The 2022 high school football season continues to amaze!
Close games, big plays and wild momentum swings have been the theme this year, especially with district play now officially in full swing. Offenses set gridirons ablaze this past week. With any team capable of scoring at any given moment, the difference between winning and losing has been razor thin, but the difference between 1-0 and 0-1 in district play can seem massive. For those on the wrong end of the scoreboard, don’t panic. We’ve still got seven weeks of high school football goodness left in the regular season, and anything can happen.
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Before we take a deep dive into some of the most memorable games from Week 4 of our Big Game Coverage (BGC), let’s recap the biggest moments from the week that was in the Best of BGC!
Week 4 was full of memorable plays from all across the greater San Antonio area! On Instant Replay, we selected the best of the best, including highlights from Davenport, Marion, Johnson and Jefferson.
>> Click here to check out the Best of BGC from Week 4! <<
Be sure to check out all of the highlights from Week 4 as well!
Only three undefeated teams remain in this week’s edition of KSAT 12′s Top 12 rankings, but where does Canyon rank now that they put on an offensive showcase against Boerne Champion? See who’s in and who’s out heading into Week 5!
>> See the full Week 5 rankings by clicking here! <<
NB CANYON 49, BOERNE CHAMPION 32
Week 4′s Game of the Week certainly lived up to the hype as a shootout between two of the best offenses in the greater San Antonio area, and the game certainly helped set the tone for District 12-5A Division I play.
Boerne Champion (2-2, 0-1) jumped out to a 20-7 lead in the first quarter thanks to a trio of touchdown passes from quarterback Jordan Ballin to Cole Riha and Kannon Brooks. Canyon (4-0, 1-0) returned fire with a 14-point second quarter barrage. Quarterback Deuce Adams found wide receiver Xayvion Noland for two touchdowns in the first half. His second TD grab, a 12-yard score, gave the Cougars a 21-20 lead at halftime.
Those two were just getting started. After the Chargers retook the lead on a four-yard QB keeper from Ballin, Canyon responded with 28 straight points. Adams and Noland stole the lead back with an incredible 59-yard touchdown connection midway through the third quarter, then Adams found his brother Eli Adams for a 14-yard score and a 35-26 lead. Deuce then found Noland one final time on a 40-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the third quarter that effectively blew the game open. Noland’s final stat-line was staggering: 12 catches for 274 yards and four touchdowns. Adams completed 25 passes for 423 yards and five scores, as Canyon earned a huge first win in district play.
STEELE 35, MIDLAND LEGACY 28 (OT)
The top-ranked Steele Knights found themselves in a real battle on the road against Midland Legacy Friday night.
Running back Jaydon Bailey helped pace Steele’s offense early on with two touchdowns in the second quarter, as Steele built a 21-14 halftime lead. Bailey struck again late in the third quarter with a 69-yard touchdown run that put the Knights up 28-14, but the cushion wasn’t enough to secure a win in regulation. Midland running back Zeke Luna scored the game-tying touchdown with less than 20 seconds on the clock to force overtime tied at 28-all.
In OT, Steele managed to make one more play. Sophomore quarterback Chad Warner found Joe Perez for an 18-yard touchdown that proved to be the game-winner in a hard-fought victory. Bailey finished the night with 26 carries for 159 yards and four touchdowns, and the Knights are still undefeated at 4-0.
JEFFERSON 34, BRACKENRIDGE 28 (OT)
The Mustangs and Eagles put on a show at Alamo Stadium Friday night.
Carlos Hernandez helped Brackenridge’s defense open the game in style with a 68-yard fumble-return touchdown midway through the first quarter, but Johnny Gamboa tied game at 7-7 with a 39-yard touchdown run later in the frame. The seesaw battle was on. Both teams then traded touchdowns until the ball slipped out of quarterback Brandon Garcia’s hands and rolled into the end zone. Lance Falcon was the first to pounce on the fumble for a huge defensive touchdown, and the Mustangs entered the halftime locker room up 21-14.
Garcia made up for that mistake in the third quarter with a seven-yard QB keeper that tied the game at 21-all, reigniting the back-and-forth nature of the game. Gamboa found the end zone for the second time on a one-yard plunge on the final play of the third quarter to give Jefferson a late 28-21 lead, but the Eagles returned fire with a three-yard touchdown run from Xaviur Camargo with 2:51 left in regulation, and we were heading to overtime. Julio Morin was the motor for Brackenridge’s ground game, accounting for a game-high 123 yards on 17 carries.
