High School Football: SMA clinches first playoff berth

From staff reports

San Marcos — A trip to the TAPPS State Playoffs was hanging in the balance Friday night at Ingram Stadium. If San Marcos Academy was to win, the Bears would clinch a playoff berth.

SMA did exactly that in a 25-14 win over rival Austin Hyde Park.

After a punt by the Bears, the Panthers would get a long punt return to set up a 3-yard run with 5:16 left in the first quarter. The extra point by was good for an early 7-0 Panthers lead.

Back-to-back personal fouls against the Panthers would push the ball deep into Hyde Park territory for the Bears. Mark Hamm would race through a huge hole to score from the 10-yard line.

However, a bad snap would result in Collin Cook being tackled deep, leaving the Panthers clinging to a 7-6 lead at the 3:58 mark.

Aaron Fannie would be the first quarter workhorse as he carried the ball 11 times for 92 yards for the visiting Panthers. Michael Young led the Bears with 18 yards.

The Bears would take a chance to start the second quarter, as Richardson ran for four yards to keep the drive alive at the Panthers 41-yard line. SMA attempted a second consecutive fourth down and was successful with a Richardson 23-yard run; but a holding penalty on the play would force a Trey Banks punt.

The Bears would drive again but an Oswalt to Richardson pass was dropped to end the first half.

Michael Latham would get a 40-yard plus return to give the Bears the ball at midfield to start the third quarter. A Richardson 17-yard run would set up his own 5-yard run up the middle to give SMA a 12-7 lead.

The Bears’ two-point conversion by Hamm was short but SMA held its first lead of the night at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter.

The Bears would try a risky and unsuccessful onside kick on the next play, giving the Panthers the ball at midfield. Mark Hamm would step in front of a Rhea pass on the next play for an interception to jump start the already fired up Bears.

Richardson fired a touchdown pass to Cook on third-and-goal and Trey Banks added the PAT to increase the lead to 19-7 with 1:42 left in the third quarter.

With the Panthers driving deep with less than five minutes left in the game, Young sacked Rhea to slow the visitors. Rhea would bounce back and connect with Andres Timmes on a 10-yard pass with 3:41 remaining in the game to close the gap to 19-14.

The Bears were ready with their hands team for an onside kick and Richardson would recover to take possession.

Richardson took the next snap and raced 42 yards to the Panthers 35-yard line. The team then would go to the power rushing of Richardson and Vishal Singh to run down the clock and Richardson added 1-yard touchdown as time expired.

“We played great. I am so proud of these kids,” SMA head coach Brian Gaylor said. “I am so thankful to the staff of SMA and being able to represent the City of San Marcos in the state playoffs.”

The 6-4 Bears will face a number two seed Houston area team.

This was the school’s first Division IV playoff berth in school history. Playoffs begin next week for the Bears.