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Photo by Gerald Castillo

Rattlers prepare for season opener at New Braunfels

San Marcos Football
Thursday, August 26, 2021

Everyone anticipates the start of football season in Texas.

It’s the footsteps of family tumbling through the gates, the smell of hot dogs, popcorn and hot chocolate in mid November, the antics of student sections, the screams of fans and the end of a nearly year-long hiatus of the pigskin spinning through the air in a meaningful game.  Everyone responds to the aura that surrounds Texas high school football. Players, coaches and media soak in the start of the season differently. San Marcos’ head coach John Walsh soaked it in by driving past Unicorn Stadium three times this past week — the home of the Rattlers’ week one opponent, New Braunfels.

Recently, the Rattlers haven't been able to find a way to beat their former district opponent from down the street. New Braunfels is 8-0 against its rival in the last eight meetings, including handing Walsh his first loss in San Marcos. Over the last 10 years, it's been heartbreak after heartbreak for the purple and white. They lost a nail-biter on Oct. 19, 2012, in overtime, 38-31. In 2017, the Unicorns pulled away in the fourth quarter of a close battle to win, 54-42. Both teams scored five touchdowns in 2020’s season opener, but four of the Rattlers’ PAT attempts missed the uprights, resulting in a 35-31 loss.

Since San Marcos’ staff is now in its second year, junior starting quarterback Isaiah DeLeon has some experience at the varsity level. The team emphasized getting “stronger in the trenches” over the summer and everyone has bought into the schemes that have developed over the last two years. It's a new season and with all the moving parts connected, Walsh is looking forward to the new version of his team on Friday nights. 

“I think every year is a different year,” Walsh said. “You know (last year’s New Braunfels) game was really misleading. The score was close and we could’ve won it but I think we had four really big plays that really kept us in the game and then they had steady drives. And so, I think the score was deceptive. We probably got beat a little more than that score showed but we're just ready for the new year for the new New Braunfels-San Marcos game. I'm excited and I’m ready for that place to be filled up and for a good night.”

Last season, the Unicorns ran the ball 40 times for 199 yards in the season opener. This year, expect to see a similar but more-diverse scheme from the hosts as they return leading running back Ryker Purdy, who damaged the Rattlers run defense with 5.2 yards per carry and two touchdowns. The coaching staff has been studying film but only have a one game sample size. The Rattler staff still was able to find a comparison to another former district foe to see what they do well. 

“They seem to be a little more multiple. I thought they were more spread last year in their concepts and it looked like Smithson Valley. They seem to be a little spread with some slot work in there,” Walsh said. “They're making us work on defense a little bit. We just gotta simply fly to the ball. You know, it all comes down to who's blocking who and who's tackling who and we want to be better at both.”

The season will come down to whether the front of the defense can create pressure on opposing teams' quarterbacks and get the ball into the Rattler offense's hands more often than not. There might not be a better test against the line than a team that will run the ball until you stop them.

If San Marcos can get the Unicorn offense off the field, its own offense will face less pressure on the road this Friday. That starts with DeLeon steering the ship under center. The junior is coming off of a summer of countless college camps. His arm was on full display with a 55-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Ryan Hix in the teams scrimmage against Laredo United South last week but his strong suit seems to be using his legs and getting out of tight jams. 

“I think I’ve figured out what I can do more and it has brought my confidence up a lot,” DeLeon said. “From the coaches, just learning to be able to learn to read the defense and learn it quickly. So that's where I think I’ve improved a lot.”

His growth, along with an experienced receiving corps made up of Jamil Gordon, Nathan Henry and Ryan Hix, should help the team improve from its 2-7 record from a year ago. 

San Marcos will try to put a halt to New Braunfels’ multi-year win streak in the season opener Friday inside Unicorn Stadium at 7 p.m. The last few games have been tough for the Rattlers but they believe the past is in the past and it's time to turn the tide.

“We’re gonna expect to win. We’re going over there with every expectation, we're not going over there for a moral victory, we're going over there to win,” safeties coach Bryan Webb said. “That’s what you do when you go to play teams like New Braunfels. You can't look at the past, you can't look back. And yeah we've had them there and blown it a couple times but it's time to get over that hump.”

San Marcos Record

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