Rank-Team-Last Week
1. Highlands – 2
2. Southwest – 1
3. East Central – 3
4. South San – 6
5. Lanier – 5
6. Brackenridge – 4
7. Southside – 7
8. Sam Houston – 9
9. Kennedy – 8
10. Edison – 10
11. Harlandale – 12
12. Holy Cross – 13
13. Burbank – 11
14. Young Women’s Leadership Academy – 14
15. Jefferson – NR
1. Central Catholic
2. East Central
3. South San
4. Sam Houston
5. McCollum
6. Lanier
7. Edison
8. Harlandale
9. Southwest
10. Jefferson
11. Burbank
12. Highlands
13. Memorial
14. Brackenridge
15. Kennedy
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Fox Tech, Jefferson, Kennedy, Memorial.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:
Expectations are a bit elevated for a young Jefferson team this year, and the Mustangs did nothing recently to lower them in the first week of the season.
Jefferson (4-2) avenged an earlier loss to Memorial in the Edgewood ISD Tournament to claim the championship with a 58-54 victory Nov. 22 at Edgewood Gym. The Minutemen (5-2) had defeated the Mustangs 78-77 in double overtime a day earlier in pool play.
“We’re a little inexperienced,” Jefferson coach Eric de los Santos said, “but we have some talent we haven’t had in a while. I’m looking forward to this group (developing).”
Kennedy (4-2) defeated Fox Tech (2-4) 60-50 in the third-place game for an all-area harvest of the trophies.
“We lost some seniors (to graduation) who were with me in our playoff year,” Kennedy coach David Alonzo said. “These kids were my sophomores on that playoff team.”
In the championship game, Jefferson closed the third quarter with a 17-3 run that broke open a tight game. Junior guard Anthony Friere nailed a three-point basket from the right wing with .4 seconds left in the quarter to cap the run.
Memorial whittled the 47-34 deficit down with an 8-1 spurt in the fourth quarter, thanks largely to its ability to get to the foul line and cash in. With 2:22 remaining, the Minutemen were within 52-46.
A technical on the Mustangs 11 seconds later enabled senior Bryan Obregon to sink four free throw attempts. Obregon converted both the foul shots from the technical and personal free throws.
Tournament most valuable player Noah Soto led Jefferson with 16 points. The 6-foot-3 sophomore scored the game’s last basket on a floater with 1:12 left.
Memorial made the closing seconds interesting.
Obregon (20 points) made 14 of 15 free throws. He was fouled on a three-point shot with 19.5 seconds left and the Minutemen trailing 56-52. The senior guard made the first two attempts, but missed the third. Soto claimed the rebound and secured Jefferson’s win.
“We were expecting a championship all the way,” Soto said. “We were a little disappointed that we lost one (game), but we didn’t expect anything less than a championship.”
Guards Dominic Perez and Friere supplied 15 and 11 points, respectively, for the Mustangs. Jacob Elias scored seven, including a layup with 1:39 remaining.
Memorial senior Xavier Abrigo scored 14 points and football standout Jose Pargas chipped in nine. The Minutemen played without backup point guard Cristobal Hernandez
“It was a pretty even tournament,” Memorial coach Jon Sanchez said. “We had a lot of tight games. I don’t know what it is with us and Jefferson. It always turns out to be a nail-biter.
“We’re learning, but it’s a great group of kids. We had been substituting five and five, but we decided to go with our normal subs (in the championship game). We’ve got to learn to play together.”
In the semifinals, Memorial defeated Fox Tech 63-50 and Jefferson edged Kennedy 48-46. The Rockets won Pool B, while the Minutemen won Pool A.
“I think, when we start playing together a little bit more, we’ll be more explosive,” Alonzo said. “We had some turnovers that need to be addressed. But the boys are doing what I’ve asked them to do.”
Isaac Castro and Julian Landeros led Kennedy with 13 points each against Fox Tech. Quentan Bell and Marc Esquivel scored eight apiece.
“I think they’re coming along slowly,” Alonzo said, “but they’re coming along well.”
Nick Buys led Fox Tech with 20 points. Jacob Ortiz and Gabriel Tirado each scored seven.
MORE TO COME
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Holy Cross.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:
Holy Cross finally was presented with a set of circumstances, some of its own making, that it couldn’t overcome.
From the opening kickoff Friday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, the Knights (9-2) found the obstacles mounting against Fort Worth Christian (10-2). By halftime, Fort Worth Christian led by more than four touchdowns and Holy Cross’ season was in jeopardy.
It ended with a 45-20 loss to the Cardinals in the TAPPS state quarterfinal game. Fort Worth Christian snapped Holy Cross’ eight-game winning streak.
“We played badly in the first half,” Holy Cross coach Mike Harrison said. “We did a lot of uncharacteristic stuff. We gave up the opening kickoff. He went by three of our kids. We just missed him.”
Fort Worth Christian freshman Cade Garcia returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. Garcia ran for two more touchdowns and finished with 110 rushing yards.
Holy Cross tied it on its opening possession with a well-executed drive. Knights senior back Greg Scott ran 11 yards for the touchdown with 9:14 left in the first quarter.
The Knights couldn’t sustain the momentum from the 7-7 tie. Meanwhile, Fort Worth Christian unveiled a spread offense it hadn’t shown in the three game films Holy Cross studied.
Two defensive offsides penalties on fourth down, including one on fourth-and-goal, led to Cardinals touchdowns. A Knights fumble set up a field goal by Fort Worth Christian. Harrison said a dropped would-be interception likely would have produced a Holy Cross touchdown.
All of that added up to first-half frustration.
“You’re talking about 24 of their 38 points came from us making mistakes and dropping passes,” Harrison said. “Their defense shut Greg down, so they took that away from us. I couldn’t tell you how many three-and-outs we had.
“They won on our defensive mistakes and their defensive line controlling the line of scrimmage.”
The Cardinals scored only once after halftime, on a 17-yard pass from Blaze Brownlow (16 of 22, 108 yards) to Kallen Walters. It came after Scott caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Holy Cross sophomore quarterback Steven Gutierrez (11 of 17, 111 yards) with 2:34 left in the third quarter.
Scott finished with 36 rushing yards on 19 attempts, but it was enough to put him over the 2,000-yard mark for the season. The senior rushed for 2,007 yards and 28 touchdowns.
David Sanchez (56 yards, 2 receptions) scored Holy Cross’ last touchdown of the season on a 50-yard pass play from Gutierrez with 8:36 left in the game.
“This is the most resillient team I’ve coached in my 27 years of coaching,” Harrison said. “We suffered numerous injuries and our kids found ways to overcome them. You lose an all-state quarterback (Cisco Flores) and go on an eight-game winning streak, that speaks pretty well of the kids.
“That’s what I’ll take away from this year’s group. They had an ability to overcome difficult situations. These kids taught me a lot about never giving up and never giving in.”
Fort Worth Christian outgained the Knights 307-167 in total yardage. Holy Cross’ defense produced three shutouts and held two other opponents to seven points.
“One of the things is that we played as a team,” Harrison said, referring to the strengh of the defense. “We had some good talent there. We had kids who had some real ability and were really tough. Our defensive line was the best we’ve had in a long, long time. Our linebackers as a whole, all four were excellent. Our secondary starrted a senior cornerback (Chris Rodriguez), who was an absolute gem, and a sophomore cornerback, who came along.
“I think the key was that the kids came to rely on each other.”
During the last four years, the Knights seniors have helped the program post a 35-12 record against a challenging schedule.
