The Taylor Ducks varsity football team will open the season on the road against the Gatesville Hornets on Friday, Aug. 29, at 7:30 p.m. at Gatesville High School.
The Ducks will look for a stronger start after falling 42-27 to the Hornets in last year’s season opener.
Gatesville has also had the upper hand in the matchup, defeating Taylor in each of the past three seasons.
Taylor enters the game without several key contributors from last season. Quarterback Eli Laurence, wide receiver Jamarcus Seawood and leading rusher Andrias Fisher all graduated in the spring.
The Ducks return junior running backs Kavon Godwin and Billy Harrison to lead the backfield, though the quarterback position remains unsettled heading into Friday’s matchup.
Defensively, Taylor must also replace defensive tackle Kaddy Maravilla and outside linebacker Matt Rangel. Senior linebacker Stephen Rogers will anchor the unit this season.
Gatesville will also be without some of its top players from last year but returns starting quarterback Gehrig Keeton, who accounted for 16 passing touchdowns in 2024. Defensively, the Hornets will be led by seniors Amos Phillips and Dylan Watts, the team’s leading tacklers a season ago.
The key storyline will be whether Taylor can limit turnovers.
Multiple giveaways proved costly in last year’s loss to Gatesville and could once again be the deciding factor.
