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KSAT 12′s Big Game Coverage (BGC) just seems to get better every week! Heavyweight matchups between undefeated teams highlighted some huge games on the Week 7 schedule, and all of them lived up to the hype, including a back-and-forth battle at the Gus on Thursday and a valiant comeback effort on Friday at Orem Stadium.
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There’s a lot to break down, but first, let’s take a moment to highlight the biggest moments from the week that was in Week 7′s Best of BGC.
Week 7 featured all kinds of incredible plays from the greater San Antonio area. Check out the best of the best, including plays from Taft, Alamo Heights, Roosevelt and Boerne!
>> Click here to check out the Best of BGC from Week 7! <<
After seven weeks of play, we still have six undefeated teams in our weekly KSAT 12′s Top 12 rankings. The top five Class 6A and 5A teams held serve, but the remaining seven spots saw plenty of movement. Find out who’s in and who’s out heading into Week 8!
>> See the full Week 8 rankings by clicking here! <<
Week 7′s Game of the Week came down to the final possession.
ALAMO HEIGHTS 36, FLORESVILLE 29
Two undefeated teams entered Orem Stadium on Friday night looking to stake their claim on the District 15-5A Division II standings. Alamo Heights emerged victorious.
The Mules (6-0, 1-0) earned their fourth straight victory over Floresville (5-1, 0-1) thanks to a fast start offensively. Quarterback James Sobey found wide receiver Rett Andersen twice for touchdowns in the first 14 minutes of play, as Alamo Heights shot out to a 22-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Tigers righted their ship midway through the frame on quarterback Braeden Fuller’s three-yard strike to Nate Luther, but the Mules benefited from a huge turnover late in the half. Floresville lined up to punt with less than a minute left before halftime, but the snap sailed over the punter’s head. Alamo Heights linebacker Roan Erwin corralled the loose ball and returned it 13 yards for a back-breaking score, and the Mules returned to the locker room with a 29-7 lead at the break.
After Fuller raced to the end zone on a 17-yard QB keeper early in the third quarter, Sobey found Andersen for the third time on a perfect 55-yard bomb that gave Alamo Heights a 36-14 lead and appeared to put the game on ice. Sobey completed 12 passes for 228 yards, while Andersen caught four passes for 150 yards and three scores.
Floresville did not go down without a fight. Fuller threw a pair of touchdown passes to Preston Freeman and Dareion Murphy in the fourth quarter, as the Tigers cut a 22-point deficit down to just seven with 5:50 left in regulation. But the Mules stayed calm and ran out the remainder of the clock to secure the victory. Alamo Heights is undefeated through six games for the first time since 2016. Four of their six victories have been decided by eight points or less.
THREE DEEP
BOERNE 39, PLEASANTON 31 (OT)
What an incredible start to District 14-4A Division I play!
Boerne (4-2, 1-0) jumped out to a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter, as quarterback Rashawn Galloway threw three touchdown passes to Houston Hendrix, Koby Hunter and JP Castro. Pleasanton (5-2, 0-1) responded with an impressive stretch of their own. Eagles QB Sean Ramos completed 12 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns, running back Joel Arevalo racked up 151 yards and a score on 32 carries, and the home team scored 24 straight points to take a 31-21 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Greyhounds were not done yet. Adrian Cuervo cut the deficit down to three points with a five-yard touchdown run, and Boerne mounted a potential game-winning drive with under a minute left in regulation. Galloway put his body on the line on a QB keeper that picked up a first down and brought the Greyhounds within four yards of the end zone, but following a tough collision, there was a clear limp to his gait, and the next couple passes fell incomplete. Boerne settled for a field goal, and Justin Moore kicked a 21-yarder through the uprights to tie the game at 31.
