Published: November 10, 2007 05:56 pm      

Mistakes costly for Rattlers

High School Football

It wasn’t the type of performance San Marcos head coach Steve Van Nest wanted to see from his team a week before the Rattlers enter the Class 5A, Division II playoffs.

Never mind his team was up against a staunch opponent in Westlake’s Chaparrals, a Division I state finalist from last season. Instead, he saw a team that was, plain and simple, not ready to play. And it showed, as early turnovers helped Westlake jump on the Rattlers early and often en route to a 38-19 win at Bobcat Stadium Friday night.

Two early San Marcos fumbles gave Westlake a quick, 14-0 lead the Chaps would never relinquish.

The Rattlers fumbled on the fifth play of their first possession when D.J. Hemphill dropped a hand-off, allowing Westlake’s Mark Daniel to recover at the Rattlers’ 43-yard line. WHS scored on the next play when quarterback Walker Kobelan hooked up with running back Ryan Swope on a left, sideline pass for a 43-yard score with nine minutes, 28 seconds left in the first quarter.

Things got worse for the Rattlers when they couldn’t handle the ensuing kickoff, allowing Westlake’s Chris Wilbur to recover the ball at the San Marcos’ 2-yard line. That set up Kobelan’s 1-yard keeper, giving Westlake a 14-0 lead with 9:16 remaining in the opening quarter.

“You just can’t do that against a team like Westlake,” Van Nest said. “Westlake they are playing good at the end of the season like they are supposed to be and we were flat tonight. They looked like they were getting ready for the playoffs and we looked like we were out here playing for the fun of playing.”

San Marcos was able to answer on its next drive, thanks to a little razzle-dazzle. Rattler quarterback Lauren Morales handed the ball to Brandon Banks, who gave the ball to Aaron Canady on a reverse hand-off. Canady threw the ball to Morales, who caught the ball and went 53 yards to the Chaps’ 5-yard line.

Banks got the call on the next play, scoring his 5-yard touchdown on left-side sprint. The point after failed, leaving Westlake with a 14-6 lead.

SMHS held Westlake to a 27-yard field goal on the Chaps’ next possession and looked to be taking over the momentum with a long drive that moved ball to Westlake’s 3-yard line, thanks in part to a 60-yard fake punt run from Morales on fourth down. But that drive came to screeching halt when Morales mishandled the snap, allowing Westlake’s Ben Gross to recover at the Rattlers’ four-yard line.

Westlake took over and used nine plays to move the ball 94 yards for the Chaps’ next score. Once again it was Kobelan with the honor, scoring on a 7-yard keeper that gave Westlake a 24-6 lead they would take into the half.

Westlake didn’t take long to extend the lead to 31-6 when Kobelan hooked up with Swope again, this time for a 61-yard touchdown two minutes into the third quarter. It was the same pass route the pair had used on the 59-yard touchdown earlier in the game.

“They made us pay for every turnover, and every time we got a little out of position on defense, they made us pay for us and that’s what a good team is going to do,” Van Nest said. “It teaches us that everything has got to be perfect and we have got to be ready to match their intensity. It was clear that they were playing at a different speed than we were.”

The Rattler offense came together for a 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive in the third that was capped by a one-yard plunge from Morales. Gentry Contreras’ kick trimmed Westlake’s lead to 31-13.

Bu the Chaps countered four plays later, as a 39-yard run from Swope set up Brad Dornak’s 7-yard score with 1:43 left in the third.

San Marcos added its last touchdown with 6:21 remaining in the game when sophomore Michael Wilburn ran into the end zone from three yards out.

Statistically speaking, the Rattlers out gained the Chaps on the ground with 359 yards rushing, rolled off more 22 first downs compared to 11 fro the Chaps, and racked up a season-high 157 yards through the air. But three fumbles negated the most important statistic of all – the final score.

Swope led the Chaps with 105 yards rushing and 159 yards receiving, while Morales turned in his best rushing stats of the season with 119 yards on 13 carries.

While Friday night’s game had little significance other than third place in District 25-5A, Van Nest was not happy with the way the Rattlers approached the game.

“We weren’t ready to play and I told the kids to put that one on me. It’s my job to get them ready to play, and for whatever reason, we were not ready to play,” Van Nest said. “Maybe we talked too much about the playoffs and weren’t really focusing on this game enough. We tried to do both and we just were flat out not ready to play.”

San Marcos will face San Antonio-Madison, Friday night at 7 p.m. ay San Antonio’s Comalander Stadium.

“We can play a heck of a lot better than that,” Van Nest said, “It’s disappointing the way we finished the regular season, but we’ll see what kind of character we have and try to bounce back.”