San Marcos opens district play at home as the Rattlers host Hays County rival the Buda Johnson Jaguars.
The Jaguars enter the game with a 1-3 overall record, with their lone win coming against Austin High in a 34-0 victory. Last week, Buda Johnson fell to Dripping Springs 52-0.
The Jaguars are coming off a 6-4 regular season and a fourth place finish in District 29. Johnson was able to beat Converse Judson 38-36 to secure the final playoff spot for the program’s second-ever postseason berth.
Against San Marcos last season, the Jaguars were able to pull away from the Rattlers in the second half for a 49-19 win.
In the Bi-district round, Johnson defeated Laredo United 41-14 for the Jaguars’ first-ever playoff win. The Jaguars then followed up with a win over Los Fresnos 23-20 in the Area round and advanced to the 6A Division I Regional Semifinals.
Johnson’s season ended against Austin Westlake where the Jaguars fell 5214 against the Chaparrals.
Senior quarterback Jace Tello leads the Jaguar offense as their leading passer and leading rusher. Tello has passed for 271 yards while rushing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Against the Tigers, Tello rushed for 55 yards on eight carries.
Second in rushing is senior running back Jonathan Beck with 16 carries for 128 yards and two touch- downs.
On defense, senior linebacker Bre Giello leads the team in both total tackles [52] and solo tackles [27] along with 4.0 tackles for loss.
Senior outside linebacker Stylz Ogden is second in total tackles with 38 along with 19 solo tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss. Ogden also has one interception for the Jaguar defense.
While the series history between the Rattlers and the Jaguars is short, with last season being the firstever meeting, the rivalry between San Marcos and Buda is not.
Dating back to 1988, the San Marcos-Buda rivalry is a hotly contested affair, drawing thousands of fans to each game to see the Hays County neighbors compete at a high level.
One of the most legendary games came during the 1998 season, when undefeated San Marcos faced off against undefeated Hays at UFCU Stadium. The game drew a reported attendance of 16,300, making it the second-largest attended game in stadium history at that point.
While Hays remains the older high school, Johnson has emerged as the center point of high school athletics in Buda, with an enrollment of 2,815, competing at the highest classification of UIL.
In the first year of district competition between the Rattlers and the Jaguars, shades of the rivalry between San Marcos and Buda can be seen, with every game featuring high level competition and large crowds cheering on their respective teams to see who is the best in Hays County.
Kickoff for San Marcos-Johnson is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday Sep. 26 at Toyota Rattler Stadium.