“We went into this year with a goal of making the state championship game,” Harrison said. “We had an all-state quarterback and an all-state running back (Scott). When Cisco went down (with an anterior cruciate ligament injury), we all took a collective step back. But these kids played at a level I was inspired by.
“These seniors have won four district championships, won four area championships and went to four area finals (or state quarterfinals). In most programs, that’s a pretty good run. I hope they will always be proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
Holy Cross will return six starters on offense and four on defense. The group includes quarterbacks Gutierrez and Nazario Coleman, in addition to four of the five offensive line starters.
“Offensively, we’re going to have about six kids back,” Harrison said, “but I don’t know how we’ll replace Greg Scott. But, you know what, somebody will have to step up and do the job.
“Our expectations will always be the same. Our JV was undefeated, our freshmen were undefeated and our middle school was undefeated. So, there’s some talent that’s coming up. I’m very excited about what we have here at Holy Cross and we’re going to do our very best in everything we do.”
NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface
Non-district
Burbank (2-1 ???) 67, Somerset (0-1 ???) 55
Edison (2-4) 58, New Braunfels Canyon (0-2) 52
Brennan (2-0) 82, East Central (0-2) 78
Jefferson (5-2) 61, Holy Cross (0-7 ???) 56
Non-district
Jay (3-3) 66, Brackenridge (1-3 ???) 52
South San (3-0) 79, Southside (1-2 ???) 62
Stevens (4-2) 53, Sam Houston (0-2) 43
Southwest (2-1) 65, Uvalde (2-1) 34
Harlandale (5-2) 60, O’Connor (2-4) 48
Steele (2-0) 64, Lanier (3-5) 63
Gervin Academy (1-3 ???) 67, Memorial (5-3) 59
Central Catholic (4-5 ???) 63, La Vernia (1-2) 46
Antonian (5-2) 69, Highlands (2-4) 57
Non-district
Jefferson (5-2) at Fox Tech (2-4) (score unavailable)
McCollum (4-2) 62, Holy Cross (0-8 ???) 35
Burbank (3-1 ???) 73, St. Gerard (1-1 ???) 33
East Central (1-2), 100, Edison (2-5) 64
No games scheduled
Non-district
Texas Jamboree
At Houston Episcopal, Bellaire
Houston Wheatley (2-0 ???) 75, Sam Houston (0-3) 54
Non-district
Antonian (5-2) 78, Kennedy (4-3) 33
Clemens (3-0) 87, Central Catholic (4-6 ???) 52
Holy Cross (1-8 ???) 64, Schertz John Paul II (2-2 ???) 52
Texas Jamboree
At Houston Episcopal, Bellaire
Houston Episcopal (1-1 ???) 57, Sam Houston (0-4) 43
NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface
Non-district
Young Women’s Leadership Academy (5-4) 48, Fox Tech (0-10) 20
Southside (7-4 ???) 63, Harlandale (3-9) 44
Non-district
Jay (8-2) 99, Brackenridge (4-8 ???) 40
Marshall (7-5) 56, Memorial (0-6) 15
Providence (0-9 ???) at Kennedy (5-5) (score unavailable)
Taft (8-3) 69, Burbank (4-5 ???) 35
East Central (5-2 ???) 40, Floresville (5-4) 31
Lee (6-6) 56, Jefferson (1-9) 48
Alamo Heights (6-2) 56, Edison (4-8) 39
South San (5-5) 64, McCollum (1-9) 32
Young Women’s Leadership Academy (6-4) 45, St. Gerard (4-2 ???) 30
Southwest (6-1 ???) 61, New Braunfels (3-8) 50
St. Anthony (9-5) 37, Holy Cross (4-5 ???) 30
Antonian (7-2) 55, Highlands (7-5 ???) 54
Pearsall (3-4) at Lanier (4-4) (score unavailable)
Non-district
Cole (10-1) 61, Southside (7-5 ???) 19
No games scheduled
No games scheduled
Non-district
Schertz John Paul II (2-2 ???) 41, Holy Cross (4-6 ???) 39
1. Southwest
2. Highlands
3. East Central
4. Brackenridge
5. Lanier
6. South San
7. Southside
8. Kennedy
9. Sam Houston
10. Edison
11. Burbank
12. Harlandale
13. Holy Cross
14. Young Women’s Leadership Academy
15. McCollum
# – denotes current San Antonio South Side Sports area ranking
FRIDAY
TAPPS DIVISION II
State quarterfinal
Fort Worth Christian (9-2) vs. #1 Holy Cross (9-1) at Birkelbach Field, Georgetown, 7 p.m.
This is where the road to the TAPPS state championship becomes a bit treacherous.
For the fourth year in a row, Holy Cross has journeyed to this point. To date, the Knights haven’t gotten further.
Fort Worth Christian is expected to be a formidable opponent at full strength. The Cardinals will get quarterback Blaze Brownlow back. Brownlow was out when Fort Worth Christian defeated Austin Hyde Park Baptist 20-10 last weekend in the bi-district round.
The Cardinals defeated Holy Cross’ bi-district opponent, Arlington Pantego Christian, 35-21. The Knights beat Pantego Christian 43-22, despite trailing 16-14 at halftime.
However, after two sub-par first halves in a row (including a win over Hyde Park Baptist), Holy Cross likely won’t be able to afford another slow start.
Outstanding senior back Greg Scott has carried the Knights over the last three weeks, rushing for 900 yards and 15 touchdowns. For the season, Scott has rushed for 1,971 and scored 27 times.
To counter the Cardinals’ aggressive defense, Holy Cross sophomore quarterback Steven Gutierrez will need to be effective in play-action and throwing sideline routes.
Brownlow isn’t the running threat that Pantego Christian quarterback Hill Alexander was, but he has passed for 1,305 yards. Fort Worth Christian’s top receivers are Kallan Walters and Caleb Stone. Each of whom has about 500 receiving yards.
Freshman back Cade Garcia helps keep the Cardinals offense balanced.
Holy Cross will need to control the ball and avoid turnovers to take the next step in the playoffs.
State semifinal opponent: Grapevine Faith Christian (9-2)-Dallas Parish Episcopal (9-1) winner. Favorite: Holy Cross.
NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface
No games scheduled
Non-district
O’Connor (5-2) 66, Harlandale (1-5) 42
South San (2-3) 60, Southside (2-3 ???) 55
Alamo Heights (1-1 ???) 61, Jefferson (0-5) 24
Pearsall (3-4) 44, Fox Tech (0-8) 10
Holy Cross (2-2 ???) 47, Young Women’s Leadership Academy (4-4) 29
Hawkins (1-2) 33, Brooks Academy (1-2 ???) 29
Roosevelt (5-1) 52, Highlands (3-4 ???) 49
Smithson Valley (1-0 ???) 57, East Central (1-1) 43
Burbank (3-2) 53, Providence (0-5 ???) 33
Cole (4-1) 71, Sam Houston (0-2 ???) 57
Southwest (2-1) 74, McCollum (0-5) 19
Lanier (3-3) 76, Holmes (1-4) 61
Marshall (5-1) 58, Edison (1-5) 51
Boerne (2-0) 63, Kennedy (3-3) 33
No games scheduled
Non-district
Cole Tournament
Cole 79, Edison (1-6) 38
Devine 65, Southside (2-4 ???) 52
Jaguar Classic
At Floresville
Falls City 39, Harlandale (2-6) 32
La Vernia 60, Lanier (4-4) 49
Austin High 58, Sam Houston (0-4 ???) 42
Brandeis 77, Brackenridge (2-6 ???)48
Southwest (4-1) 54, Marshall 38
Highlands (5-4 ???) 83, Uvalde 25
Seguin 49, Brackenridge (2-6 ???) 35
Port Lavaca Calhoun 58, Burbank (3-4 ???) 15
Marshall 64, Providence (0-7 ???) 20
Medina Valley 56, Sam Houston (0-4 ???) 54
Highlands (5-4 ???) 56, Floresville 50
Harlandale (2-6) 51, Holmes 43
Southwest (4-1) 74, Providence (0-7 ???) 10
MacArthur 55, Burbank (3-4) 38
Lanier (4-4) 60, Floresville JV 39
SAISD Tournament
East Central (3-1) 75, Memorial (0-3) 22
San Angelo Central 62, Memorial (0-3) 40
East Central (3-1) 38, Roosevelt 30
South San Tournament
Holy Cross (3-2 ???) 51, Lytle 26
Roma 52, Jefferson (0-6) 39
Mission 46, Kennedy (3-4) 43
Laredo Nixon 46, McCollum (0-6) 32
Non-district
St. Gerard (4-2 ???) 59, Fox Tech (0-9) 46
Cole Tournament
Edison (2-7) 46, Comfort 27
Cleveland Tarkington 55, Edison (2-7) 49
Southside (4-4 ???) 61, Randolph 35
Southside (4-4 ???) 96, Somerset 76
Jaguar Classic
At Floresville
OTHER AREA TEAMS – Burbank (3-4), Lanier (4-4), Sam Houston (0-4 ???), Southwest (4-1). FINALS – Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Incarnate Word 55, Brackenridge (3-7 ???)44
Brackenridge (3-7 ???) 79, Providence (0-8 ???) 28
Harlandale (3-6) 44, Medina Valley 31
Highlands (7-4 ???) 56, La Vernia 39
Highlands (7-4 ???) 52, Austin High 44
SAISD Tournament
East Central (4-1) 52, Boerne 44
Lee 65, Memorial (0-4) 19
South San Tournament
South San (4-3) 52, Roma 30
Alamo Heights d. McCollum (0-7)
South San (4-3) 46, Holy Cross (3-3 ???) 32
Laredo United South 68, Kennedy (3-5) 38
Lytle 45, Jefferson (0-7) 34
Non-district
Cole Tournament
Edison (4-7) 52, Jourdanton 44
Edison (4-7) 51, Crystal City 43
Southside (6-4 ???) 61, Crystal City 50
Consolation championship
Southside (6-4 ???) 56, Cleveland Tarkington 44
Jaguar Classic
At Floresville
Southwest (5-1 ???) 65, La Vernia 33
Brackenridge (4-7 ???) 76, Holmes 49
Burbank (4-4 ???) 50, Floresville JV 20
Laredo Alexander 62, Harlandale (3-8) 43
Uvalde 33, Providence (0-9 ???) 27
Incarnate Word 56, Sam Houston (0-5 ???) 22
Lanier (5-4 ???) 37, Seguin 35
Floresville 59, Harlandale (3-8) 34
Championship
Brandeis 73, Highlands (7-5 ???) 40
SAISD Tournament
Smithson Valley 42, East Central (4-2 ???) 27
San Angelo Central 66, Memorial (0-5) 41
South San Tournament
AREA TEAMS – Holy Cross (3-3 ???), Jefferson (0-7), Kennedy (3-5), McCollum (0-7), South San (4-3). FINALS – Saturday, TBA.
Guaranteed bracket
Laredo Nixon 51, Holy Cross (4-4 ???) 47
Holy Cross (4-4 ???) 38, Poteet 11
Jefferson (1-8) 40, McCollum (1-8) 28
Kennedy (5-5) 52, Eagle Pass 16
McCollum (1-8) 45, Eagle Pass 35
Kennedy (5-5) 52, Jefferson (1-8) 29
Championship bracket
Semifinals
Taft 54, South San (4-5) 36
Johnson 59, Kerrville Tivy 33
Third place
Kerrville Tivy 55, South San (4-5) 49
Championship
Johnson 57, Taft 51
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Burbank, Edison, Harlandale, Holy Cross, Jefferson, Kennedy, Lanier, McCollum, South San.
PLEASE RETURN TO THIS STORY TUESDAY FOR A LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:
A bit of the mystery surrounding the District 28-5A season vanished over the weekend.
The brackets in the 16-team Harlandale ISD Tournament put the combatants on a collision course. Although none of them occurred in the first round, six games featured two district teams going head-to-head.
With six district representatives among the nine area teams participating, it was an unavoidable situation. Harlandale and McCollum, the host schools, were moved into the traditionally SAISD-heavy district in the most recent realignment – which took effect this year.
Burbank (2-2) was the team effected most by the sneak preview. The Bulldogs played three district opponents in four games, defeating Harlandale 52-41 and McCollum 54-49 back-to-back on Saturday.
“It’s good because it kind of gives us a sense of what the competition has,” said Lanier coach Laura Negrete-Fernandez, whose Voks defeated both district teams it faced. “That’s the main thing. But you also know you’re going to play these teams twice more in district, and it makes it harder to beat them later on because you know each other so well.”
It’s worth speculating whether some of the six 28-5A teams may ponder a different tournament destination next season. Edison coach Angie Alonzo indicated she was inclined to stay the course.
“I like the tournament,” Alonzo said. “Everybody from Harlandale and McCollum is great. We’ll have to see.”
In the championship game, Churchill (5-0) defeated Roosevelt (4-1) 53-47 in a battle of the unbeatens. The Chargers won 53-38 over Kennedy in the semifinals.
Kennedy was the area’s top finisher, placing fourth Saturday. The Rockets (3-2) won their first three games this season, including victories over Harlandale and Marshall Friday. Boerne Champion (4-1) downed Kennedy 52-30 in the third-place contest.
“Champion’s height took us out of our regular zone offense,” first-year Kennedy coach Steve Biddison said. “Their strength defensively is their height, and that’s not our strength.”
The Rockets won their two games Friday by nearly identical scores. They defeated Harlandale 48-40 and Marshall 48-39.
“We need these games to find out where we are,” Biddison said. “Marshall’s a 6A Northside team. Any time you can beat one of them, it’s a good thing. We just need some practice time to fix our mistakes and right the ship. To be 3-2 is a great start for where we’re at right now.”
Lanier (2-3) advanced to the consolation bracket championship, where the Voks fell 56-35 to Lee (3-2). Lanier advanced with a convincing 65-36 win over Edison. On Friday, the Voks defeated Burbank 49-41.
Against Lee, Lanier bolted to a 12-6 lead. However, the Volunteers ripped off 27 unanswered points before the Voks could silence the run.
“We’re going through some growing pains,” Negrete-Fernandez said. “I brought a lot of young sophomores and their making little mistakes from inexperience. It’s that team unity and coming together as a team that we lack now, but I have two very good players who are out right now.”
Edison lost a heartbreaker 38-35 to St. Anthony (5-2) in the consolation third-place game.
“We only have one returning starter,” Alonzo said. “We have kids who were on freshman and JV teams last year. We need to get games under our belt.”
It was a challenging weekend for the host schools. Harlandale (1-4) and McCollum (0-4) mustered one win between them.
“We’ve had a rough start,” Harlandale coach Jackie Contreras said. “We’re just trying to bring it together. We’re starting to use our guards a little more. We’re small, but fast.”
