San Marcos — The San Marcos Rattlers displayed more confidence Friday night against Bastrop, but the team’s certitude couldn’t make up for numerous miscues, as the Rattlers suffered a 43-36 loss to the Bears at Bobcat Stadium.   

San Marcos fumbled the ball five times, losing three, while a pair of breakdowns in the secondary left Bastrop receivers open for easy touchdowns.

Regardless, the Rattlers were in the game up until the final minutes.

The Rattlers tied the game at 36-all with less than five minutes left in the game with Anthony Ramirez’ 6-yard touchdown run.

But Bastrop quickly retaliated a minute later with a 37-yard touchdown scramble from quarterback Josiah Monroe for a 43-36 advantage.

With enough time on the clock to make a drive, San Marcos moved the ball close to midfield but could get no further. Rattler quarterback Adrian Narvaiz was sacked before throwing two incompletions, allowing the Bears to take over on downs and run out the remainder of the clock.

San Marcos came out with a strong drive on its opening series, moving the ball to the Bears’ 30-yard line. But Bastrop capitalized on a the Rattlers first miscue of the game when Anthony Perez stripped the ball out of the hands of SMHS running back Terrance Wilburn and returned the ball 70 yards to give Bastrop a 7-0 lead.

The early blow didn’t seem to phase the Rattlers, who came back and answered on their next possession. A 49-yard run from Wilburn put the Rattlers in scoring position, eventually setting up a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper from Adrian Narvaiz. Wilburn followed with a two-point run on the conversion, handing the Snakes an 8-7 lead.

Bastrop didn’t wait long to counter, as senior quarterback Monroe hooked up with Robert Nunn for a 31-yard scoring strike to put the Bears up 14-8 with 52 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Rattlers’ resiliency didn’t wane, as Wilburn helped San Marcos regain the lead with a 37-yard touchdown run up the middle. Jordy Martinez’ kick gave SMHS a 15-14 lead with 10:59 left in the second quarter.

Bastrop regained the lead with 2:32 left before halftime when Monroe found DeAndre Gaines open for a 5-yard touchdown. A successful two-point pass on the conversion gave Bastrop a 22-15 lead.

The Snakes answered moments later after a 69-yard screen pass from Narvaiz to Wilburn that set up a 4-yard run from Anthony Ramirez. But the point after kick sailed wide left, allowing Bastrop to hold a 22-21 lead.

The Bears added another score before halftime when Monroe hooked up with Nunn again, this time for a 59-yard strike, allowing Bastrop to take a 29-22 lead at the half.

For quotes, statistics and photos from Friday night’s game, pick up Sunday’s print edition of the San Marcos Daily Record.