Welcome to the second edition of the free KSAT 12 Big Game Coverage Newsletter. If you are interested in a wrap-up of the biggest local high school football scores, highlights, players and teams, you can sign up for the biweekly newsletter for free right here.
Football is officially back! After three weeks of previews and preseason analysis, the 2021 high school football season kicks off tonight, and local football teams will get their chance to prove themselves on the field with dreams of AT&T Stadium in their minds.
What better way to celebrate a brand new season of Big Game Coverage (BGC) than with the inaugural Big Game Coverage Preview show?
KSAT 12 Sports and 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 to watch on the gridiron.
>> WATCH THE BGC PREVIEW SHOW HERE <<
For Week 1, the big topic on everyone’s mind is BGC’s Game of the Week:
NO. 1 BRENNAN VS. NO. 2 REAGAN
This is a colossal showdown between the two best teams in San Antonio as ranked by KSAT 12′s Top 12 and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine this preseason. By all accounts, the game should live up to the hype.
Dual-threat quarterbacks Ashton Dubose (Brennan) and Britton Moore (Reagan) headline offenses that shredded opposing defenses last year. Meanwhile, Brennan and Reagan have phenomenal defenses in their own right.
Reagan leads the all-time series 3-2, but Brennan has owned the last two matchups, winning 17-0 in 2019 and 26-14 in 2020. Over the course of those five games, the average margin of victory is a little over eight points per game, a perfect indicator of how evenly matched these two squads are.
If Brennan wins, they validate all of the preseason hype and tie the all-time series. If Reagan wins, they steal the early-season mantle as the team to beat in San Antonio. Both teams are eager to use this matchup as a benchmark to see just how good they really are. Kickoff at Farris Stadium is Friday night at 7 p.m.
Here’s an in-depth look at some of the other games to watch in Week 1:
- Madison vs. Clemens (You can watch the game live here at 7 p.m.)
- O’Connor vs. Brandeis (You can watch the game live here at 7 p.m.)
The first edition of KSAT 12′s BGC Road Trip heads to Comal County on Friday night! Anchor Larry Ramirez and photographer Eddie Latigo hit the road for a three-game trip with stops at Davenport High School, Canyon High School and New Braunfels High School.
Here’s the list of games covered in order:
- Blanco vs. Davenport - This marks the first all-time matchup between these two teams.
- East Central vs. Canyon - The Hornets and Cougars last met on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. East Central won that game 42-14.
- San Marcos vs. New Braunfels - These two teams meet in a season-opener for the second straight year. The Unicorns won last year’s matchup on the road 35-31. They have also defeated the Rattlers in each of the last five seasons.
Don’t forget, we do have a Scores & Schedules page dedicated to listing every single game’s date, kickoff time and location. It will be updated throughout the night with live scoring as well, so you can track every game in progress.
>> You can find the full Week 1 Schedule and Scores right here! <<
Lastly, it’s time to hear from the experts! Greg Simmons and Larry Ramirez take a brief moment to shine a spotlight on some of the things they’re most excited for in the very first edition of:
COVER 2
I’m excited over the fact we will have two of the biggest games in the state on our first full Friday night of the 2021 high school football season.
That includes Brennan vs Reagan. The Bears are ranked No. 17 in the state according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine, and the Rattlers are right behind them at No. 19. And according to 12′s top 12 preseason rankings released on Sunday, Brennan is No. 1 in the city and Reagan is No. 2. Not a bad way to start the season.
Across town from Farris Stadium, the bright lights of Friday night will also fall on the Judson Rockets hosting the DeSoto Eagles in Converse. The Eagles are ranked No. 15 in Class 6A followed by the Rockets at No. 23. Two of the top 25 teams in the state facing off in Rutledge Stadium, and the Rockets looking to make amends after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season by the Roosevelt Roughriders 28-21. That’s the first time that has happened to Judson since 2011.
Our first Big Game Coverage Road Trip this season will take us to Davenport High School, New Braunfels Canyon High School and New Braunfels High School to end the night.
I’m excited to open at Davenport to witness the start of the Wolves’ second season. They are sub-varsity, and currently not in a district nor eligible for the playoffs, but that isn’t stopping the team and community from being 100% excited. Head football coach JD Zimmerhanzel told KSAT 12 sports that season tickets are sold out and the stands will be packed Friday night when Davenport hosts Blanco. Davenport will find out its district after this season during the UIL’s 2022-2024 realignment.
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
We will recap all of the best highlights from Week 1 in the Best of BGC and unveil the updated rankings in KSAT 12′s Top 12 this Sunday night on Instant Replay. See you then!
Andrew Cely, KSAT 12 Sports Producer and Reporter
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