Brown voted to all-district 1st Team, Rattlers receive postseason honors

San Marcos saw 11 players receive postseason recognition as the All-District 26-6A teams were released on Monday.

The announcement came after a 2021 season in which the team returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

“Our district was extremely, extremely talented and it was hard to make the team,” head coach John Walsh said. “I personally think some of our guys should have been valued more than they were on the selections, but I think it just goes to show the strength of our district and, for us, motivation to work even harder.”

Jaidyn Brown led the Rattlers as a First Team Offense selection. The junior running back became the focal point of San Marcos’ offense throughout the season, gaining 1,452 yards and 15 touchdowns on 168 carries for an average of 8.6 yards per attempt.

It was a pleasant surprise to Walsh, who wasn’t sure what to expect from Brown’s first season with the purple and white.

“It was an unknown because we didn’t we didn’t grow up together,” Walsh said. “You know, he didn’t grow up in a program through our middle schools. And we saw the talent in spring ball and it was sure refreshing to see him get better as the year went and him taking on that role of that lead horse in the backfield.”

Senior offensive lineman Jacob Pinkston and tight end Elijah Pearson were voted to the Second Team Offense. Pearson caught seven passes for 127 yards and a touchdown and both players thrived as blockers for San Marcos. Senior defensive lineman Alex Robinson and junior linebacker Jake Darling were both voted to the Second Team Defense after creating havoc at the line of scrimmage all season long.

Six Rattlers were named all-district Honorable Mentions: quarterback Isaiah DeLeon, wide receiver Ryan Hix, linebacker Michael Garza, defensive ends Cory Fennell and Jay Simmons, offensive lineman Nick Jones.

Walsh was disappointed a few of the Honorable Mentions didn’t earn a spot higher up on the list — DeLeon and Simmons especially. But everyone except Jones is a junior, meaning most will have another chance to make their case.

“We love our guys, and no one loves them more than we do. So we don’t get to vote, all we can do is nominate,” Walsh said. “But they’re back and I think it’s good motivation for those guys to work hard to make sure they’re at that level when it comes time when they graduate.”