San Marcos set to battle No. 8 Cibolo Steele

Following their win over the Schertz Clemens Buffaloes to start off district at 1-0, the San Marcos Rattlers will now look toward what is perhaps their toughest test to date as they host the No. 8-ranked Cibolo Steele Knights.

Since opening in 2006, Cibolo Steele has dominated the series between San Marcos with the Knights leading 8-0 with the average score 48.1-11.5 in favor of Steele.

Not only has Steele owned the series, but the Knights established themselves as one of the top teams in San Antonio including being the last team from the area to win a state championship in 2010 and the last team to appear in a state title game.

After going undefeated last year and winning the district, Cibolo Steele has emerged as one of the top teams in the area, once again, with the Knights holding a record of 6-0 with some high profile wins over the top teams in the state.

For head coach John Walsh, the Knights are certainly one of the better teams the Rattlers will face this year.

“Steele is by far the best team in our district in regards to talent,” Walsh said. “They have beaten several quality opponents this year including Brennan 35-34 and Lake Travis 35-28.”

One of the keys to Steele’s success this season has been its offense which has averaged 40.6 points per game while holding its opponents to just 22.8 points per game.

The Knights are led by sophomore quarterback Chad Warner who has thrown for 1366 yards, 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Complementing the passing attack is a bruising running game led by senior running back Jaydon Bailey who leads the team in rushing with 908 yards and 17 touchdowns.

While the stats give all the glory to the skill position players, Walsh is more concerned about the least talked about position in football.

“All the stat guys talk about those skill players but they (Steele) has a fantastic offensive line,” Walsh said. “They also have a tight end that will get along the edge. It will be a tough task for us.”

San Marcos’ big win over Schertz Clemens in a 28-24 slugfest has firmly put the Rattlers in a prime position to qualify for the 6A playoffs come November.

Those takeaways in the Rattlers win will be key to competing with the Knights come Friday night.

“We did a good job of stopping the run against them (Schertz Clemons),” Walsh said. “It allowed us to keep our defense off the field and be fresh for later in the game.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Knights are led by senior Makai Williams who leads the team in tackles with 77 and junior Jacob King who leads the team in sacks with 3.5.

For the Rattlers on offense, it will require some hard work to be successful against the tough Steele defense.

“We have to be multiple on all fronts,” Walsh said. “We have to control the game on that side of the ball.”

But as long as San Marcos sticks with its gameplan, the Rattlers should compete with the Knights come Friday.

“We have to stay the course,” Walsh said. “If we can stick to our gameplan, we will be just fine.”

The Rattlers will take  on the Knights at 7:30 Friday night at Toyota Rattler Stadium.