PLAYOFF BOUND: Late-game touchdown pushes San Marcos past East Central, secures playoff berth

San Marcos knew it had only one shot to beat East Central, trailing 16-13 with 1:30 left in Friday’s regular-season finale.

The Rattlers executed a double-reverse pass which saw junior Kutter Gage Webb connect with running back Jaiydn Brown.

Webb said he knew his team was going to score as soon as the defense took the bait.

“As soon as I saw that outside linebacker coming, I knew JB was going to be open,” Webb said. “When I first saw him, my first thought was ‘Don’t overthrow throw him’”

Webb found Brown for the 31-yard touchdown with just 1:10 left in the game as San Marcos stunned East Central in a 20-16 win that sends the Rattlers to the playoffs.

Interim head coach Kurtis Kloiber couldn’t express how proud he was of the senior class that helped them secure the Rattlers’ second straight trip to the playoffs.

“I’m really happy for the seniors,” Kloiber said. “When we first came down here to San Marcos, these kids were just sophomores. They have really hung in there with the ebbs and flows of the season and now we are heading to the playoffs. I couldn’t be happier for them.”

Besides the trick play, it was the Rattlers playing complimentary football that sealed the deal for San Marcos’ playoff berth.

“We started playing complimentary football,” Kloiber said. “It always helps when your defense does something positive and your offense does something positive. We did a good job of not shooting ourselves in the foot though obviously we have some mistakes to clean up. It was complimentary football that probably got us the win.”

With five minutes left in the game, San Marcos opted to punt the ball despite trailing 16-13 in the fourth quarter.

Pinned back at its own 5-yard line, East Central quarterback Austin Vivier scrambled to get the first down.

However, San Marcos saved its last two timeouts.

The next series saw the Rattler defense stuff the Hornets from reaching the first down, forcing East Central to punt.

For senior linebacker Michael Garza, it was the defensive line that helped the defense stop the East Central offense.

“It started with the pressure up front,” Garza said. “Those are my guy s… they went out there and made some beautiful plays. It all started with the d-line.”

The Hornets punted the ball which was downed at the San Marcos 42.

The Rattlers got extra field position when East Central was flagged for a facemask penalty to move the ball down to the Hornets 31-yard line.

Facing third down, Rattlers needed a play to extend the drive and potentially take the lead.

So the offensive staff came up with the play the Rattlers have practice and performed in the games before this pivotal moment: The double-reverse pass.

“It’s a play Coach [John]Walsh has been running for a long time,” Kloiber said. “I saw that play so many times on the sidelines in situations where we needed something…there are a lot of mechanics that go into that play and the kids ran it perfectly. Hats off to the offensive staff for repping it practice and pulling it out when we needed it.”

When getting the play call, Webb only had one request for his teammates in the trenches.

“I just told the o-line to give me some time,” Webb said. “Give me four-five seconds because it’s a long double reverse.”

Once he saw Brown cross the endzone to retake the lead, Webb was happy for his senior running back.

“JB has done everything for this team,” Webb said. “There’s nothing better than catching the winning touchdown to clinch us a playoff spot.”

But Brown wasn’t the only senior Webb was playing for.

“Isaiah hurt his toe and then he got the flu so I was really playing for him,” Webb said. “I wanted him to get another game to finish his career off right however far we go … I like big moments since I’m a baseball player but I really wanted to get that win for Isaiah and the rest of the seniors.”

However, the game wasn’t done yet as East Central looked to extend its season.

Driving down the field, the Hornets drive ended when Garza picked the pass off the seal the win for the Rattlers.

“Coach Kloiber told me the cut right away so I did,” Garza said. “Sure enough the ball was right there in my face. As soon as I caught that ball I thought ‘To the Crib, To the Crib’ until I got tackled.”

Above, San Marcos linebackers Michael Garza and Brice Reeves team up for a tackle during the Rattlers’ game against Cibolo Steele earlier this season. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo

San Marcos will head to the playoffs for the second consecutive year where the Rattlers will square off with the San Antonio Brandeis Broncos at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 at Dub Farris Athletic Complex in San Antonio.