SMHS FOOTBALL
The Rattlers fell short against the San Antonio Wagner Thunderbirds 40-17, but it was obvious that improvements were being made.
Despite the loss, Head Coach John Walsh was proud of the team that has been slowly placing the building blocks and showing signs of progress since Week 1.
“We are seeing the same thing after every game, which is good,” Walsh said. “The first game was the first quarter [before it fell apart] in the last three quarters. Last week, we went a whole half. Then tonight we were in the fourth quarter with the chance to take the ball and score for the win. I’m really proud of them, and we are getting better each week.”
The Rattlers received the ball to start the game but were forced to punt after gaining one first down.
The Thunderbirds gained a chunk of yards on a massive run before scoring from 15 yards out as Wagner took the lead 7-0.
The Rattlers then answered back. Quarterback Kane Hernandez passed to receiver Chase Curry on the screen pass before taking it inside the redzone on the 77-yard play. Hernandez punched it in from the one yard line as San Marcos tied the game at 7-7.
Wagner retook the lead on their next possession, scoring on a 35-yard touchdown run, but the Rattlers blocked the extra point attempt to make it 13-7 going into the second quarter.
San Marcos attempted to score on the next drive but were turned away by the Thunderbird defense and punted.
Wagner used another big run game to get inside the San Marcos ten yard line before scoring a oneyard touchdown to extend the lead.
However, the Rattlers came up with their second special teams play. The Thunderbirds opted for the unique Swinging Gate formation only for the ball to be hiked over the head of the quarterback. The Rattlers picked up the ball before returning it to the endzone for two points and cutting the deficit down to 19-9.
San Marcos stalled out on offense with a three and out before Wagner extended their lead on a 46-yard rushing touchdown to 26-9.
San Marcos made one final attempt to reach the end zone on a longer drive, but the Rattlers ran out of time and entered halftime trailing.
Wagner received the ball to start the second half, but the Rattler defense came up with the first big turnover of the game. The Rattlers forced a fumble before making the recovery to give the ball back to the offense.
San Marcos drove down the field before attempting a long field goal. The Rattlers surprised everyone by attempting a fake but fell just short of the first down.
Unfortunately, the game turned ugly when a fight broke out near the sidelines leading to the ejection of two players, one from each team.
After the incident, Walsh addressed the team with the intent of getting the Rattlers refocused.
“You have to tell them to play football,” Walsh said. “You can’t worry about the wrong things. You are playing stupid with stupid, because if we take those yellow flags, we are moving on, getting the first down and the score looks a lot different.”
Wagner received possession of the ball back only for the Rattler defense to come up with the second turnover of the night. On third down, San Marcos forced another fumble and jumped on the ball to give it back to the offense.
The Rattlers took advantage as Curry punched it in from the one yard line before San Marcos scored the twopoint conversion, cutting the lead down to 36-17.
The San Marcos defense responded once again, this time stopping the Thunderbirds on fourth down and giving the ball back to the offense once more.
The Rattlers crossed midfield and looked to score, making the game one possession before disaster struck.
In the process of gaining a first down, San Marcos fumbled the ball, allowing Wagner to jump on it. On the next play, Wagner ripped off a 67-yard touchdown run to seal the game. The Thunderbirds tacked on a final touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make the final score 4017.
San Marcos will play their final non-district game of the season in a road trip against the Lake Travis Cavaliers.
[email protected] Twitter: @ColtonBMc
Donavan Garcia runs into the teeth of the Thunderbird defense in the Rattlers’ game against San Antonio Wagner. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
