HS Countdown to Kickoff: San Marcos battles with Austin Bowie

Austin Bowie and San Marcos had an intense two-game series while they shared the same district in 2016-17.

The first meeting, a home game for the Rattlers on Nov. 4, 2016, resulted in a blowout 59-7 victory for the Bulldogs. San Marcos got its revenge the next season, going down 16-10 at halftime, then scoring 21 points in the third quarter for a 31-26 come-from-behind win on Nov. 9, 2017.

The Bulldogs are always one of the toughest teams in their division, though, earning a playoff berth in each of the past 13 seasons, dating back to 2007. The team will contend for another postseason spot this year after losing 25 of its lettermen and bringing back another 25, including 10 starters — four on offense and six on defense.

Bowie was hit by injuries in 2019, going 5-6 overall with a 4-4 record in district play. Multiple players were called upon to contribute. One of them was quarterback Diego Tello, who threw for 920 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore. The junior will run the Bulldogs’ offense again this year and have his top target back in senior wide receiver Jason Gaines, who will also play on defense in the secondary. Sophomore running back Noah Camacho will likely get the most work in the backfield and run behind a line that features a trio of two-way starters in seniors Blake Guerra and Zach Jones and junior Rick Mao.

The team returns a large portion of its secondary in senior defensive back Thanio Bright, who registered 100 tackles last year, and juniors Cash Peters, Lino Rodriguez, Noah Vasquez and Will Welch. Starting linebackers Zach Stachura and Jackson Howard will also give Bowie a boost after being sidelined with injuries last season.

The Rattlers are scheduled to visit the Bulldogs in Austin on Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football (DCTF) magazine predicts Bowie to finish in fifth place in District 26-6A, which would end the program’s 13-year playoff streak.