Bears keep rolling in win over Warriors, 58-13

With a fall chill in the air, the Bears kept cool in pressure situations. San Marcos Academy is one step closer to a state championship with a 58-13 win over the Legacy Academy Warriors Friday night. It was their first playoff home game in over 19 years. 

Junior Cole Krackau had the first touchdown for San Marcos Academy (8-3), and was within one yard of scoring the second as well. For short yardage situations the Bear battering ram, junior Wilson Guenther, is the man. Guenther, who overcame injuries earlier in the year, punched the ball in through the mass of bodies trying to stop him without breaking stride, and booked an additional touchdown by the end of the contest. Krackau scored the third touchdown for the Bears when he reached into the cookie jar and snagged the ball from a Warrior defender at the top of his route.

SMA pressure on the Warriors’ quarterback prevented accurate throws. Senior Chizi Efobi was the go-to Bear blitzer. Every play, he exploded from his stance with the ferocity of well tuned pistons. His play ignited the Bears’ defense, and made coverage in the secondary an easier task. Efobi finished the night with two sacks and five quarterback pressures. He was quick to share how the people around him led to his success.

“My teammates probably made me faster because you know I had to show off my speed to them a little bit, you know, who's the fastest on the team,” Efobi said. “I trust my teammates. It was amazing (to rush the quarterback with Wilson Guenther) because it’s speed and strength at the same time. (We) are a good duo when we're both rushing at the same time because you either (have to) pick to get hit really hard or to get hit really fast”

Momentum was completely in the Bears’ favor after the Warriors (5-4) could not score with the ball on 1st and goal at the one. Chizi Efobi created a significantly longer goal-to-go situation with a sack on first down. Second down from the 15 yard-line was a pass to the left side of the goal line, which was swatted out of the air by senior Inaki Infante-Valenzuela’s paw.  Cole Krackau made a wrap up tackle on third down and batted a ball down in coverage on fourth down. An ensuing SMA drive took only four plays to find the end zone, and they led the game 31-0 in the second quarter.

 Infante-Valenzuela was on the receiving end of the touchdown pass from junior quarterback Mitchell Howard. Howard dropped back with extra depth to ensure there was enough time to throw and gunned an arching pass down the middle of the field. Infante-Valenzuela posterized two defenders to snare the ball, then carried the ball the final five yards into the end zone. 

Inaki had a stellar performance, finishing the game with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The second interception capped the second Bears’ goal line stand. He could have had two more interceptions, but “it’s fourth down, we just let it drop so we can get better field position.” The connection he had with quarterback Mitchell Howard was so special it was more than words could describe. 

“Oh, that's, I can't explain that,” Infante-Valenzuela siad. “That's a different connection. It's like that quarterback (and) receiver, that holder (and) kicker connection.”

Mitchell Howard scrambled for a touchdown towards the end of the third quarter to give the SMA a 50-13 lead. His legs kept the offense moving, whether he was running past the line of scrimmage or buying time in the backfield to find an open receiver. 

“I realized in the first quarter, ‘I'm gonna be so sore tomorrow,’ but it's all worth it once we get that (win),” Mitchell joked.

After the defense did not allow a first down, Howard and Infante-Valenzuela connected for the duo’s third touchdown of the night. The point after pushed past the 45-point threshold and the game was over three plays into the fourth quarter. 

“Being able to embrace (next man up) and then just trying to find matchups in practice where guys can be the best versions of themselves for the team,” head coach Chris Chacon said of the team. “There's no better time than playoff time for those guys to really find out who they are and putting it on display. It (equated) to a 45-point win and ultimately, winning an area championship and advancing to the regional next week.” 

Next round for the Bears is a match-up against Midland Trinity (6-3) at Wolfenbarger Field in Mertzon scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20.