MORE TO COME
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, East Central, Harlandale, Holy Cross.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:
For the second week in a row, Holy Cross overcame a slow start to claim a decisive victory.
The Knights (9-1) trailed at halftime Friday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium, just as they had six days earlier on the same field against Austin Hyde Park Baptist. Arlington Pantego Christian (6-5) watched its two-point halftime lead melt away as Holy Cross cruised to a 43-22 TAPPS Division II bi-district win behind four of senior back Greg Scott’s six touchdowns.
Scott ran for a whopping 397 yards on 38 carries. He has accumulated 900 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in the the Knights’ last three games.
“What a night,” Holy Cross coach Mike Harrison said. “Those are fantasy football numbers. That’s big time. If you look at what he’s done the last three weeks, it’s amazing.
“Everybody in the whole place knew he was going to get the ball. To do that in a playoff game says a lot about the kid. Not just as a football player and young man but, as a student, he has really grown.”
Holy Cross was the only area team among nine qualifiers to survive the first round of the playoffs.
Pantego Christian established a 14-7 lead in the first quarter. Panthers quarterback Hill Alexander threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Doc Woodson and ran for a four-yard score. Scott’s first touchdown run was sandwiched between them.
Harrison said Alexander’s playing style reminded him of injured Holy Cross quarterback Cisco Flores. The Panthers senior completed 15 of 29 passes for 194 yards and ran for 106.
“Every play they have is a ‘read’ play,” Harrison said. “(Alexander) is the best quarterback we’ve seen this season. He’s very much like Cisco. He can make plays with his feet and arm.
“Their two slots (Eli Sherrill and Will Boyd) were fanastic athletes. Their tailback (Woodson) was one of the best we’d seen, before he got hurt.”
Scott dashed 59 yards for a tying touchdown 8:35 before halftime. Pantego Christian took a 16-14 lead on a safety before intermission.
“We didn’t play well in the first half,” Harrison said. “We hadn’t seen any thing like (Pantego’s offense) before. To try to put it in during a week of practice, is difficult.
“But the kids were resilient. They stayed with it and they started playing much better in the second half.”
Scott put the Knights in the lead with 58- and 32-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter. He also ran for the two-point conversion after each.
The Panthers closed within 30-16 on a 32-yard pass from Alexander to Boyd, but Holy Cross put the hammer down. Scott recorded his last two touchdowns on runs of 45 and seven yards.
Holy Cross manufactured 434 rushing yards and 462 total yards.
“We had a chance to go up three touchdowns,” Harrison said, “but, to their credit, Pantego Christian bounced back. We have a resilient group of kids. Eventually we just kind of wore them down.”
The Knights will travel to Birkelbach Field in Georgetown Friday for a 7 p.m. state quarterfinal game against Fort Worth Christian (9-2).
“Our hope is that our schedule has gotten us ready for this,” Harrison said. “The two teams we scrimmaged and the three we played in non-district all made the playoffs. It’s a testament to our kids and our coaches that they’ve fought through adversity. I think we’ve done a good job of preparing them for that.
“This is the fourth year we’ve been in this game. It’s time for us to take the next step.”
Fort Worth Christian is led by quarterback Blaze Brownlow, who is expected to play against the Knights after missing the Cardinals’ 20-10 win over Austin Hyde Park because of a concussion. The junior has thrown for 1,305 yards. Freshman back Cade Garcia has run for 475 yards since replacing injured Jack Roberson.
“They’re very talented and very skilled,” Harrison said. “Their offensive line is one of the best we’ve seen. Their defense is hard-nosed and very, very aggressive.”
Lockhart 42, Brackenridge 21
Brackenridge (7-4) pushed across three fourth-quarter touchdowns, but the Eagles (7-4) couldn’t overcome Lockhart’s deliberate, ground-oriented attack Saturday in a Class 5A bi-district game at San Marcos.
The Lions scored the game’s first 28 points behind their two-pronged rushing attack of Curtis Hawkins (183 yards, 31 carries) and D.J. Ellison (132 yards, 11 attempts). The pair combined for four touchdowns.
Stephen Huston also scored to help Lockhart build a four-touchdown cushion. Lockhart gained 394 of its 434 total yards on the ground.
District 28-5A runner-up Brackenridge came back with a vengeance in the final quarter.
Trey Mathis scored on a 10-yard run and Macco Marble (51 yards, 3 receptions) caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Antonio Lopez (19 of 33, 324 yards) 35 seconds apart in little more than the first minute of the quarter. The Eagles were within 28-14.
A costly interception enabled Lockhart to regain a three-touchdown advantage. Bailey Girouard returned the pickoff 40 yards for a touchdown with 6:40 remaining.
Brackenridge responded, as senior Lee Terrell (107 yards, 6 receptions) got free behind the defense for a 22-yard score at the 4:31 mark. Ellison officially closed the door on the Eagles’ comeback with a five-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds on the clock.
Stevens 51, East Central 22
Six turnovers came back to haunt East Central (6-5) in a Class 6A bi-district loss to Stevens (8-3) Saturday at Gustafson Stadium.
The Hornets also forced four interceptions, but couldn’t cash in enough of them to keep pace with the Falcons as the game wore on. East Central, which tied for first place in District 28-6A, was within 23-14 at halftime and 30-22 midway through the third quarter.
A 35-yard run by sophomore back Jauwan Hall (77 yards, 21 carries), who surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing standard later in the game, set up East Central’s first touchdown. A 14-yard pass from Justin Upshaw-Mendoza to Wanya Ward (138 yards, 11 receptions) gave the Hornets a 7-6 lead.
Stevens scored the next 17 points before East Central junior linebacker Dalton Tarr returned the Hornets third interception 35 yards for a touchdown.
Trailing 30-14, Upshaw-Mendoza (19 of 39, 220 yards) threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Polasek (43 yards, 5 receptions). The junior quarterback also threw to Ward for the two-point conversion with 6:51 left in the third quarter.
East Central also recovered the ensuing onside kick and drove to the Stevens 19, but an interception denied it a chance to tie the score. Stevens pulled away with 21 unanswered points.
Alamo Heights 48, Harlandale 17
The Mules (9-2) scored on their first seven possessions Friday at Alamo Heights to win the Class 5A bi-district game against Harlandale (6-5).
Alamo Heights quarterback Dalton Banks completed all 12 passes he attempted for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Banks also ran for two touchdowns.
Harlandale countered with a 32-yard field goal that put the Indians within 21-3 with 1:43 remaining in the first half. The Mules scored twice more before halftime. The touchdowns were separated by just nine seconds.
The Indians reached the end zone with 5:12 left in the third quarter on a three-yard pass from junior quarterback Jacob Delgado (19 of 29, 196 yards) to Noah Avina. Senior back John Aguirre (46 yards, 13 carries) added a one-yard rushing touchdown with 20 seconds remaining.
Vincent Hernandez was Harlandale’s leading receiver with three catches for 68 yards. Jacob Rodriguez hauled in four passes for 51 yards. Ian Martinez had 43 reception yards on three catches.
NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface
Friday’s game
TAPPS Division II
State quarterfinals
Fort Worth Christian (10-2) 45, Holy Cross (9-2) 20
NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface
Non-district
Jay (1-0) 87, Highlands (0-1) 56
Holmes (1-0) 74, Lanier (0-1) 63
Non-district
McCollum (1-0) 60, Southwest (0-1) 57
Pearsall (1-0) 71, Holy Cross (0-4 ???) 63
Harlandale (1-0) 51, Boerne Champion (0-1) 43
San Antonio Christian (1-0) 56, Sam Houston (0-1) 35
Alamo Heights (1-0) 64, Central Catholic (1-3 ???) 63
Burbank (1-0) 68, Kennedy (0-1) 48
Memorial (1-0) 82, Fox Tech (0-1) 53
Johnson (1-0) 110, East Central (0-1) 81
Brackenridge (1-0) 79, Lee (0-1) 77 (OT)
South San (1-0) 73, Jefferson (0-1) 51
Southside (1-0) 82, Poteet (0-1) 51
Steele (1-0) 73, Edison (0-1) 49
No games scheduled
Non-district
Edgewood ISD Tournament
Kennedy (1-1) 61, Athlos Academy 28
Fox Tech (1-1) 74, Memorial JV 64
Memorial (2-1) 63, Kipp Academy 52
Jefferson (1-1) 63, Gervin Academy 43
Dawghouse Invitational
At Magnolia
Katy Cinco Ranch 76, Edison (0-2) 49
NISD/NEISD Tournament
Central Catholic (2-3 ???) 50, Roosevelt 39
Wagner 74, McCollum (1-1) 50
Reagan 101, Highlands (0-2) 57
Adidas Classic Tip-Off Tournament
At San Antonio Christian
OTHER AREA TEAMS – Burbank (1-0 ???). FINALS – Saturday, TBA.
San Antonio Christian 60, Lanier (0-2) 56 (OT)
Harlandale (2-1) 55, Smithson Valley 54
Holmes 66, Harlandale (2-1) 38
St. Anthony Tournament
AREA TEAMS – Brackenridge (1-0), Holy Cross (0-4 ???). FINALS – Saturday, TBA. (scores unavailable)
Non-district
Southwest (1-1) 64, Medina Valley (0-1) 48
South San (1-0) at La Vernia (1-0), 8 p.m. (score unavailable)
Adidas Classic Tip-Off Tournament
At San Antonio Christian
OTHER AREA TEAMS – Burbank (1-0 ???), Lanier (0-2 ???). FINALS – Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
Harlandale (3-2) 66, Houston Christian 53
Riverdale Baptist 74, Harlandale (3-2) 57
Edgewood ISD Tournament
Memorial (4-1) 78, Jefferson (2-2) 77 (2 OT)
Memorial (4-1) 86, Gervin Academy 56
Jefferson (2-2) 58, Kipp Academy 52
Kennedy (3-1) 57, Memorial JV 46
Kennedy (3-1) 60, Fox Tech (2-2) 46
Fox Tech (2-2) 55, Athlos Academy 46
Dawghouse Invitational
At Magnolia
Killeen d. Edison (0-4) (score unavailable)
Southlake Carroll 54, Edison (0-4) 37
NISD/NEISD Tournament
Highlands (2-2) 72, Alamo Heights 66 (OT)
Stevens 63, McCollum (2-2) 54
Brandeis 73, Central Catholic (3-4 ???) 59
McCollum (2-2) 57, Seguin 53
Highlands (2-2) 50, Laredo Martin 37
Central Catholic (3-4 ???) 52, MacArthur 41
St. Anthony Tournament
OTHER AREA TEAMS – Brackenridge (1-0 ???). FINALS – Saturday, TBA.
Floresville 67, Holy Cross (0-4) 47
Non-district
Adidas Classic Tip-Off Tournament
At San Antonio Christian
Lanier (2-2 ???) 77, Lee 61
Smithson Valley 62, Burbank (0-2 ???) 50
Harlandale (4-2) 57, Boerne Champion 52
Lanier (2-2 ???) 61, Boerne 36
Edgewood ISD Tournament
Championship bracket
Semifinals
Memorial (5-2) 63, Fox Tech (2-4) 40
Jefferson (4-2) 48, Kennedy (4-2) 46
Third place
Kennedy (4-2) 60, Fox Tech (2-4) 50
Championship
Jefferson (4-2) 58, Memorial (5-2) 54
Dawghouse Invitational
At Magnolia
Edison (1-4) 56, Humble Kingwood Park 53 (OT)
NISD/NEISD Tournament
McCollum (3-2) 74, Highlands (2-3) 73 (OT)
Churchill 51, Central Catholic (3-5 ???) 40
St. Anthony Tournament
AREA TEAMS – Brackenridge (1-0 ???), Holy Cross (0-4 ???). FINALS – Saturday, TBA. (scores unavailable)
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, Burbank, Central Catholic, Lanier, Southside.
Burbank won its season finale, but wasn’t able to qualify for a second-consecutive playoff appearance.
The Bulldogs (5-5, 4-4) finished fifth in District 28-5A despite the 28-7 win over Lanier (2-8, 2-6) Friday at the SAISD Sports Complex.
Burbank quarterback Daniel Tello (132 passing yards, 3 touchdowns) hooked up with senior receiver Tru Bradford (110 yards, 4 receptions) twice for a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Tello (107 yards, 18 carries) also broke a 60-yard toucbhdown run 18 seconds before halftime to effectively put the game out of reach.
Bradford caught his third touchdown pass in the third quarter. He scored on a 25-yard pass play from Tello with 7:15 remaining in the quarter.
The Voks, who tied for seventh in the district, played without standout senior back Joe Orta (875 rushing yards). They scored their only touchdown on a 10-yard touchdown run from speedy Brandon Melchor with 2:20 remaining.
Julian Castillo led Lanier with 83 rushing yards on 15 carries. Phoenix Perez added 41 rushing yards. Rubyn Salazar ran for 46 yards on 12 attempts for Burbank.
Tello finished with 1,407 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. The senior also threw for 1,030 yards and 12 touchdowns with just four interceptions.
He has been selected to play in the San Antonio Sports All-Star game, along with Bulldogs tight end Jonathan Salazar and offensive lineman Roger Rodriguez. Brackenridge receiver Lee Terrell will join his Burbank rivals on the West team. Highlands defensive lineman Joshua Brown will play fof the East.
The all-star game will take place Jan. 3 at the Alamodome.
Austin St. Michael’s 35, Central Catholic 28 (OT)
Central Catholic (6-4, 3-2) couldn’t hang onto a late lead and fell in overtime to Austin St. Michael’s (5-5, 4-1) in its TAPPS District 2-I finale Friday at Benson Stadium..
The Crusaders scored on a four-yard run from Jameson Houston (81 yards, 4 carries) with 2:43 left in regulation. They recorded the game-winner on a 17-yard pass from John Albert Mansour (16 of 25, 139 yards) to Marcus Whipper in overtime.
Central Catholic took the lead with three touchdowns over a six-minute span.
Senior Troy Lozano (104 yards, 7 receptions) caught a 17-yard scoring pass from Joseph Nava (13 of 27, 146 yards) with just 50 seconds to play in the third quarter. Lozano also scored on an 18-yard reception in the second quarter.
On the Buttons’ next possession, senior Jimin Suh (63 yards, 17 carries) ran four yards for a touchdown that tied the score 21-21. Sophomore Thomas Palomera (99 yards, 16 carries) put Central Catholic ahead with a nine-yard touchdown run at the 7:15 mark of the final quarter.
Nava ran for 131 yards on 32 attempts.
The Buttons play host to Midland Christian (6-4) in a 7:30 p.m. TAPPS bi-district game at Benson Stadium.
Southside 40, Laredo Cigarroa 21
The Cardinals (8-2, 5-2) shut out Laredo Cigarroa (4-6, 2-5) after halftime Friday for a District 29-5A victory at Southside Stadium.
