Hawks and Lady Hawks Handle Grape Creek in Wall

WALL, TX — The No. 16 Wall Hawks (18-5, 2-0) took on Grape Creek (11-9, 0-2) for a district matchup in Wall on Tuesday night. Wall jumped to an early lead before cooling off on offense before halftime. Out of the break, the Hawks took over to pull away from the Eagles 63-32.

"I thought we came out fast, that was a big emphasis for us," Head Coach Parker Roberts said after the game.

After their 21-point 1st quarter, the Hawks cooled off, thanks in part to the Grape Creek defense. The Eagles stepped up massively on defense, forcing several turnovers and empty possessions. Unfortunately for the Eagles, most of those turnovers did not turn into points, and Wall took a 37-11 lead into the break.

The Hawks came out in the 3rd quarter and handled their business, scoring 26 more points. Grape Creek played much better in the 2nd half—tallying just five fewer points than Wall, but at that point, it was too late to mount a comeback.

This was just the second district matchup in which the Hawks were at full strength. One of the key players in tonight's win, Jager Thompson, who was a part of the state championship football team that claimed a state title over Newton a few weeks back.

"It was a little different this year. Last year, we only had about a month and a half to try to get everything learned for the new system," Roberts said. "This year, they understand what we expect on the defensive end, and how we want to process everything. It's been a bit easier of a transition. We had one day of practice before heading to a tournament. The guys competed well and gelled together."

Thompson led the Hawks in scoring on Tuesday night with 15 points, followed by Jaxson Kirkland with 14 points. Mason Plummer added several threes and ended his night with 11 points. For Grape Creek, Darrell West led the Eagles with 10 points.

Next up, the Hawks hit the road to play Merkel on Friday, Jan. 9. The Eagles return home to host the Jim Ned Indians on Friday night.

In the early slate, the No. 1 Wall Lady Hawks handled business, downing Grape Creek 77-15.