Improving Rattlers fall short against Wagner

The Rattlers second half comeback came up short as San Marcos fell to the San Antonio Wagner Thunderbirds 40-17. 

Despite the loss, Head Coach John Walsh was proud of the team who has been slowly making improvements and signs of progress since Week 1.

“We are seeing the same thing after every game which is good,” Walsh said. “The first game was the first quarter [before it fell apart] in the last three quarters. Last week we went a whole half. Then tonight we were in the fourth quarter with the chance to take the ball and score for the win. I’m really proud of them and we are getting better each week.”

The Rattlers received the ball to start the game but were forced to punt after gaining one first down. 

The Thunderbirds gained a chunk of yards on a massive run before scoring from 15 yards as Wagner took the lead 7-0. 

The Rattlers then answered back quarterback Kane Hernandez passed to receiver Chase Curry on the screen pass before taking inside the redzone of the 77-yard play. Hernandez punched it in from the one yard as San Marcos tied the game at 7-7. 

Wagner retook the lead on their possession, scoring on a 35-yard touchdown run. But the Rattlers blocked the extra point attempt to make it 13-7 going into the second quarter. 

San Marcos attempted to score on the next drive but were turned away by the Thunderbird defense and punted. 

Wagner used another big rushing to go inside theSan Marcos ten yard line before scoring a one yard touchdown to extend the lead. 

However, the Rattlers came up with their second special teams play. The Thunderbirds opted for the unique Swinging Gate formation only for the ball to be hiked over the head of the quarterback. The Rattlers picked up the ball before returning it to the endzone for two points and cutting the deficit down to 19-9. 

San Marcos attempted to score again but went three and out before Wagner extended their lead on a 46-yard rushing touchdown to 26-9. 

San Marcos made one final attempt to reach the end zone and even crossed midfield but the Rattlers ran out of time and entered halftime trailing. 

Wagner received the ball to start the second half but the Rattler defense came up with the first big turnover of the game. The Rattlers forced the fumble before making the recovery to give the ball back to the offense. 

San Marcos drove down the field before attempting a long field goal attempt. The Rattlers surprised everyone by pulling a fake field goal but fell just short of the first down. 

Unfortunately the game turned ugly when a fight broke out near the sidelines leading to the ejection of two players, one from each team.

After the incident, Walsh addressed the team with the intent of getting the Rattlers refocused. 

“You have to tell them to play football,” Walsh said. “You can’t worry about the wrong things. You are playing stupid with stupid because if we take those yellow flags, we are moving on, getting the first down and the score looks a lot different.”

Wagner received possession of the ball back only for the Rattler defense to come up with the second turnover of the night. On third down, San Marcos forced another fumble and jumped on the ball to give it back to the offense. 

The Rattlers took advantage as Curry punched it from the one yard line before San Marcos scored the two-point conversion, cutting the lead down to 36-17. 

The San Marcos defense responded once again, this time stopping the Thunderbirds on fourth down and giving the ball back to the offense once more. 

The Rattlers crossed midfield and looked to score, making the game one possession before disaster struck. 

In the process of gaining a first down, San Marcos fumbled the ball, allowing Wagner to jump on it. On the next play, Wagner ripped off a 67-yard touchdown run to seal the game. The Thunderbirds tacked on a final touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make the final score 40-17. 

San Marcos will play their final non-district game of the season in a road trip against the Lake Travis Cavaliers.