Southside, which finished third in the district, used touchdown runs from Matt Collier and Brandon Herrera to put some distance between itself and the Toros in the second half. Herrera ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 16 attempts. Collier finished with 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 27 carries.
Cigarroa led 14-7 after a flurry of activity following the opening kickoff. In less than three minutes, the Toros scored on a 43-yard run by Noe Medrano and a 59-yard pass from Eddie Guzman (21 of 36, 321 yards) to J.J. Salas. The Cardinals scored in between, on a one-yard run from Herrera.
The Cardinals scored the next two touchdowns, on a 51-yard run from senior Eliud Mendez and a 21-yarder by Colier. Cigarroa closed within 26-21 at halftime.
Southside amassed 483 total yards, all but 20 in rushing yardage.
The Cardinals were scheduled to face undefeated Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (10-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a home game.
Brackenridge 42, Highlands 6
The second-place Eagles (7-3, 7-1) took some momentum into the playoffs with a commanding District 28-5A victory over winless Highlands (0-10, 0-8) Thursday at Alamo Stadium.
Senior back Trey Mathis (119 yards, 13 carries) accounted for three touchdowns, including the game’s first two, and a two-point conversion for the Eagles.
Highlands senior Darnelle Odom scored the Owls’ only touchdown with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter. Highlands was within 15-6.
Macco Marble scored on an 11-yard pass and Terrell (61 yards, 8 receptions) had an 18-yard reception from Antonio Lopez (18 of 29, 149 yards), giving the Eagles a 28-6 advantage with 7:24 left in the game. Following a 17-yard scoring run, speedy cornerback Robert Allen returned an interception 54 yards to bring about the final score.
Brackenridge produced three interceptions and Highlands had two.
Owls back Jared Cephas ran for 75 yards on 16 attempts and Armando Ferguson adde 46 yards. Marble added 51 rushing yards for the Eagles. Jalen Davis caught two passes for 44 yards.
Brackenridge is scheduled to play Lockhart (6-4) in a bi-district game `1 p.m. game Saturday at San Marcos High School.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Southside.
SOUTHSIDE REPORTER LINK:
Unavailable
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS WEBSITE:
Southside coach Ricky Lock came to the school this year with a reputation for reviving programs that are down on their luck.
Even Lock had to admit to being stunned by how much and how fast his team had improved. After winning just one game in 2013, the Cardinals (8-3) set a school victory record, before their season ended Friday in a 42-21 loss to Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (11-0) at Southside Stadium.
The Class 5A Division 1 bi-district game was Southside’s first postseason contest since 2011. Afterward, Lock told his players they had put the school on the state’s football map.
“When I was in Gonzales, one season we went from 1-9 to 7-3 one season, but it wasn’t like this,” the first-year coach said. “These guys became a very hard team to defeat, which I think everybody’s recognizing now.”
Southside, which finished third in District 29-5A, scored all of its points in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals faithfully executed a strategy designed to limit Hornets possessions with time-consuming drives.
Unfortunately for the host team, those drives didn’t pay off until the final quarter. Furthermore, Flour Bluff didn’t need many plays to put points on the board. None of their scoring drives consumed more than six plays.
“These kids always play to win,” Lock said. “We have no quitters. I’m proud of these kids. We made too many mistakes against a good football team. Nonetheless, they fought to the end.”
Flour Bluff, No. 6 in the Associated Press 5A rankings, scored the first four touchdowns. The Hornets will play Mission Memorial (8-3) in the area round.
“We just (focused) on execution this week,” said Hornets quarterback Cody Brewer who passed for 270 yards and five touchdowns. “We were more about keeping it simple, whether we were running or passing.”
Southside quarterback Brandon Herrera (52 yards, 15 carries) picked up a first down on a faked punt on the Cardinals’ first series after halftime. However, they couldn’t sustain the momentum.
Flour Bluff took over on downs and scored in two plays, on a 55-yard pass from Brewer to Kevin Dewitt. The Hornets led 28-0.
“They were rolling down the safety and we were trying to exploit that,” Dewitt said. “For the most part, we were faster than their defensive backs.”
The Cardinals scored their first touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Herrera (11 of 17, 145 yards) threw 20 yards over the middle to sophomore back Matt Collier (50 yards, 4 receptions).
It only took the Hornets two plays to respond. Brewer (10 of 14, 270 yards) threw to Dewitt behind the defense for a 72-yard pass play that assured the victory.
Southside scored twice after that, for 21 fourth-quarter points. Herrera scored on a 4-yard run and a 33-yard pass play to Collier.
Southside drove into Flour Bluff territory on its first two possessions, but came up empty.
The Cardinals missed a 20-yard field goal on their first series, after forcing a three-and-out on defense. Flour Bluff stopped Southside at the Hornets 40 the next time the host team had the ball.
“We just tried to get in the end zone,” Lock said. “They have a lot of weapons.”
Flour Bluff, meanwhile, scored the first two times it had the ball.
Brewer dashed 60 yards down the right sideline on a quarterback keeper. The Hornets took a 7-0 lead with 6:01 left in the first quarter. Brewer threw 25 yards to Dewitt with 1:51 left in the quarter.
The two drives covered 140 yards and took 11 plays.
“Our receivers run such good routes,” Brewer said, “it makes my job easier.”
Travis Granberry returned an interception 29 yards to give the Hornets a 21-0 halftime lead.
Flour Bluff only became more efficient as the game wore on.
The Hornets ran just 12 plays in the second half, but scored three touchdowns. It took the Cardinals 34 plays to score their three touchdowns.
Senior receiver David Garza finished with 47 yards on five catches.
# – denotes current San Antonio South Side Sports area ranking
FRIDAY
CLASS 6A
Division I
#5 Southwest (5-5) vs. O’Connor (7-2) at Gustafson Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
Southwest needs to bounce back from a difficult home 24-14 loss to Corpus Christi Carroll last Friday that cost it a share of the District 28-6A title.
The Dragons are making their ninth-consecutive postseason appearance, which is impressive enough. But it’s not likely to intimidate an O’Connor team that is making its 11th-straight appearance and is two years removed from reaching the state semifinals.
The Panthers defeated Reagan 28-23 in their opening game and only lost 10-3 to Steele – No. 6 in the Associated Press 6A rankings – in Week 3. O’Connor is coming off its second shutout of the season, blitzing Warren 34-0 last Friday.
Although No. 18 Brandeis put up 42 points on the Panthers, it’s that defense which concerns Southwest coach Peter Wagner most.
Like Southwest, O’Connor wants to control the ball offensively.
The Panthers have a tailback-by-committee arrangement (not unlike Southwest earlier in the season). Josiah Velasquez ran for 106 yards against Warren and has 314 for the season. Brandin Bradford has run for 332 yards and Jorge Gonzalez has added 288.
O’Connor can throw when it needs to. Kolby Lunsford (419 reception yards) is an outstanding receiver. Jonathan McEntire has passed for 1,219 yards with 11 touchdowns and just one interception.
Southwest is coming off a solid 352 total-yard performance against a determined Carroll defense.
Dragons back Jon Cruz continued an outstanding senior season with 236 yards on 35 carries against Carroll. Although Cruz is capable of handling the load, Southwest’s chances are likely to improve if explosive sophomore back Tyrone Middleton is able to combat turf toe to make double-digit carries.
Southwest also will need a strong passing game from senior quarterback Bowen Crisp, a playoff veteran. Crisp came through against Carroll, throwing for 102 yards. In theory, he’ll need to hit triple digits again.
