After opening the 2022 season with a pair of home games, the Rattlers will travel to San Antonio Wagner for its first road contest.
The Thunderbirds went 4-6 overall and 2-5 in District 27-6A play last year, finishing in sixth place in the league. Wagner will be playing in an entirely new division the next two seasons, though, after UIL realignment moved the school down to Class 5A Division I, where it previously made back-to-back state semifinals appearances in 2018 and ‘19. Head coach Jason Starin will lead a fairly inexperienced squad, returning just 15 lettermen, including eight starters — three on offense and five on defense.
San Marcos’ offensive line will face one of its biggest tests against the Thunderbirds’ defensive front. They’ll bring back their top two sacks leaders in junior Greg Williams and senior Nehemiah Hernandez, who combined for eight in 2021, as well as three of their top five tacklers in Williams (50 tackles, 9.0 TFLs) and seniors Nate Western (75 tackles, 5.0 TFLs) and Jyrine Campbell (52 tackles, 1.0 TFL). They’ll also lean on junior defensive back Darius Burley to lead the way in the secondary.
