As Gladewater made the transition from Class 4A Division II to 3A Division I during the UIL’s latest realignment, coach John Berry knew his program would have to begin adjusting to the school’s lower enrollment and slight decrease in football participation. 

The Bears, who have made the playoffs in three of the last four years under Berry, entered the season prepared to start a handful of sophomores in key positions for the first time. 

The move has paid off so far, though, as Gladewater is off to just its second 4-0 start in more than a decade thanks in large part to the way those sophomores have stepped up to make an impact early in the season. 

Quarterback Tristan Holmes, running back Eli Carter and left guard Jasper Taylor are among those underclassmen filling big shoes for the Bears through four games. 

Carter has been the star, rushing for 995 yards and eight touchdowns behind an offensive line that includes Taylor, David Bohanon, Jacob Rodriguez, Tim Pugeliese and Tristian Seahorn.

The high-powered offense, that has also benefitted from a down-field passing threat led by Holmes and WR TC Minter, helped guide Gladewater to its biggest win of the season so far last Friday night as the Bears knocked off defending state champion Pleasant Grove (No. 1 in 4A Division II) in a 44-37 thriller. 

Gladewater’s offense shined again but its defense sealed the victory when Keston Wilson returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown with just 27 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The win over the Hawks was a rewarding one for the Bears, who saw an injury-riddled 2017 season come to a disappointing end with a 50-7 loss to Pleasant Grove in last year’s season finale. Berry said the team used that game as motivation throughout the off-season and was determined to bounce back from the 2-8 campaign that kept the team out of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. 

“This group, both our coaches and our kids, had a real sense of urgency going into the off-season,” Berry said. “They felt like they were better than that, they worked like they were better than that, and that sense of urgency really helped us. It probably led to the development of some younger players that have turned into key guys on this team maybe a bit ahead of schedule.”

In addition to the way the team’s younger players have stepped up, Gladewater has also benefitted from the play of outside linebacker Danny Badger, who was the Longview News-Journal’s Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Pleasant Grove. 

Badger, who made the transition from quarterback to outside linebacker after last season, forced a safety early in the game and had a strip sack that was returned for a touchdown by Quavian Sheffield in the third quarter. He finished the game with nine tackles, two sacks and five tackles for loss. 

While Badger and the rest of the defense were able to come up with some key plays last week, Gladewater will be one step closer to full strength on that side of the ball when star linebacker Rashaud Johnson returns to the field this week. 

Johnson has been sidelined for most of this season with an ankle injury but is expected to return to action this week as the Bears travel to take on Winnsboro in the District 8-3A Division I opener. 

“Bringing Rashaud back gives us the run-fit linebacker that you build the core of your defense around,” Berry said. “If you don’t stop the run first, then you never defend anyone so he’s critical to that. We’ve got a good group on defense, but he was a major piece missing the last two weeks. 

As far as the fast start to the season goes, Gladewater is well on its way to pushing the sour taste of last season’s 2-8 finish out of the picture. The Bears will look to continue that improvement through district play as they aim to return to the playoffs and make some noise in Region II. 

“It’s just sort of solidified everybody’s belief in what our football plan is around here,” Berry said of the 4-0 start. “If we stick to the plan, we’ll be okay.”