Boerne had the ball first in OT, but Galloway did not take the field under center. The injury had clearly taken its toll. Instead, Hendrix filled in and took a direct snap to the house for a 17-yard touchdown on fourth down that gave the Greyhounds an improbable 39-31 lead. On the ensuing Eagles possession, Jayden Palacios answered with an incredible catch over double-coverage that gave Pleasanton first-and-goal at the one yard line. He finished with four catches for 99 yards and two scores. But the Greyhound defense was up to the task, piecing together a remarkable goal line stand to end a wild game and secure Boerne’s third straight victory.
>> Click here to watch all of the highlights from Friday night! <<
KENNEDY 28, EDISON 25
The race for the District 13-5A Division I title got even crazier on Saturday night with Kennedy’s dramatic, come-from-behind victory over Edison at Alamo Stadium.
Both teams traded scores in the first half and were effectively tied, but the Golden Bears seized control of the game with a 10-point surge late in the third quarter. Quarterback Roger Lopez put Edison (3-4, 3-2) in front 22-14 with his third touchdown of the game. He completed 10 passes for 153 yards, ran for two touchdowns and caught another, a 16-yard reception from Isaiah Tovar. Gerdado Torres’ 29-yard field goal gave Edison a two-possession advantage with 9:15 left in regulation.
Four minutes later, the Rockets answered. Running back Alfredo Romero found the end zone for the second time on a 10-yard keeper that made it a four-point game with 5:30 on the clock. The Kennedy defense got the ball back to their offense, and quarterback Joseph Simmons had another chance to lead the Rockets to victory. He capped one last drive with his second touchdown pass of the game, a 15-yard strike to Devin Starks. That proved to be the game-winner, as Kennedy (3-3, 1-3) earned their first win in district play, 28-25. Simmons’ final stat line: seven completions for 166 yards, 11 carries for 110 yards and three total touchdowns.
>> Click here to watch all of the highlights from Saturday night! <<
POTEET 27, JOURDANTON 25
District 14-3A Division I has already seen a number of back-and-forth battles, and Friday night’s showdown between Poteet and Jourdanton certainly qualifies.
After Poteet (6-1, 3-0) raced out to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter, Jourdanton (3-4, 2-1) answered with 18 straight points. Jordan Castillo returned a fumble 98 yards for a game-changing touchdown late in the first half, as the Indians trailed 21-19 at the break. In the fourth quarter, Jourdanton took their first lead of the game on an incredible leaping grab by Luke Tapp. His third touchdown of the night put the Indians up 25-21.
But the Aggies’ special teams and defense helped turn the tide. A blocked punt set up running back Ernest Davila’s go-ahead touchdown with less than four minutes left on the clock, and Martin Ibarra sealed the comeback with an interception, as Poteet took control of the race for the district title.
>> Click here to watch all of the highlights from Thursday night! <<
COVER 2
What a great Week 7 we just saw in high school football. It opened with what a lot of us thought was the Game of the Week. In fact, it was the KSAT-Texas Sports Productions Game of the Week at Gustafson Stadium: No. 1 Brennan hosting No. 6 Taft. Both entered with undefeated records, but since the Raiders had played one more game, they were on top of District 29-6A.
Raiders quarterback Justice Hurt was incredible with 284 yards rushing and three touchdowns. That included a 72-yarder to get the scoring started in the first quarter and another 40-yard rush that forced the Bears to play from behind. But Bears running back Jason Love countered with a 48-yard touchdown and an eight-yard score. Brennan QB Ashton Dubose posted 208 yards passing with one touchdown in the air and another on the ground in the 42-28 victory. Brennan (6-0, 4-0) takes over the district lead with Taft (6-1, 4-1) right behind them.
Lanier is are back in 12′s top 12 this week at No. 11 after their 21-14 victory over Brackenridge on Thursday night. The Voks improved to 5-1 overall, 3-1 in District 13-5A Division I.
The ‘Big Game’ in our Big Game Coverage on Friday night was just that. In a battle of the unbeatens to kick off district play in 15-5A-II, the Alamo Heights Mules held off the Floresville Tigers 36-29.
