Gunnell was an outstanding receiver who was always a threat to take the ball to the house . Midway through the 2023 season , Gunnell changed positions to running back and linebacker due to injuries , thriving at both . For his senior season , Gunnell found himself learning another new position , quarterback .
Coach Watkins praised Gunnell for how hard he worked in the offseason learning the new position and proved himself as a dual-threat quarterback , earning Offensive MVP for the 8-2A All-District team .
Gunnell had plenty of weapons surrounding him . Nehemiah Massey returned for his senior season following a knee injury his junior year . D ’ Mari Payne proved a great 1-2 punch with Massey at running back . Isaiah Carter was solid at tight end while Matthew Rickard and Malaki Williams were good at receiver .
The offensive and defensive lines ended up being a strength of the team with seniors Daniel Lewis , David Limon , Alex Cobb , and junior Kooper Hill .
The Bobcats finished the gauntlet of non-district play with a record of 2-3 . The Bobcats defeated Elkhart and Dawson and nearly beat Axtell . The Bobcats were in every game and played well .
District play started on a high note as the Bobcats slammed Cross Roads before losing back-to-back heartbreakers against Frankston and Mildred , losing both games by a combined four points , and the Bobcats having a chance to win at the end of both games .
The Bobcats responded by defeating Cayuga and Price-Carlisle to make the playoffs , earning third place in the district .
Before the season , Coach Watkins set out a goal for the team to make it multiple rounds deep in the playoffs . Their playoff journey began facing off against Dawson for the second time this season . In their first matchup , Dawson played short-handed , dealing with injuries but Kerens took the game easily , utilizing big plays to jump out on the Bulldogs .
Dawson finished the season on a high note and quarterback Brant Boatright has shown time and time again over his career that he can put the Bulldogs on his shoulders and take over a game .
The Bobcats and Bulldogs faced off in Corsicana , with the Bobcats taking the game by a score of 49-14 . Gunnell showed out , scoring four rushing touchdowns including on runs of 62 , 68 , and 43 yards while the defense came up big , limiting Dawson to two lone touchdowns in the first half .
The Bobcats met Coach Watkins ’ goal with the win over Dawson before taking on Tioga in the second round of the playoffs . On paper , Tioga would be a tough matchup . The Bulldogs finished district play undefeated , and none of their games were even close , averaging over 50 points a game in their run through the district .
Kerens and Tioga faced off in Royce City . Kerens went up 21-6 at the half before Tioga raced back in the third quarter to take a 22-21 lead . The Bobcats showed their grit by taking the game over from that point , finishing with a 33-22 victory .
Kerens moved on to the third round of the playoffs to play Hamilton . Hamilton was a popular pick to take the region and the game was expected to be high-scoring . Instead , fans got a defensive battle that saw Hamilton score early on a pick-six from their goal line that ended up being the difference in the game as Hamilton won by a score of 14-7 .
For the last few years , Kerens has been one of those teams that were dangerous in a single game but were streaky and lost games that fell apart against tough opponents at times . In one season , Coach Watkins turned them into a team that went toe-totoe with some of the best teams in the region refusing to back down from anyone .
Give credit to Coach Watkins , but also to the assistant coaches who worked with the players daily , and give credit to the players and parents who bought into the dream and culture and pushed this team to realize the potential they flashed in times past before being realized on the playing field this year .
This team showed out on the field this year and is building into what could be a football power .
Spring 2025 | Explore Corsicana 25