SAN ANTONIO – The race to the playoffs officially begins in Week 4 of the high school football season, as district play kicks into high gear. Big Game Coverage (BGC) will be there every step of the way, starting with a pivotal battle between hard-nosed, smash-mouth football teams at Ranger Stadium on Friday night.
As always, the KSAT 12 sports team breaks down all the action on the Big Game Coverage Preview show.
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Instant Replay producer Daniel P. Villanueva gets Sports Director Greg Simmons and Anchor Larry Ramirez together in studio every Thursday to discuss the week’s matchups, 12′s Top 12 rankings and which players stand out from the rest. A new guest appears this week, and Greg Simmons gives a special shoutout to Lanier!
>> WATCH THE BGC PREVIEW SHOW HERE <<
A crucial district opener is our Game of the Week:
WAGNER VS. SMITHSON VALLEY
Prior to last season, Smithson Valley undoubtedly had Wagner’s number. The Rangers won all seven previous meetings between the two programs and averaged 36.5 points per game in those contests. Their average margin of victory? 21.5 points per game.
That all changed with the Thunderbirds’ return to District 27-6A in 2020. After two years dominating at the Class 5A level, Wagner opened the season by stunning Smithson Valley 27-24 in overtime at Rutledge Stadium.
This year, the game will be played on the Rangers’ home turf, where they have not lost to the Thunderbirds this decade. Both squads feature highly-explosive, run-first offenses geared towards winning the line of scrimmage. Wagner won their last two games by 38 points or more, while Smithson Valley has outscored their opponents by an average of 25 points en route to a perfect 3-0 start.
Will the Thunderbirds shock the Rangers again? Or will Smithson Valley remain undefeated and reclaim bragging rights in a classic district tilt? It will all be decided on the gridiron at Ranger Stadium on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Thursday night’s MeTV Game of the Week features a big District 29-6A showdown between a pair of undefeated teams: Taft vs. Marshall! Both squads feature high-octane offenses and opportunistic defenses. To hear from both squads prior to kickoff on Thursday night, click here!
Anchor Larry Ramirez and photographer Eddie Latigo pack their bags and head south of the Alamo City for our weekly BGC Road Trip, with stops in Jourdanton, Pleasanton and Poth!
Here’s the list of games they are covering in order:
- Eagle Pass Winn (2-1) vs. Jourdanton (0-3) - The Indians have scored 14 or more points in every game this season, and have another chance to build momentum before they start district play in Week 5.
- Devine (3-0) vs. Pleasanton (2-1) - These two teams have played in each of the past three seasons. The Eagles won twice in 2018 (39-14) and 2019 (41-26), but the Warhorses won the most recent matchup in 2020, 30-7.
- Shiner (3-0) vs. Poth (2-0) - This is the first time these two teams have faced each other in the last decade.
From the start of games on Thursday to the final whistle on Saturday, you can keep up with the latest updates by visiting our Scores & Schedules page! That includes every game’s date, kickoff time and location. It will be updated with live scores throughout the night so you can track every game in progress.
>> You can find the full Week 4 Schedule and Scores right here! <<
What do the experts have to say about Week 4′s schedule?
COVER 2
It’s hard to believe we are about to start Week 4 of the high school football season, especially after the week we just had.
I still can’t believe the scoring frenzy at the end of the Taft-Holmes game, where the Raiders had just scored to go up 14-7 late in the fourth quarter only to see Joaquin Ramirez return the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. And with no time on the clock, the Huskies go for two and the pass is broken up in the end zone by a Taft defender. What a finish. What a call to go for two and the win instead of kicking the extra point for the tie.
That brings us to the game I’m looking forward to the most this week: the District 27-6A opener for Wagner and No. 3 Smithson Valley at Ranger Stadium. The Thunderbirds have only lost one game this season, and that was their opener against undefeated No. 4 Johnson 21-13. Since that game, they have gone on to beat Stevens 69-0 and Laredo Alexander 41-3. The Rangers have victories over Warren, Madison and El Paso Eastwood, where Smithson Valley is scoring 34 points per game while giving up only nine per game.
The Brooks brothers are heading to Poth and headline this week’s BGC Road Trip. The Shiner Comanches, led by Dalton and Doug Brooks, will play at the Poth Pirates Friday night. Shiner is 3-0 and ranked No. 2 in Texas in Class 2A Division 1 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Poth is 2-0 and No. 10 in Class 3A Division 2.
Dalton and Doug helped Shiner beat Post 42-20 in last season’s 2A D1 State title game to finish the season 14-0. If you watched that game on TV, or in person, then you know why they are so special. Doug plays RB/DL, while Dalton is an athlete. Dalton took home Offensive MVP, while Doug earned Defensive MVP in that state title contest.
Poth is very talented and led by quarterback Jude George and linebacker Trevor Fuller. The Pirates had an unexpected week off after their game with CC London was canceled due to the teams being unable to secure an officiating crew. They defeated rival Falls City 17-14 two weeks ago and will be confident heading into this non-district heavyweight football game.
Here’s some of the latest high school sports headlines that you might have missed:
Watch Instant Replay on KSAT 12 Sunday nights at 11
Remember, Greg and Larry will recap all of the best highlights from Week 4 in the Best of BGC and reveal the updated rankings in KSAT 12′s Top 12 this Sunday night on Instant Replay. Catch you then!
Andrew Cely, KSAT 12 Sports Producer and Reporter
If you have any questions about this newsletter or story ideas for the season ahead, feel free to reach me via email at acely@ksat.com.