Can you believe we’re already three weeks into the 2021 high school football season? Week 3 of KSAT 12′s Big Game Coverage (BGC) thinned the ranks of the undefeated teams in the San Antonio area thanks to a number of high-profile matchups, including Somerset’s victory over McCollum and Floresville’s dramatic win against Southwest Legacy.
Before we dive any deeper into the results, let’s highlight the biggest moments from the week that was in Week 3′s Best of BGC.
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Week 3 featured some awesome fans, runs, passes and catches all across the greater San Antonio area. Check out the best of the best, including plays from Reagan, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Somerset, Floresville and Holmes!
>> Click here to check out the Best of BGC from Week 3! <<
Week 3′s results have shifted the landscape of KSAT 12′s Top 12 once again. Judson tumbled out of the top four after their second straight loss, while two new teams made the cut. Find out who’s in and who’s out heading into Week 4!
>> See the full Week 4 rankings by clicking here! <<
Three of the best games from Week 3 featured battles between undefeated teams! Let’s take a deep dive into each one of them in our weekly segment Three Deep.
THREE DEEP
McCOLLUM VS. SOMERSET
Bulldog Stadium hosted KSAT 12′s Game of the Week, and Somerset emerged victorious thanks to a stellar all-around performance.
The Bulldogs’ defense once again established their dominance against a dangerous Cowboys offense. Junior Daniel Salinas set the tone by wrestling the ball away from a wide receiver in the first half, securing the first of two interceptions on the night. Meanwhile, the defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and limited McCollum to 53 combined rushing yards.
Somerset’s offense capitalized on takeaways and added timely scores. Quarterback Koal Detmer threw a pair of touchdowns to Jaxon Gutierrez in the second quarter. The second of those two TDs came with only 12 seconds to play in the first half, and the Bulldogs led 14-7 at the break. Detmer finished with 193 yards passing and three touchdowns, while running back Jacob Alcorta paced the offense and the clock with 87 yards rushing. He has accounted for 319 total rushing yards in three games this season.
McCollum quarterback Sean Tejeda kept the Cowboys in the game all night long. He threw for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns against a stout secondary. Tejeda was also the team’s leading rusher with 29 yards on the ground.
>> Click here to watch all of the highlights from Friday night! <<
SOUTHWEST LEGACY VS. FLORESVILLE
The Floresville faithful witnessed a game for the ages on Friday night at home against Southwest Legacy.
Trailing 41-38 in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter with the ball at midfield, Tigers quarterback Braeden Fuller picked up a botched snap off the ground, rolled right, eluded three Titans defenders and heaved a 50-yard bomb to the endzone. Somehow, the ball found two sets of hands. Both belonged to Floresville.
Wide receivers Preston Freeman and Nate Luther caught the ball at the same time. Freeman was credited with the game-winning touchdown, and the Tigers’ sideline erupted in celebration. A year after finishing 3-7 overall, Floresville has started the 2021 season with a 3-0 record.
That stunning moment capped what might end up being the craziest game of the year. The Tigers and Titans combined for 12 total TDs -- six in the fourth quarter alone -- and 10 lead changes. Fuller was a stud under center for Floresville, finishing with 193 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with 144 yards and two scores on the ground. Princeton commit Dareion Murphy added 119 yards and a touchdown as well.
Despite suffering the program’s first loss under new head coach Robert Bruce, Titans QB Zezar Tovar continued his torrid start to the 2021 campaign with a whopping 314 passing yards and four total touchdowns. Running back Alex Garza added a pair of scores on the ground as well.
TAFT VS. HOLMES
Another marquee matchup of undefeated teams lived up to the billing on Friday night at the Gus, as the Holmes Huskies showed their mettle against the dynamic Taft Raiders.
One week after racking up by more than 300 yards on the ground against Veterans Memorial, Taft running back TJ Andrews put up huge numbers once again, including an 82-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter that opened the scoring. He averaged more than five yards per carry for the remainder of the night and finished with 170 rushing yards. The Huskies responded with a 14-yard touchdown run from Christopher Maxey, and both teams headed into halftime tied 7-7.
