05:20 WESTBROOK – Grayson Jeffrey 36 yd run (Bo Payne kick blocked) 4 plays, 60 yards, TOP 1:29 14-16
• 04:01 – GORDON Stryker Reed 38 yd run (Juan Cabrera kick) 4 plays, 60 yards, TOP 1:12 14-24
• 01:08 – GORDON Riley Reed 3 yd run (Juan Cabrera kick) 3 plays, 24 yards, TOP 0:52 14-32
2nd quarter
• 09:52 GORDON – Brayden Walters 10 yd run (Juan Cabrera kick) 2 plays, 38 yards, TOP 0:19 14-40
• 07:16 GORDON – Riley Reed 74 yd run (Juan Cabrera kick) 1 play, 74 yards, TOP 0:09 14-48
• 05:19 GORDON – Riley Reed 65 yd interception return (Juan Cabrera kick) 14-56
• 03:04 WESTBROOK – Brannon Larson 40 yd run (Bo Payne kick blocked) 5 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:15 20-56
• 02:57 GORDON – Brayden Walters 43 yd pass from Noah Kostiha (Juan Cabrera kick) 1 play, 43 yards, TOP 0:07 20-64
3rd quarter
• 03:45 GORDON – Stryker Reed 16 yd run 3 plays, 39 yards, TOP 0:42 20-70
Gordon (15-0) won its third state title in school history, its first since 1999, while head coach Mike Reed also won his third sixman championship, having won two at Throckmorton. It was Reed’s sixth trip to the state final as a head coach. A Gordon alum, Reed was a student coach on the 1999 championship team.
Sophomore linebacker Kaden Crowe was named the game’s defensive MVP, registering six solo tackles and five assisted takedowns. Sophomore running back/receiver Riley Reed was the offensive MVP. Reed ran for 100 yards with three touchdowns, including a 74-yard romp early in the second quarter, and 41 receiving yards on three catches. He also had an interception return of 65 yards for a touchdown to finish with 249 all-purpose yards.
One can’t overlook another big game from sophomore receiver Brayden Walters who followed up his four-touchdown performance against Jonesboro in the semifinal to record three touchdowns against Westbrook (13-2), two receiving and one rushing score.
“It hasn’t been able to sink in yet,” coach Reed said in the moments following the team’s on-field celebration and trophy presentation. “I am just very happy for the community and the people who are behind the scenes. This isn’t for me. This is a community-led thing. There are so many people involved I wouldn’t even know where to begin to thank people.”
Making it even more special is Reed gets to celebrate it with his son, Stryker Reed, another sophomore who is one of Gordon’s key players on both sides of the ball. Against Westbrook, Stryker Reed finished with 94 yards rushing on five carries with two touchdowns, and 49 yards passing including a 10-yard scoring toss to Walters for Gordon’s second score, and 41 receiving yards.
“I am enjoying it as a coach. I am enjoying it as a dad. I am kind of ready to enjoy the dad part,” coach Reed said. “One thing I always do with my son when we leave the house is I always give him a hug and I tell him I am sorry, I can’t make it to the game. That is something that he understands and he knows. I have to watch it on TV when we get home and I ask him how he played, and he understands. I want the same thing every other father wants – I want the best coach for my son. That’s what drives me and motivates me is to be the best coach for the Gordon Longhorns, and then I will get home and celebrate it with him.”
While Gordon is explosive on offense, the team keys off its defense, which entered the game allowing just 8.2 points per outing. That was especially true against the senior-laden Wildcats. After the teams exchanged touchdowns to begin the game, Gordon’s defense forced Westbrook to turn the ball over on downs on three consecutive series. Gordon scored touchdowns each time to race out to a 48-14.
Riley Reed’s 74-yard pick and score made it 56-14 late in the second quarter. The teams traded scores, including sophomore quarterback Noah Kostiha’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Walters, to send the game to halftime with Gordon up 64-20 – one point shy of ending the game right then.
“Both sides of the ball, offense and defense, are driven off just truly being disciplined and doing your-assignment football,” Reed said. “When you are so explosive, even on the defensive and offensive side, there is not enough football to go around. There are backups that are ready to chomp and pushing the starters to be better. It’s just a collective on both sides of the ball that if you don’t do your job and you don’t give effort, the next man is up and that is what propels this group.”
Reed said Gordon is loaded with talent not just in football, but across all its athletics programs. He said the Horns will make “deep runs” in basketball, baseball and track.
“These kids have constantly been making deep runs in every sport and that experience adds up,” he said. “This is just another venue. Nothing of our effort changes. Nothing of our mindset changes. That experience of running in front of 12,000 people at the state track meet translates to being here on a big stage, too. That is what they thrive for.”
Crowe was soaking in the moment on the field, clutching his MVP trophy and medallion around his neck, when asked how it felt to be a state champion.
“It feels great,” he said. “We worked really hard for it. All the hours we put in.”
A young team, Gordon is built for success for the next couple of years at least, though coach Reed wanted no part of discussing that, wanting to stay in the moment.
Crowe, however, when asked about the team’s future said, “Yeah, I think we can three-peat.”
A major part of Gordon’s success all season on offense and defense is Walters with his speed and athleticism.
“It feels really amazing,” he said after the Westbrook win. “It is an accomplishment we have been working hard on for a long time. I feel like I have played pretty well. I am proud of how the whole team played.”
Gordon’s state championships are connected generationally. Noah Kostiha’s father, Jim, and his uncle Joe Kostiha (a former Longhorns head coach) played on Gordon’s first championship team in 1996. To now be able to watch his son play throughout the season and win a state was exciting for the entire family.
“Man it is just a special moment,” said Jim Kostiha. “I am just so proud of this whole team. These kids all grew up together. A lot of hard work went into this. We kind of know it from what we did. I am just proud of my son.”
He threw out an interesting question for the research department, wondering how many fathers and sons have thrown touchdowns in a Texas high school championship game. Noah had one on Wednesday, and Jim Kostiha recalled throwing two in Gordon’s 51-50 title win over Whitharral.
Noah Kostiha was 6-for-6 passing for 115 yards and the score against Westbrook.
“As hard as they work, and dedicated as they are, there’s going to be good things in their future,” Kostiha said. “It has amazed me every week. They are still babies. They are real young.”
Gordon won every game by the 45-point mercy rule this season. Wednesday’s game against Westbrook ended with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter on Stryker Reed’s 16-yard touchdown run. Only once this year did Gordon play into the fourth quarter.
