White blows out Purple in Spring Game

The Rattlers finally got back on the Gridiron Friday night.

After storms moved the annual Purple and White Spring game from Thursday to Friday, San Marcos eagerly took the field at Toyota Rattler Stadium. San Marcos’ White team prevailed 42-10 and had an explosive night, with Purple’s lone touchdown being a defensive pick six early in the game.

“I think the defense started out [great], they’ve done really well against the run all spring long and it showed tonight — we didn’t run the ball great. It’s because they’re loading the box and they’re playing tough in the middle. [Offensively] with the cats that we’ve got, we’re going to be an explosive team,” head coach John Walsh said. “There’s going to be 50 plus yard touchdowns like you saw tonight with Hank, and [Elliott Gray] and Izayah had a pick. On top of that, Buck settled in and started delivering the ball pretty accurately. But there’s going to be some highlights with these cats on the field right here.”

While there were 35 total points scored in the first half, the game opened with a fairly defensive start. Both Purple and White teams forced three and outs for each squad’s opening possession. Quarterbacks played for both Purple and White while skill positions stayed with their respective teams.

The scoring finally got started after the first completion of the game where junior quarterback Buck Steyn found junior wide receiver Henry “Hank” Harris for a 21-yard completion. On the next play, Purple’s defense responded with junior Izayah Young picking off White and taking it to the house to give Purple a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

“I was just reading my keys [on the pick six]. We worked on it every day during spring practice. I saw a running back come out of the backfield, and he was wide open, and the ball was in the air,” Young said. “For me it was see the ball, go get the ball and that’s what it was. I was very excited. I was proud of myself getting in the end zone, [it was my] first personal score as a Rattler.”

White didn’t take long to respond though — Steyn and Harris connected on a 70-yard fade route bomb that ended in the end zone to tie the game at 7-7. White’s momentum continued on defense by forcing Purple to punt.

Steyn found junior receiver Elliott Gray early in the next drive to bring White down to their own 39-yard line. That’s when Steyn found Harris across the middle for their second touchdown of the night — Harris beat multiple defenders after the catch while also recovering his own fumble on the way to a score to give White a 14-7 advantage.

Purple was able to get near the red zone during their next drive, but White once again made a big play with an interception around the 10-yard line that was returned all the way to the opposite 40-yard line, which gave White possession. White extended their lead with quarterback Cane Hernandez tossing a 20-yard touchdown pass that was caught in a tip drill by Julian Gutierrez to give White a 21-7 advantage.

White once again forced a punt on defense, and marched down the field with receptions from Gray and Harris along the way. The drive ended with Steyn and Harris’ third touchdown connection of the game on a 10-yard slant route to give White a 28-7 lead heading into halftime.

“One of the biggest losers tonight are the coaches that put the teams together and were supposed to be even. That wasn’t very good, but they competed. My take as a head coach is we were injury free all through spring and unfortunately at the end right there Hank (got hurt) and obviously has a knee injury,” Walsh said. “We don’t know the extent yet, but we’ll get that taken care of on Monday. Whatever it is, he’s going to heal and be fine. You see how good of a player he is. Other than that, the energy has been great all spring and it’s been good to watch that energy translate to a game-like situation.”

White began the second half with the ball and once again marched down the field with a 40+ yard quarterback scramble and a screen pass that was fumbled, recovered and taken to the house to give White a 35-7 advantage.

Purple’s next drive was one of their most successful, but still ended with a momentous play for White. Steyn had connections with receiver Jordan Lampkin for 20-yards and Aidan Benavides for 45-yards to get into White’s red zone. White’s defense stood strong though, forcing a turnover on downs to keep purple off the board. That wasn’t the end of White’s momentum either — Steyn hit Gray for a 97yard bomb on a fade route to score on the next play and gave White a 42-7 lead late in the game.

“My mentality as a receiver is if it’s catchable, go get the ball. Like anything I can see, I can go get, I just gotta go get it. But this is what I’m saying about [our] chemistry. On the 97 yard play, I told my quarterback, if [the corners] even, I’m leaving,” Gray said. “If he’s not, I’m hitching, and he stayed even with me. So me and my quarterback got that chemistry, and I just took it to the crib — go ball — touchdown.”

Steyn found receiver Mason Maguire for a 19-yard gain early in the drive and Purple’s rushing attack came alive getting them all the way down to the one-yard line. White once again got a goal line stop, forcing Purple to kick a field goal and make the score 42-10, which would be the final score of the game.

“We’ve made lots of strides. Not just what you saw on the field with the skill level, but in the weight room,” Walsh said. “This summer is going to be really key for us because these guys are really good. But the stronger you get, the better you get. And we’ve got big goals ahead of us. So we’re going to hit that weight room hard.”

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