San Marcos Academy (6-3, 1-2 district) came up short in its road matchup with Texas School for the Deaf (4-4, 1-1), falling 21-0 Friday night in Austin.
The Bears struggled to get much going offensively throughout the game. Senior quarterback Bryce Patterson completed 9-of-27 for 75 yards and was intercepted twice during the game, while running for another 16 yards on 18 carries. Patterson's top target was senior Zach Whitaker, who caught four balls for 43 yards. Junior Robby Newman added another 29 yards rushing on six attempts.
The Rangers scored one touchdown in each of the first three quarters of the game before being shutout in the fourth. SMA senior Gordon Murphy tallied a team-high 16 total tackles, seven of them unassisted. He was followed by junior Alex Davis and senior Daven Meredith, who combined for another 18 stops.
Meredith also came up with a big play in the first quarter for the Bears. Senior Erick Fajardo forced a fumble on a run by TSD senior running back Kodi Lee. Meredith came up with the loose ball to give SMA possession of the ball 23 yards out from the hosts' end zone. Meredith also led the team with two tackles for a loss.
The Bears will close out their schedule next week when they host Boerne Geneva (4-4, 2-0) inside Ingram Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m. The team will recognize its 19 senior players prior to the game.
The contest will serve as SMA's final test before heading into the playoffs. The Bears will receive a bye during the final week of the regular season.
