Rattlers drop their home opener to Thunderbirds

San Marcos wasn’t able to get in rhythm Friday.

The Rattlers fell 62-17 to San Antonio Wagner in a triple-option showcase from the Thunderbirds. Wagner racked up eight rushing touchdowns throughout the night, moving the chains and finding the end zone consistently.

Wagner started out the game showing off their defense, forcing multiple three-and-outs on the Rattlers’ possessions early. San Marcos was able to get one score on the board in the first quarter though, with senior receiver and defensive back Tony Diaz doing the work offensively and defensively.

Diaz forced a fumble on the one-yard line of a longrun that would’ve been a Thunderbird touchdown, and subsequently took the ball 50-plus yards on a sweep play for a score to give San Marcos a 7-0 lead.

Wagner didn’t take long to respond–scoring on a 70-yard rush up the middle to even things up. The Thunderbirds also got stops in more ways than just three-and-outs in the first half, catching an interception off Kutter Gage Webb deep in Rattler territory to give them excellent field position.

The Thunderbirds would rush their way to the end zone once again, this time on a 10-yard run propelling them to a 14-7 advantage and their first lead of the game. After another three-and-out possession from San Marcos, Wagner drove down the field on the ground before dishing a play-action passing touchdown in the red zone to go up 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.

“We didn't run the football well. You know, and they ran a stack defensive and crowded the box,” head coach John Walsh said. “And it took me as a coach too long to figure out a way to run the football and by that time, it was too late. We manufactured some big plays, but we got to run the football better.

“The only way Tony gets open is if you run the football. The only way Tony doesn't get done was if you run the football so it always comes back to running the football. And we got our rear ends kicked at night because we couldn't run it well.”

Sophomore San Marcos running back Donovan Garcia was a spark plug for the Rattlers in his few carries in the first half–flipping the field for the Purple and White on a 40-plus yard rush to set up their second score of the game. Wagner was able to hold the Rattlers from a touchdown, but kicker Joseph Mendoza connected on a 29-yard kick to cut the lead to 21-10.

Wagner once again responded quickly with their triple-option offense. The Thunderbirds flipped the field with a big run of their own, before opening up a wide-open hole inside the red zone for another rushing touchdown to extend their lead to 28-10. San Marcos drove all the way inside Wagner’s 15-yard line on their following possession, but fumbled a hand-off to give the ball back to the Thunderbirds.

The fortunes would turn quickly in the Rattlers favor, as junior defensive back Braydon Heyward would force a fumble and pick it up and take it to the house, to give the Purple and White some much needed momentum and cut their deficit to 28-17. After another long-winding drive from Wagner, San Marcos forced a fumble again on the Thunderbird’s 14-yard line just before halftime to hold their lead at 28-17.

Wagner’s offense would pick up right where it left off for most of the first half. The Thunderbirds once again moved the chains consistently before punching in a 14-yard rush for a touchdown to extend their lead to 35-17 early in the second half.

San Marcos’ offense seemed to be moving the ball similarly with multiple chunk plays from senior running back Stefan Stennett on the ground, but the Rattlers fumbled and gave up possession just after moving past midfield. Wagner would capitalize using the same formula as their other drives, this time scoring on the ground from 27 yards out to make their lead 41-17.

The Thunderbird defense forced their first three-andout of the second half on San Marcos’ next drive. Wagner would continue to capitalize off their stops, this time taking a 55-yard rush to the house to make their lead 48-17 heading into the fourth quarter.

Wagner would open up the final quarter with another score. The Thunderbirds built their run to 27-0 in the second half with a seven-yard rushing touchdown after a long drive down the field extending their lead to 55-17 late in the game.

While the rest of the game would mainly be focused on running the clock, Wagner would get one more rushing score inside the red zone on the board before the clock hit zero–capping their lead at 62-17.

San Marcos will look to get their first win of 2023 against Laredo Alexander on Sept. 15. The Rattlers will kick off against the Bulldogs in Toyota Rattler Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

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