SMHS FOOTBALL
Buck Steyn threw three touchdowns and ran for three more to lead the San Marcos Rattlers to a 52-13 non-district win Friday against the Converse Wagner Thunderbirds at D.W. Rutledge Stadium.
San Marcos (2-1), which trailed 13-7 at halftime, scored three times in 30 seconds to open the second half en route to six straight possessions with a touchdown, then capped the scoring with a 36-yard Julio Alvarado field goal.
“We just bounced back over the last six quarters,” Head Coach John Walsh said. “The defense has been stout all year long. Wagner had some success running the football early so I loved how [we] didn’t pout and figured out what the problem was, and then became the run defense we know they are. “I’ve been on the [offensive line’s] butt for two weeks now and they answered the call tonight. Buck [Steyn] didn’t have much pressure and when he doesn’t have pressure, you can see what he can do with the ball. … It all relies on the O-line and they did their jobs tonight. I’m really proud of them.”
Steyn threw touchdowns to Elliott Gray on back-to-back possessions and later found Jordan Lampkin for a 40-yard score. Gray finished with a team-high six receptions on seven targets for 91 yards, followed by Lampkin, who had five catches on six targets for 88 yards.
Running back Donovan Garcia rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on nine carries and Justin Tardy added a team-high 87 yards on nine carries including a 59-yard burst on the opening play of the second half to set up Steyn’s first touchdown pass.
Wagner (1-2), whose only win came in Week 1 against upstart New Braunfels Long Creek, gained 246 yards on the ground on 41 carries out of the misdirection-heavy Wing-T offense. Two Thunderbirds quarterbacks combined to throw four passes, completing one; two passes were intercepted.
J’Anthony Joyner Price led Wagner’s rushing attack with 100 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, mostly in the first half, followed by Houston Sims, who scored on a 49-yard touchdown run Wagner’s last - en route to a five-carry, 66-yard night. In all, 10 Thunderbirds carried the ball during the game.
Quarterback Buck Steyn scores on the one-yard touchdown run. Steyn passed for 190 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 29 yards and three touchdowns. Daily Record photo by Colton McWilliams
Running back Justin Tardy leaps over a defender in the Rattlers 52-13 win over Wagner. Tardy rushed for 87 yards on nine carries. Daily Record photo by Colton McWilliams
Wagner opened the game with scoring drives of 75 and 83 yards, but once the Rattlers defense caught on to the Thunderbirds offensive scheme, the offense went little further, racking up 103 yards and five turnovers the rest of the way.
San Marcos returns home this Friday against Lake Travis. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Daily Record photo by Colton McWilliams Donovan Garcia breaks free on a rushing play. Garcia rushed for 84 yards on seven carries in the win over Wagner.
