Rattlers Beat Seguin in Metaphorical, Literal Brawl

Going Out With a BANG!

A story of two halves was the name of the game as the San Marcos Rattlers erupted for 51 points in win against rival Seguin.

Senior night did not look to be too exciting in the first half on Friday night as the halftime score was 10-7, Seguin. Yet, whatever Coach Van Nest told his Rattler team at the break sure worked because they came out and outscored the Matadors 44-21 in the second half, putting up 34 points in the fourth quarter alone! The Seguin Matadors did not help their cause one bit as they commited a total of 16 penalties in the contest.

The four-headed monster, that is the San Marcos offense, will not be here next year as all of them are graduating. QB Ryan Schweers, RB Andre Ray, RB Mike Wilburn and RB “Scooter” Walker are all graduating this year and will leave a gaping hole in the Rattler’s offense that Coach Van Nest will have to fill.

On a lighter note...

Arguably the most important graduating senior is linebacker Blake Bagley. Bagley, who literally plays everything, will not be there to anchor the Rattler defense, special teams, or help out on offense. Bagley showed his importance Friday night as he did everything from running the ball and almost break two kick-off returns, to making what seemed every defensive tackle and catching an interception. He made one of, if not the, biggest plays of the game when he pulled in a one-handed interception in the fourth quarter with five minutes to go that basically sealed the deal. Everywhere you looked #44 seemed to be there. His defense did allow Matador receiver Jared Curnell to put up 152 receiving yards and quarterback Brig Gerlich to throw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, but they still got the win. Blake Bagley will be rightfully missed next season.

Two other candidates for MVP Friday night had to #21 Mike Wilburn and #46 Tyler “Scooter” Walker. Wilburn exploded for a huge 170 yds on the ground on only 17 attempts and a touchdown. Mike was pounding this Matador offense all night long and he ended his Rattler football career on a positive note. Scooter was just as productive putting up 77 yard on the ground on 14 attempts as well as 57 receiving yards with a total of three touchdowns. He caught a late 50-yard pass as Ryan Schweers caught the defense napping on a play-action pass late in the fourth. Neither of these two guys will look back on this game regretting anything as they left it all on the field.

One thing that both coaches wished they could have avoided was the brawl that broke out between both teams clearing both sidelines. The Matadors probably did not like the fact that the Rattlers were scoring even though the game was probably out of reach, but that is not how you conduct yourselves as young men. The Seguin head coach could not have been pleased with his team’s conduct last night.

The San Marcos Rattlers end their disappointing season 3-6 (2-5 in district play) as they never reached their full potential coming off of that big upset win against #15 ranked Kerrville Tivy, but you know what they say…. There’s always next year.

-Robert Fisher, KTSW Sports Staff Writer