Alamo Heights thought they had caged the Tigers in the third quarter when QB James Sobey found Rett Anderson on a 55-yard touchdown pass, that gave the Mules a 36-14 lead. But that would be the last scoring drive for Alamo Heights on the night, as Floresville scored 15 unanswered points in the 4th quarter -- including a 43-yard touchdown pass from Braeden Fuller to Dareion Murphy -- to pull within one score with six minutes left. But Alamo Heights would hold on from there.
Can’t wait for Week 8.
Carrizo Springs defeated Devine 33-26 at home on Friday night, and KSAT 12 sports was there to see history. From what the Wildcats told us, that’s the first time they have defeated the Warhorses since 1994. Talk about a great way to start District 15-4A-II for Carrizo Springs. The Wildcats scored two touchdowns in the 4th quarter, and then intercepted the Warhorses with 12 seconds left in the game to seal the victory. I want to thank Carrizo Springs for all their kindness during our visit. Many people said hello to us and expressed gratitude for coming down to highlight the team and their town. It’s obvious the Carrizo Springs community loves their Wildcats.
Also, hats off to the Crystal City Javelinas. They trailed Bandera 21-0, but scored two 4th-quarter touchdowns to make the game closer. The Javelinas were behind 6-0 at halftime, so the final score is more indicative of how close this game really was. In those final five minutes, the Javelinas scored a touchdown, recovered the onside kick, then scored another touchdown and made the 2-point conversion for the final points of the game. Bandera recovered the final onside attempt and ran out the clock. Thank you to the good folks in Crystal City because they always welcome KSAT 12 sports with open arms.
>>Click here to watch all of the highlights from this week’s BGC Road Trip!<<
Few things are as impressive and as satisfying in sports as a 99-yard touchdown drive. With Reagan (4-2, 4-0) leading 10-0 in a District 28-6A battle against Churchill (0-6, 0-4) on Saturday afternoon, Lance Lorenz led the Rattlers from one end zone to the other. Facing a third-and-12 at the two, Lorenz fumbled the handoff in the endzone, but picked up the loose ball and barreled forward for a first down. He then began to spread the ball around, connecting with Luke Sasser, Andrew Ermis and Gregory Featherstone III on key passes while mixing in a few timely quarterback scrambles. Lorenz capped the drive with a sensational, 32-yard touchdown pass to Sasser in the end zone, and the Rattlers won the game in dominant fashion 27-0. After starting the season 0-2, Reagan has clearly found their rhythm with four straight wins against 28-6A opponents.
Anthony Conway has been a beast for Marshall (6-1, 4-1) throughout the first half of the season, but in Saturday night’s 29-6A tilt against Holmes (4-2, 2-2) Rams wide receiver Tre’vion Butler put on a show. He scored the first touchdown of the game on a broken play, then flashed some serious speed on a 67-yard catch-and-run that gave Marshall a commanding 16-0 lead in the second quarter. Marshall pushed around a quality Huskies team and showed they are one of the teams to beat in a loaded district.
Back on Sept. 13, I gave part of my spotlight to TMI wide receiver Jaylen Gardner. This past Friday, I had the pleasure of watching him dominate again in the Panthers’ 34-6 victory over Schertz John Paul II. Gardner scored a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter: a punt-return touchdown that featured a vicious stiff-arm, and a 70-yard touchdown reception that featured an elusive run after the catch. There’s something special in the air at TMI this year. The Panthers are 6-0, and Gardner is at the center of it all.
One final shout out: congratulations to Steele head volleyball coach Jordan Madill for earning her 100th career victory on Friday! The Knights defeated Wagner 25-12, 25-11, 25-6 and improved to 7-2 in District 27-6A. Steele now prepares for a rematch against New Braunfels. The Unicorns won the first match in five sets on Sept. 17. Round two is Tuesday night at 7.
Watch Big Game Coverage Preview show Thursday at 4 p.m.
Greg Simmons and Larry Ramirez are back in studio to get you set up for Week 8 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. Which teams will they feature this week? You’ll have to watch to find out!
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.