San Marcos — It was a dark and stormy night when the San Marcos Rattlers and Bastrop bears last clashed a year ago in Bastrop.

So stormy, the early-season contest was called because of lighting with two minutes remaining in the first half.

San Marcos was down 10-3 at that point, and seemed to have momentum on its side. But for the safety of the players and fans in the aluminum stands of Bastrop’s newly constructed stadium, the decision was made to cancel the game. And since it was a non-district contest there was no need in resuming the game at a later date.

While the SMHS coaching staff considered the game to be a no contest, Bastrop has since counted the game as a win on its 2010 record. Fact is, we will never know what sort of conclusion a full contest would have produced last season. That shouldn’t be the case this Friday night, weather cooperating, as Bastrop and San Marcos face off for a 7:30 p.m. game at Bobcat Stadium.

“I guess you can call it what you want, but it’s a no decision since we didn’t play a full game,” SMHS head coach Steve Van Nest said. “It was an exciting half, and we  definitely felt like we had momentum going our way before it was called. Hopefully the weather will let us make it through a whole game this time.”

Even though San Marcos got only a one-half glimpse of the Bears last season, it was enough for the SMHS coaching staff to know what to prepare for this year.

Mainly, the Rattlers are going to have to find a way to stop Bastrop senior quarterback Josiah Monroe. Last year Monroe threw for 2,094 yards and rushed for 643 while scoring a combined 24 touchdowns. He’s a fleet-footed quarterback with a very strong arm.

“We saw that last year on one play where we had him sacked twice about 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage, then spins around and throws a bomb to a wide open receiver,” Van Nest said. “We know what he’s capable of doing and we are going to have to make sure that we put a lot of pressure on him and come through with strong coverage in the secondary. We can’t afford to let anyone get open, and we don’t want him scrambling out of the backfield.”

Bastrop went on to post a 9-2 (SMHS game included) record last season, claiming its first-ever Class 5A district crown in a district that included traditional powerhouse Austin-Westlake. And judging by the Bears’ 2-1 start, they could be on the same path as members of District 16-41. After opening the season with a hard-fought, 22-20 loss at Round Rock McNeil, Bastrop has bounced back with lopsided home wins over Seguin (51-21) and Austin-Akins (63-7).

As for Monroe, he’s on a pace to shatter his 2009 marks. Through three games he has completed 50-of-83 passes for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also has 19 carries for 211 yards and two scores on the ground.

In order to slow down Monroe, Van Nest said the Rattlers will continue with the 4-3 defensive look they brought out for the first time in last week’s 34-17 loss at Hays.

“It’s a defense I think we are going to have to stick with considering the type of competition that lies ahead for us,” Van Nest said. “We’re a little too small to go man all the time on defense, so this helps level out the playing field a little more.”

Monroe has four different receivers he likes to throw to, but none more than Deandre Gaines, who leads the team with 10 catches for 123 yards and five touchdowns. Mason Foytik has seven catches for 128 yards, Trae Bunton has seven grabs for 87 yards, and Robert Nunn has five catches for 130 yards.

Monroe is currently the Bears’ leading rusher, while running back Mark Jackson is second on the team with 161 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown.

Defensively, Bastrop is spearheaded by senior defensive end Milekee Miller, who leads the team with 48 tackles, 28 of which were solo stops.

Senior safety Glen Miller has orchestrated 36 tackles and an interception, while Trey Eskew is third on the team with 33 wrap-ups.

“Defensively they have a really deep defensive line and they all have good size and feet,” Van nest said. “It’s a very experienced defense that will attack and we must maintain our pad level and be aggressive on offense.”