HS Countdown to Kickoff: Rattlers to end season at Austin Akins

For the first time in 10 years, Austin Akins will have a new head coach at the helm.

The Eagles struggled in 2020, going 1-7 overall and 0-6 in district play, including a 21-0 loss at San Marcos in the season finale. Like the Rattlers, Akins hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2017. The team is hoping that changes soon with head coach Joey Saxe at the helm. The roster lost 25 graduates but bring back 17 returners, including eight starters — four on offense and four on defense.

The offensive line should be one of the better units in the district, anchored by 6-foot-6, 300-pound Kentucky commit Nikolas Hall. He’ll be joined in the trenches by junior Isaak Gonzales and senior Cordan Melder, who will also play on the defensive line. The offense has holes to fill, though. Sophomore Dillon Lofton will step up and likely get the first chance behind center. He’ll have senior wide receiver Michael Ybarra to throw to.

The defense will rely on multiple players that will line up on both sides of the ball. Senior linebacker/running back Skylar Cope-Duval, linebacker/wide receiver Zach Cagle and defensive back/wide receiver Kimani Smith should all contribute.

San Marcos travels to Austin to take on the Eagles on Nov. 5. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine predicts Akins to finish in eighth place in District 26-6A, below the Rattlers in seventh.