The Dragons will need to avoid the penalties that derailed it last Friday and stay turnover-free.
Area round opponent: Churchill (8-2)-Judson (6-4) winner. Favorite: O’Connor.
CLASS 5A
Division I
Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (10-0) at #3 Southside (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
The bi-district draw didn’t deal Southside an easy opponent but, if the area’s most-surprising team of 2014 can pull off an eye-opening win, the area round should be considerably easier.
Of course, none of Corpus Christi Flour Bluff’s first 10 opponents have found the Hornets’ Achilles heel.
The Hornets are No. 6 in the Associated Press 5A state rankings.
Their closest game was a 51-50 loss to Kilgore in Week 2, but the score is deceiving. A week later, Flour Bluff blanked Moody 34-0. Although the Hornets are capable of winning in a shootout, they also can pitch a shutout.
The same is true of Southside, but the Cardinals won’t want to get into a scoringfest with Flour Bluff. They’ll need to control the ball and limit big plays, as best they can.
It will help if the Cardinals can do what they achieved against Laredo Cigarroa last week. Specifically, we’re referring to getting the lead an taking the air out of the ball.
Do-it-all back Matthew Collier is Southside’s trump card in that regard. Collier has rushed for 1,655 yards and 15 touchdowns. Against Cigarroa and in some earlier games, he added passing to his list of dutires, but the sophomore threw two interceptions.
Nonetheless, Collier did what he did best. He ran for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Brandon Herrera has done an admirable job of filling in for injured starter Jonny Trevino. He ran for 146 yards against Cigarroa and his running is a key element in Southside’s misdirection-oriented offense. However, he absolutely must get back to throwing the ball effectively against the Hornets to give the Cardinals a chance to spring the upset.
Look for defensive standout and tight end Diego Avila to get involved in the passing game.
Flour Bluff has averaged 39.9 points a game and held opponents to 20.9 and 254.1 yards a game. The Hornets have a relatively balanced offense, running for 1,716 yards and passing for 2,391.
Quarterback Cody Brewer has accounted for all but 19 of the passing yards. Brewer has 25 touchdowns and just nine interceptions to his credit. Aaron Dilworth (716 reception yards) and Kevin DeWitt (953) each have more than 50 receptions to their credit and average more than 12 yards a catch.
The Hornets’ Reidel Clayton has run for 654 yards and Jonathan Winfrey has chipped in 537. They’ve combined for 19 rushing touchdowns.
Southside already has set a school record for victories, topping the 2011 season, which included their last playoff appearance. If the Cardinals can add one more tonight, it will be the sweetest so far.
Area round opponent: Donna(6-3)-Mission Memorial (7-3) winner. Favorite: Corpus Christi Flour Bluff.
#8 Harlandale (6-4) at Alamo Heights (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
It wasn’t really a surprise to those who’ve followed Harlandale football over the years that, when the Indians’ backs were to the wall, they did what they needed to do to return to the playoffs.
Harlandale coach Isaac Martinez and his staff have a knack for bringing out the best in their teams.
The formula the Indians need to follow if they are to upset powerhouse Alamo Heights involves keeping pressure on Mules quarterback Dalton Banks and getting enough push out of their offensive line for senior back John Aguirre to keep the chains moving.
Defensively, Harlandale will need an effort much like it had in last Friday’s 7-6 win over McCollum. The Indians’ only touchdown was the product of an interception from Hunter Orozco.
Harlandale quarterback Jacob Delgado needs to find ways to get the ball to playmaking receiver Ian Martinez without forcing it into coverage and risking interceptions.
Banks is the linchpin of Alamo Heights’ offense. The senior has run for a team-best 596 rushing yards while throwing for a whopping 2,439. He has 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions to his credit.
Greer Shetler (836 receiving yards) is Banks’ favorite target, but Colten Courtney and Zach Ford both have more than 500 yards in receptions. Shetler averages about 19 yards a catch.
Deryl Reynolds is the complement to Banks as a run threat. The sophomore has gained 503 yards on the ground.
Expect Harlandale’s coach to have a few unexpected surprises for the Mules.
Area round opponent: Cedar Park Vista Ridge (8-2)-Austin LBJ (8-2) winner. Favorite: Alamo Heights.
CLASS 5A
Division II
#9 Edison (5-5) vs. Boerne Champion (10-0) at Heroes Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
Edison has a tendency to do its best work in the second half. It’s a testament to the Golden Bears’ never-say-die spirit.
However, they’ll need to score points early and often to defeat a Boerne Champion team that is ranked 11th in the AP 5A poll.
The main priority will be to establish the run early with sophomore back Matthew Garcia and senior quarterback Jonathan Hernandez. Garcia has been steady with 523 yards to his credit in about ¾ of a season. Hernandez, though, has been more of a big-play guy on the ground – and big plays are likely to be very important tonight.
Hernandez has thrown for 882 yards with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. His ability to avoid turnovers against the Chargers’ pressure will be key. The senior seems to know when to stay with his receivers and when to scramble.
Bryan Bolton (606 yards, 33 receptions) and emerging Michael Benavidez will need to be on their games, so Edison can produce those long gains that have come in handy throughout the year.
The biggest challenge will be to the Golden Bears’ bend-but-not-break defense. For an example, Boerne Champion put up more than 600 total yards last Friday in a 65-43 win over Seguin.
Chargers quarterback Alex Flores has thrown for 1,300 yards with a 17-4 interception ratio (three Oct. 3 against Kerrville Tivy).
Standout back Travis Pospisil (1,541 yards, 21 touchdowns) frequently tops the 200-yard mark and is a receiving threat. Flores also is a capable runner.
Cort Cowart and Dillon Manz each are over 500 reception yards.
Edison is making its first playoff appearance since 2010.
Area round opponent: Cedar Park (8-3). Favorite: Boerne Champion.
#2 Sam Houston (8-2) vs. Kerrville Tivy (7-3) at Alamo Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
Sam Houston, as it has pointed out, was chosen to finish fifth in District 28-5A. Since embarking on the district schedule, though, the undefeated champions have conquered every challenge placed in front of them.
It’s worth wondering how high the ceiling might be for a Hurricanes team that’s still fairly young.
Whether on offense, defense or special teams, Sam Houston has shown few weaknesses. It hasn’t, however, been tested week after week, as Kerrville Tivy has in 27-5A.
Quarterback Raymonte Prime has improved greatly in his second season at the helm. The junior’s numbers are impressive, although he hasn’t generated the same degree of hype as his Tivy counterpart Cade Dyal.
Prime has thrown for 1,778 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also can be effective if forced to scramble.
Devin Harris may be the key Sam Houston player tonight. The junior back has rushed for 810 yards and might also be called upon to pick up tough yardage on screen passes.
Receivers Jawon Anderson and Dewayne Brown, who also is a solid ballcarrier, can deliver big plays and yards after the catch. Travon Vaughns and Trenton Jones also are solid receivers.
Dyal has amassed 2,875 yards and 30 touchdowns. The junior also has thrown nine interceptions. Sam Houston has the ability to keep pressure on him and its speed in the secondary could produce turnovers.
The Hurricanes may not be quite as prolific offensively as Tivy, but that could be the big equalizer.
Kerrville Tivy has three receivers who’ve caught at least 490 yards worth of passes. Hutch White is a veteran with 968 reception yards and 13 touchdowns. Carson McCoy and Parker Brown are other receivers Sam Houston will need to check in the Antlers’ spread offense.
