Rattlers' trick play not enough in loss to Unicorns

San Marcos (0-8, 0-4 district) traveled down I-35 to take on New Braunfels (5-3, 2-3) in what head coach Mark Soto said is a rivalry for this school. 

New Braunfels took no time to get its crowd involved on homecoming night, getting out to an early lead and controlling the clock with the ground game. Once the Unicorns went up, they never looked back. The 48-7 win over the Rattlers kept New Braunfels’ chances to make the playoffs alive with two games remaining on its schedule.

The Unicorns got out to a quick start, scoring 20 points in the first quarter with their fast-paced offense that opened up big plays for the playmakers on their team. On their second drive, junior quarterback Peyton Driggers completed a 14-yard pass to senior wide receiver Garrett Thompson followed by a 31-yard rushing touchdown on the second play of the drive. The hosts forced a three-and-out the next drive.

New Braunfels continued to find the holes in the Rattler defense. Four plays and 55 yards was all it took for the hosts to get their second touchdown of the night from sophomore running back Ryker Purdy.

San Marcos, trailing by 20, needed a big play from its offense in order to cut the deficit down a little bit. The visitors decided to make a change at quarterback to junior quarterback Noah Stubblefield, who completed his first pass to junior starting quarterback Alex Garcia for 10 yards and the first down. After the offense gained a little confidence the unit pulled a flea flicker out of its playbook, hitting senior wide receiver Takai Madgett 30 yards down the field, resulting in a touchdown. 

“Our offensive coordinator (Victor Sierra) makes all the offensive calls, so when he thinks its time to pull a trick out of the bag he does,” head coach Mark Soto said.

To start the second half, the Rattlers made a statement on its first defensive stand. On 2nd and 10, senior inside linebacker A.J. Gonzales blew up the Unicorns play with a sack for a loss of nine. The purple and white got to Driggers again in the backfield, forcing the first punt of the night from the hosts.

On offense, Stubblefield hit sophomore Nathan Henry for 45 yards on a quick slant route. Madgett got involved, picking up 12 more yards on his carry. The Rattlers were then plagued with penalties, though, knocking them out of field goal range.

New Braunfels finished the night with touchdowns from 29 and 33 yards out on the ground, securing the win and breaking its three-game losing streak. 

“I think we needed to start a little faster than what we started today,” Soto said. “We got behind 21 before we got some points. We had some short fields and we just need to start faster than we did.”

San Marcos will be back at Rattler Stadium for the last time this season against Smithson Valley (4-3, 2-2) at 7:30 p.m. Smithson Valley is currently on a two-game losing streak.