In the extra frame, quarterback Amonte Carter delivered in the clutch for the Mustangs, following some great downfield blocks for the game-winning 22-yard touchdown. Jefferson flooded the field to celebrate their first win over a district opponent since 2020. Carter finished the game as the team’s leading rusher with 17 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
VETERANS MEMORIAL 31, CANYON LAKE 28
The Patriots looked like they had put this game away midway through the third quarter.
Quarterback CJ Irving found Landen Drake for a 49-yard touchdown strike that gave Veterans Memorial a 28-12 lead. But the Hawks kept battling to the end. In the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Hunter Anderson powered his way over the goal line on a one-yard keeper to cut the deficit down to two points with 3:45 remaining. On the ensuing two-point conversion, Helijah Johnson took an inside handoff and knifed his way to the end zone to tie the game at 28-all. Canyon Lake had scored a pair of touchdowns with matching two-point conversions in the fourth quarter, and it appeared we were heading to overtime.
Veterans Memorial had other plans. After both teams traded possessions over the final three minutes of regulation, the Patriots moved deep into Hawks territory, and with six seconds left, Rafael Nunez kicked the game-winning 36-yard field goal to lift Veterans Memorial to their second straight victory.
PEARSALL 30, POTEET 29
The Aggies and Mavericks arrived at Mack Laxson Field on Friday night with matching 3-0 records, and this battle of undefeated teams went down to the wire.
With the game tied 14-14 early in the third quarter, Pearsall’s defense secured a pick six, and senior quarterback Robert Hughes ran in the ensuing two-point conversion to put the Mavericks on top 22-14. A few minutes later, Poteet answered back with a two-yard rushing touchdown by senior QB Asael Moreno. The Aggies were unable to convert the next two-point try, but a made field goal later in the quarter gave Poteet a 23-22 lead heading into the fourth.
Their offensive success continued in the final frame. Moreno hit Darrin Garcia for a game-changing 70-yard touchdown pass, and the Aggies held a 29-22 advantage. Poteet then opted to go for two, but was unable to convert, leaving the door open for Pearsall to rally for a tie. A sack on the ensuing Pearsall drive pushed the Mavericks back to their own five-yard line. Staring down the barrel of a loss, senior running back Joey Ramirez suddenly changed everything, breaking free for an incredible 95-yard touchdown run that turned the game on its head. Now down 29-28, Pearsall elected to go for two again instead of kicking an extra point. They converted, and within the span of two plays the Mavericks somehow turned a potential safety into a 30-29 lead. That score held up as the game-winning play, as Pearsall stunned Poteet to remain undefeated.
Friday night, I finally got a chance to see Davenport in action firsthand. The Wolves entered their home matchup against Lockhart with a sterling 3-0 record, and they looked every bit like an undefeated squad. On the second play from scrimmage, running back Shastin Golden got the crowd on their feet with an impressive 78-yard touchdown run. After the Lions tied it up on the ensuing drive, Golden struck again, this time on a 54-yard scamper. His final stat-line was jaw-dropping: 372 yards and seven touchdowns, as the Wolves won 62-42. Highlights don’t do it justice. You’ve got to see him run in person.
My first stop Saturday night was at Alamo Stadium, where Highlands caught then-No. 11 Burbank off guard on the opening kickoff. Uriel Salazar recovered his own surprise onside kick to steal a possession from the Bulldogs, and two plays later, the Owls found the end zone on a 37-yard touchdown strike from Joseph Clay to Khenedy Jackson. That sequence clearly set the tone for Highlands’ impressive 40-21 victory.
My last stop -- Churchill vs. Johnson at Heroes Stadium -- only lasted 15 minutes. Five minutes was spent looking for a parking spot. The next 10 was spent watching Jaguars quarterback Ty Hawkins torch the Churchill secondary. Early in the second quarter, Hawkins found Caden Rizo on a nine-yard score for a 17-0 lead. Then on the their next possession, facing 4th-and-4, Hawkins hit Lorenn Johnson for the play of the game. Johnson bent over and made a difficult backpedaling grab, spun out of one tackle, cut back against the grain of the defense and raced to the end zone for an eye-popping 29-yard touchdown. The Jaguars led 24-3 at halftime and cruised to a 30-17 victory. After a tough overtime loss to Judson in Week 1, Johnson has rebounded nicely with two straight wins by an average margin of 14 points.
In case you missed it, here’s some more local sports highlights and stories from the last week:
We’ll see you on Thursday night for the start of Week 5!
Andrew Cely, KSAT 12 Sports Producer and Reporter
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