HS Countdown to Kickoff: San Marcos hosts SA East Central

The purple and white will host an old district foe in their first game inside San Marcos Toyota Rattler Stadium of the 2021 season.

San Marcos and San Antonio East Central are both 3-3 against each other since 2014, though the Hornets won the last two meetings in 2018 and ‘19. The teams were supposed to face each other again in a non-district game in 2020, but the matchup was scrapped after the COVID-19 pandemic caused some rescheduling.

East Central struggled with its move to District 27-6A, falling from a 5-5 overall record in 2019 to 2-7 in 2020. The Hornets, led by head coach Joe Hubbard, will return 28 lettermen after losing 31 graduates, including 13 starters — seven on offense and six on defense.

The team will lean on its defense to set the tone. Senior linebacker Cornell George will lead the way after putting up 83 tackles last season. He’ll be joined up front by defensive linemen Michael Pinones and Blake Rodriguez, who combined for five sacks. Defensive backs Elijah Simons and Damien Locke will anchor the secondary.

The offense will hope to reap the benefits of last year’s growing pains. Senior quarterback Caden Bosanko will line up behind center for a third consecutive year after throwing for 806 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He’ll have a big receiver to throw to in Reginald Stewart, who’s listed at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, and caught 21 passes for 406 yards and five scores. The backfield will feature a one-two punch in junior running backs Juan Hernandez, who will also play on defense as a linebacker, and Kenyon McClure.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine predicts East Central to finish seventh in its district this year, missing out on the playoffs. The Hornets will play the Rattlers on the road on Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m.