October 17th, 2009
Rattlers make point, miss points

STAFF REPORT

The San Marcos Rattlers played well enough to win Friday night at Alamo Heights, and they might as well have, but they didn’t.

However, the Rattlers went a long way towards legitimizing themselves as a factor going down the stretch in the District 27-4A playoff race in a 23-22 loss.

The result doesn’t make the Rattlers better off, as they fell to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the district. However, going on the road and staying toe-to-toe with one of the league leaders bodes well for a team that will try to sweep out its final three games against Schertz Clemens, Boerne Champion and Seguin. Considering Alamo Heights’ results against those teams — a 58-14 win against Champion and a 21-14 win against Seguin — the Rattlers brought up a different level of competition.

After falling behind, 16-0, in the first half, the Rattlers came alive offensively in the fourth quarter, scoring three touchdowns. The first, a 40-yard pass from Ryan Schweers to Tomas Velasquez, brought the Rattlers within 16-10 with 7:14 left in the game.

Alamo Heights responded with an 18-yard touchdown run by quarterback Cullen Mills to make it 23-10 with 6:12 left, but the Rattlers came back with a two-yard touchdown run by Kristian Cogdill, bringing them within 23-16 with 3:54 left.

Then, the Rattlers struck at the tail end, going to the end zone with a 10-yard pass from Schweers to Payton Pringle with 45 seconds left. The Rattlers now were within 23-22, with a choice between trying to win the game right there with a two-point conversion, or go to overtime with a kick.

The Rattlers elected to go for it, but Schweers’ pass fell incomplete. The Rattlers left the game losing, but knowing that they belong on the field with anyone in this league, on whichever field it is.

The Rattlers bashed out 489 total yards, compared with 258 for Alamo Heights. Andre Ray rushed for 224 yards in 24 tries, while Schweers completed nine of 17 passes for 113 yards.

However, the Rattlers also made two critical turnovers in the first half. One, a fumble, set up a Heights’ touchdown, while the other, an interception, occurred in Heights territory.

Heights remains tied on top of District 27-4A at 4-0 with Cibolo Steele, which dispatched Boerne Champion, 42-7, Friday night. Kerrville Tivy smashed New Braunfels Canyon, 38-16, moving on to 3-1 in the league. Canyon fell to 2-2, tied with Schertz Clemens, which beat Seguin, 28-0.

So, that’s five teams in the top four spots, which go to the playoffs. The Rattlers are a game out of that mix at 1-3, while Champion and Seguin set at 0-4.

In District 17-4A, the Hays Rebels wandered over to Lockhart and cruised to a 34-14 win. The Rebels improved to 2-0 in the district, where they share the lead with Del Valle.

The Rebels (2-5 overall) took a 20-0 lead in the first half as Lockhart tried to limp by without star running back Dominique Hardaway, who only lasted for six yards in one quarter before he was driven from the game by an ankle injury that limited him last week.

Hays running back Torrance Smith filled in with big-play excitement, going 41 yards with one run to set up his own one-yard touchdown, then going 12-yards for a touchdown. Trace Gandy added the third touchdown with a 54-yard scoring pass from Sam Breyfogle.

Gandy gained a total of 122 yards, 68 rushing and 54 receiving. Smith totaled 92 yards with 50 on the ground and 42 through the air. Hays quarterback Sam Breyfogle completed six of eight passes for 148 yards. The Hays defense held Lockhart to 159 total yards, 49 on the ground.

In a six-team district, the Rebels already are all but in the playoffs, as is Del Valle, which also is 2-0 in the league. Del Valle beat Manor, 29-7, dropping the Mustangs to 1-1 in the league, where it is tied with Lehman. Lockhart and Elgin are each 0-2 in the district. The Rebels play Manor at home next Friday.

Dripping Springs lost for the sixth straight time Friday night, 42-21 at home to Lampasas. By way of comparison, San Marcos beat Lampasas, 33-0, at home this year.

Dripping Springs now is in the District 25-4A basement by a long way at 0-4 in the league and 2-6 overall. The closest team to Dripping Springs in the standings is Marble Falls, which is 0-2. The Tigers are still mathematically alive for the playoffs, but they would have to first beat league leaders Pflugerville Hendrickson and two-time defending state champion Lake Travis in their last two games.

Lampasas jumped on Dripping Springs for three touchdowns and a 21-0 lead into the second quarter. Lampasas gained 325 yards on the ground.

San Marcos Baptist Academy fell to 0-2 in Division II District 3 with a 44-2 loss at Victoria St. Joseph. The Victoria squad succeeded in shutting down Bears quarterback Anthony Richardson, who rushed for minus-13 yards and completed only one of seven passes.

The Bears fell to 4-3 overall with their third straight loss. They’re 0-2 in the league. St. Joseph and Texas Military Institute (TMI) are tied for the district lead at 2-0 after TMI shut down San Antonio Christian, 14-0.