Published: November 06, 2009 10:46 am      

High School Football:SMHS, Seguin renew rivalry

San Marcos — Words weren’t really needed after the San Marcos Rattlers’ loss to Boerne-Champion last weekend. The frustrated expression on head coach Steve Van Nest’s face conveyed it all.

After enduring the rigors of two close losses with controversial endings, his Rattler team showed up at Boerne not ready to play at the level needed to win. The Chargers jumped out to a 28-10 lead in the first half and never looked back in a 49-24 victory.

Perhaps it was the playoff hopes that were basically dashed the week before, or maybe it was the two-hour bus ride. Whatever the case, it was definitely a performance that Van Nest doesn’t want repeated tonight as the team closes out the 2009 season against rival Seguin.

“I didn’t do a good job getting them ready to play against Boerne, and we just didn’t come out with the kind of passion we had shown the two weeks before,” Van Nest said. “That can’t happen tonight against a team like Seguin, a rival with nothing to lose.”

Seguin is hoping to avoid what happened to San Marcos last season when the Rattlers failed to win a District 27-4A game. SMHS got its only district win this season against Kerrville-Tivy, while Seguin hasn’t been very competitive in league play with an 0-6 mark, the closest loss being within seven points. Still, Van Nest believes the Matadors will come into tonight’s grudge match motivated not to share the same unfortunate distinction SMHS had in 2008.

Another motivating factor for the Rattlers are the seniors that will be playing their final game at Bobcat Stadium. It’s a group that certainly doesn’t want to end their high school football career on a losing note.

Key to the Rattlers’ success is the team’s passing defense, as the air game makes up two-thirds of Seguin’s offense. San Marcos didn’t fare too well against the pass last week, allowing Boerne quarterback Taylor Davis to complete 13-of-20 for 271 yards and four touchdowns. Still, San Marcos owns the district’s top passing defense, allowing 122 yards per game.

Seguin comes into the game with the district’s second leading passing quarterback in junior Brig Gerlich as the Mats are averaging 224.4 yards of passing per outing.

San Marcos will try to produce the majority of its offense on the ground, but the Rattlers have proven they can strike through the air as well.

Senior quarterback Ryan Schweers has helped introduce a worthy passing game this season, competing 62-of-123 attempts for 893 yards and seven touchdowns. He has a chance to become the first Rattler signal-caller since David Williams in 1994 to surpass 1,000 passing yards in a season.

Walker has been Schweers’ favorite target this season with 16 catches for 167 yards and a score. Senior swingman Payton Pringle has 11 receptions for 209 yards, while Ray and Tomas Velasquez have nine receptions each, with Velasquez owning three scores.

But the Rattlers’ Slot T offense is still primarily ground-oriented. San Marcos ranks second behind Steele in 27-4A averaging 266.9 yards rushing per game.

Senior running back Andre Ray enters the final game as the team’s leading runner with 797 yards on 123 carries and five touchdowns. Senior Tyler Walker is the team’s second-leading rusher with 494 yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Jeremy Gonzalez continues to steer Rattler defense with a team-leading 53 tackles, while senior defensive end Luis Salazar and junior linebacker Anthony Ramirez have 47 and 41 tackles, respectively.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.