COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF

Rattlers renew their rivalry with Unicorns

Countdown to Kickoff is back for another installment following the San Marcos Rattlers during the 2023 season.

This week will look at the Rattlers' showdown with the team's arch rival, the New Braunfels Unicorns.

In last year’s meeting, New Braunfels scored 28 points in the second half, after being tied up at halftime, 10-10, en route to a 38-10 win over San Marcos.

One of the key plays that took place during the game was San Marcos driving down to the one yard line, trailing 17-10 in the third quarter.

Though it appeared the Rattlers had crossed the goal line, the Unicorns forced a fumble and took the ball 99 yards for the score, to go up 24-10.

New Braunfels finished the season with a 7-3 record, placing second in the district behind champion, Cibolo Steele.

The Unicorns then stunned district champion San Antonio Reagan, to capture the Bi-District Championship, before falling to Austin Westlake in the Area Round.

Heading into the 2023 season, the Unicorns are once again expected to compete for another playoff spot and district championship, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine.

New Braunfels returns seven starters on offense but only four starters on defense.

Offense will be key early in the season for the Unicorns, who return key contributors such as quarterback Leighton Adams, who threw for 2,409 yards and 28 touchdown passes.

Running back Tryee Johnson also returns for New Braunfels, rushing for 838 yards and eight touchdowns, while catching four touchdown passes along with 17 catches for 285 yards.

Wide receiver Lance Beeghley will be the main target, after catching 44 passes for 838 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Needless to say, this year’s matchup has the potential to be an offensive firework show for these two teams each ready to vie for post-season honors.

The history between New Braunfels and San Marcos dates back all the way to 1922, according to the texashighfootballhistory. com database, making the series a 100year rivalry.

With 70 all-time meetings between the two teams, New Braunfels is San Marcos’ third most played opponent in football history, only behind Lockhart (75) and Seguin (83).

The Unicorns lead the series at 37-33.

With the exception of 1934, from 1930-1979, San Marcos and New Braunfels met in regularly scheduled contests, from district to non-district games.

However, the rivalry ceased to be from 1980 through 2009 as the two teams only meet five times during that time span in 1982, 1983, 1990, and 1991.

The fifth matchup came in 1997 when the two teams met for the first time in the playoffs, which also saw San Marcos break a 31-playoff drought.

The rivalry came back in 2010, and has since returned to being a consistent regular season matchup, with the lone exception being the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

For the Rattlers, San Marcos will be looking to snap a long, 15-game losing streak against the Unicorns, with their last win coming in 1982.

Kickoff for San Marcos and New Braunfels is Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at Unicorn Stadium in New Braunfels.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc