Published: November 05, 2009 10:52 am      

High School Football: Mats try to avoid winless 27-4A run

Throughout this tumultuous season, the San Marcos Rattlers have proven they can go toe-to-toe with the top teams in District 27-4A.

The Rattlers beat third-place Kerrville-Tivy, lost to district leader Alamo Heights by one point, and came within a touchdown of beating and Schertz-Clemens, which is tied with Tivy for third place.

Friday night, the Rattlers will look to prove they can handle the worst team in 27-4A when the Snakes renew their long-time Hwy. 123 rivalry with Seguin at Bobcat Stadium in both teams’ season finale.

Seguin is the only winless team in district play and the Rattlers are hoping to keep it that way.

Seguin, like San Marcos, has only two wins this season and is 0-6 in league play. And like San Marcos, the Matadors have been somewhat competitive in district, losing to first-place Alamo Heights by seven points and Boerne-Champion by nine. Seguin is coming off a 48-0 loss to second-place Cibolo-Steele.

The Matadors are also vying to avoid the embarrassment of a winless district campaign, like the Rattlers did in 2008. That alone could provide the Matadors the motivation needed to topple San Marcos, which is coming off a lackluster, 49-24 loss to Champion last week.

“This game is going to come down to who has the most pride and who most wants to end the season on a positive note,” SMHS head coach Steve Van Nest said. “We know that they are going to be fired up to avoid going winless in district, so we can certainly expect their best game.”

Seguin’s lone wins were at home against Georgetown and on the road at San Antonio-East Central. The Matadors are currently laboring through a six-game losing streak after starting the 2009 season with a 2-1 record.

Seguin throws the ball two-thirds of the time and is led by junior quarterback Brig Gerlich, who is the team’s leading passer, averaging 195 yards per game. Gerlich has completed 58.6 percent (140-of-239) of his passes and has thrown for 1,822 yards (which ranks second in 27-4A) and eight scores. However, he leads the district with 21 interceptions.

It could be a tough night for Gerlich, considering the Rattlers (believe it or not) still own the district’s top pass defense, allowing 122 yards per game.

On the ground, it’s the combination of sophomore running back Dequan Hedspeth, senior running back Jay Kolbe and Gerlich who make up the other third of the Matadors’ offense, as Seguin is averaging only 98 yards rushing per game. Hedspeth leads the team with 246 yards and two touchdowns on 66 attempts, Gerlich is second with 205 yards on 66 attempts with six scores, while Kolbe is third with 59 totes for 184 yards and two scores.

Gerlich’s favorite target is senior wide receiver Dustin Read, who is the top receiver with 52 catches for 479 yards and five touchdowns. Another wide out that will require special attention from the San Marcos secondary is senior wide out Kyanusoke Carter, who is averaging 13.12 yards per catch and has 25 grabs for 328 yards. Senior Thomas Cockram is the team’s second-leading receiver with 331 yards on 30 catches and two scores, while senior Chris Martinez has 36 catches for 299 yards.

Junior Howard Matthews spurs the Seguin secondary with six interceptions, while senior safety Ronnie Lawson has three picks this season.

Seguin is averaging 17.6 points per game — which ranks near the bottom in 27-4A — even though the team is averaging 319 yards of offense each outing.

Defensively, the Matadors are allowing 30.8 points per game, which is last in 27-4A, and 383 yards, which ranks seventh out of the eight district teams.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.