That was still the score late in the fourth quarter until the Raiders finally broke through with Justice Hurt’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Jamel Criswell. Trailing 14-7 with eight ticks left in regulation, Holmes found an answer once again. Joaquin Ramirez fielded the ensuing kick on a hop, found a crease and raced down the near sideline for a stunning 80-yard touchdown. But instead of kicking the extra point and playing for overtime, the Huskies decided to roll the dice and go for the win with a two-point conversion attempt. Quarterback Christopher Medelez’s pass fell incomplete, and the Raiders escaped with a thrilling 14-13 victory.
>> Click here to watch all of the highlights from Saturday night! <<
Time for some expert analysis!
COVER TWO
It seems like the high school football season just keeps getting better each week, and Week 3 was no exception.
The district-opening game between Taft and Holmes came down to the wire in a battle of the early unbeatens. When Holmes scored the touchdown late to pull them within 1, they did not kick the extra point for the tie and overtime. They went for the win. Unfortunately for the Huskies, the two-point conversion pass failed, but what a game.
It’s great to see the 3-0 start for Somerset. Koy Detmer, taking over for his late father Sonny Detmer, led the Bulldogs past McCollum, who was another one of those surprising early unbeatens, in a game that had dead-even scoring in the second half.
And how about Harlandale and Marshall both getting off to 3-0 starts? The Rams are set to face No. 7 Taft, who is also 3-0, in KSAT 12′s MeTV TSP Game of the Week on Thursday at Gustafson Stadium.
Our “Big Game” in KSAT’s Big Game Coverage this Friday is Wagner vs No. 3 Smithson Valley to open play in District 27-6A. And don’t forget defending Class 2A State champion Shiner traveling to Poth on Friday in a battle between No. 1 vs. No. 2 in KSAT 12′s Top 12 Sub-5a poll.
My BGC Road Trip observations from Week 3: The El Paso Eastwood Troopers own one of the biggest blowup tunnels I’ve ever seen. A member of the tunnel crew told me the front of the tunnel, which is shaped like Texas with a picture of the Troopers’ mascot on the front, stands 30 feet tall. It was nearly as tall as the goal post uprights and took four people to hold with long straps, so the wind wouldn’t take it away. Smithson Valley beat the Troopers 42-14 on Homecoming.
New Braunfels beat New Braunfels Canyon 35-21 to win the Wurst Bowl for the 7th straight time. The Unicorns’ offense is led by a four-headed monster in QB Aiden Baumann, RB Ryker Purdy, and WRs Lance Beeghley and Landon Marsh. If those four keep playing good ball, the Unicorns will make some noise in District 27-6A.
San Marcos beat East Central 28-16 behind a great game from running back Jayden Brown. The junior had 17 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns. It’s the second time I’ve seen him play this season, and I’m impressed. Against the Hornets, he scored from 30 yards out, breaking tackles and bouncing off defenders to find the endzone. He would not be denied. Brown saved his best carry for last. With less than 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, he broke off a 58-yard touchdown run, swerving through the defense and then diving in the end zone with a defender trying to tackle him.
After a two-year hiatus, football finally returned to TMI Episcopal’s campus on Friday night. In many ways, visiting TMI’s football field always feels like traveling back in time. The grass is longer on the sidelines, the officials make players physically walk penalties off, and the stands are packed with a small-town atmosphere. It’s a perfect slice of classic football culture, illuminated by floodlights as the sun sets in the distance.
The passion was palpable as the Panthers took control of their game against Lake Country Christian with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Jaylen Gardner was open all night, and he caught two critical passes that helped turn the tide. The first was a 27-yarder that eventually led to a one-yard TD run from Lance Kahl on fourth-and-goal. Mere moments later, Gardner would haul in a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Bellucci. Gardner finished with 80 receiving yards on the night in a 17-7 home-opening victory.
Head coach Ray Purifoy has these Panthers believing they can do great things this year. It’s fun to see the team express their joy on the field in front of a raucous home crowd.
Here’s a look at some of the local sports headlines you might have missed this week:
Watch Big Game Coverage Preview show Thursday at 4 p.m.
Greg Simmons and Larry Ramirez will get you set up for Week 3 of the high school football season with our weekly Big Game Coverage Preview show, featuring breakdowns of KSAT 12′s Game of the Week and some of the biggest matchups to watch. You won’t want to miss this week’s special guest! See 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.