Back Redmond Carson (893 rushing yards) can keep the Hurricanes defense honest, if he’s healthy. Carson only logged six carries in Tivy’s season finale against Alamo Heights, a 51-44 loss.
Tivy’s defense has allowed 34 or more points six times. The Hurricanes surrendered 41 points in its last four games.
Sam Houston is making its second-consecutive playoff appearance, and the experience gained seems to have helped fuel the Hurricanes this year.
The postseason seems like a birthright in Kerrville (this is their 18th trip in a row). The Antlers will feel like they have something to prove against the 28-5A top seed, but the chip on its shoulder has served the Hurricanes well all season.
Area round opponent: Bastrop (7-3)-Georgetown East View (8-2) winner. Favorite: Sam Houston.
TAPPS DIVISION I
Midland Christian (6-4) at #7 Central Catholic (6-4), 7:30 p.m.
Central Catholic will feel like it has something to prove tonight after essentially letting Austin St. Michael’s off the hook on the same field last Friday.
The Buttons scored three unanswered touchdowns to take the lead in the TAPPS 2-I second-place showdown. However, St. Michael’s scored the tying touchdown with 2:43 left and won on a 17-yard pass in overtime.
Central Catholic has recovered well from its previous setbacks and should again.
Having an experienced senior quarterback in Joseph Nava should serve the Buttons well. Nava threw for 146 yards and ran for 131 a week ago.
Jimin Suh and steadily improving sophomore Thomas Palomera should relieve him of some of the ballcarrying presure, if need be.
Troy Lozano had his best game of the season against St. Michael’s with 104 yards on seven catches. William Prouse and Joe Barrera also are capable of being the go-to guy.
Central Catholic outgained Austin St. Michael’s 439-314 in total yards. Expect a strong effort from the Buttons’ defense tonight.
Midland Christian quarterback Gerry Powell has thrown for 1,750 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s given up 12 interceptions, so the Buttons should bring a lot of pressure his way.
The Mustangs have a fairly balanced offense behind a large offensive line, with Justin Fender racking up 1,100 rushing yards. Reagan Brown has 32 catches for 512 receiving yards.
State quarterfinal opponent: Dallas Bishop Dunne (9-1). Favorite: Central Catholic.
TAPPS DIVISION II
Arlington Pantego Christian (6-4) at #1 Holy Cross (7-1), 7 p.m.
It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that Holy Cross rolled through the TAPPS District 3-II schedule without much turbulence. It is fair, though, to say that the Knights distinguished themselves in the second half in their challenges against Austin Hyde Park Baptist and Austin Regents.
The Knights have a strong defense and an experienced offensive line to go with senior standout back Greg Scott. That should be enough to get Holy Cross past this bi-district matchup against Arlington Pantego Christian.
Pantego Christian’s offense features 6-foot-2, 190-pound quarterback Hill Alexander. Alexander is a run-pass threat for the Panthers. He has run for 1,445 yards and thrown for 1,317 with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. The senior has produced 20 touchdowns, 19 on the ground.
Will Boyd is Alexander’s favorite target with 37 catches for 528 yards. Boyd is second on the team with six receiving touchdowns.
While Holy Cross wants to control the ball and take advantage of mismatches in the passing game, Pantego Christian’s results indicate that it wants to win shootouts. The Panthers gave up more than 500 yards to Trinity Valley early in the season.
A key for Holy Cross will be the performance of its quarterback tandem of sophomore Steven Gutierrez and freshman Nazario Coleman in their first playoff action. They’ll need to keep their poise and be effective in play action.
State quarterfinal opponent: Fort Worth Christian (8-2)-Austin Hyde Park Baptist (5-4) winner. Favorite: Holy Cross.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Southwest.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:
Southwest’s season came to a somewhat disappointing end Nov. 4 for nine seniors, but for the returning Dragons and their coach appear to have bright days ahead.
The senior contingent, which featured middle blockers Kassy Cruz and Candice Kelley and setters Dori Martinez and Yasmine Garcia, helped Southwest fashion a 21-17 record. Clark (33-10) eliminated the Dragons 25-14, 25-9, 25-17 in a Class 6A bi-district match at O’Connor.
“Three of them were starters, and those three have been with me from the very beginning,” fourth-year coach Erin Morgal said. “Some of them started out on the JV team and two were on the freshman team. It’s a testimony to their hard work and willpower that they came through it.”
The Dragons will welcome back a nucleus that includes sophomore Aashlyn Sulaica, junior setter Angie Aguilar and junior libero Brandy Martinez. Up front, sophomore Samantha Webb and freshman Eliana Ponce show promise.
Between seasons, Morgal will turn her attention to other matters. Her first child, a son, is due to be born in early December.
Garcia said she was grateful that the Dragons’ season ended in the postseason, with a strong third game. Although Southwest never led in the game, the Dragons overcame a 5-0 deficit to pull within 8-7 and 14-11.
“It’s going to be good for next year,” Garcia said. “We didn’t want it to end. We played as a team.”
Clark went on to defeat Reagan in five games Nov. 7 in the area round.
Only two of the area’s 10 playoff qualifiers advanced from the first round. Holy Cross and Providence each reached the TAPPS state quarterfinals.
Clark, behind exceptional blocking, controlled the first game and scored 10 unanswered points to end the second. The third game was in the balance until the Cougars put together a four-point run that provided an 18-11 lead.
“They took advantage of what we were doing to them,” Clark coach Kristen Daniell said. “They’re known for playing really good defense. Tonight, they were really good and hard-working. They were picking up our tips.”
Zoe Marin started the Dragons’ comeback by serving an ace. Garcia (5 assists) had a kill for a sideout that brought Southwest within 7-4. Then Sulaica (11 digs, 6 kills) delivered a kill through a block attempt. Clark’s lead increased again to five points, but Cruz whittled it down to 11-9 with a kill.
“That was one of our goals, to make playoffs,” Garcia said. “That was a good way to go out. It got to me a lot. I came to Southwest as a junior. I met a lot of people from volleyball and had a lot of fun.”
Kelley produced a sideout that brought the Dragons within 13-10, but the Cougars responded with an impressive hitting display. Gabby Ware drilled a kill down the line and junior middle blocker Jasmin Sneed (9 kills, 3.5 blocks) prouduced back-to-back kills followed by a block.
Clark freshman Maylin Garrett ended the match with her 12th kill.
Garrett slammed kills on three of the first six points in Game 1. Sneed scored points with a block in between. Ware added a kill as Clark stormed to a 6-0 lead.
“They complement each other really well,” Daniell said of Garrett and Sneed. “They’re both new to varsity. They put up a huge block and they’re good at attacking.”
The Dragons fell behind by a seemingly insurmountable 18-7 margin in Game 1. Consecutive Clark errors closed Southwest within double digits. A block by Megan Hernandez and a kill from Cruz kept the Dragons within nine, but a kill from Megan Pattison and an ace from Miranda Mendez on consecutive points kept the Cougars’ lead safe.
“We were making errors we don’t normally make,” Morgal said. “We were having a hard time getting good passes to our setters. There were a lot of balls that they normally dig that ended up hitting the ground.”
Clark’s blocking remained a barrier for Southwest into the second game. Sneed produced two more blocks and Lindsey McDonough had one
“We did a good job of blocking,” Daniell said. “That’s something we really rely on. That started us off with more consistency. It made it hard for them to run their attack.”
With Sulaica serving, Southwest reduced its deficit to 7-5 in Game 2. Clark capitalized on Dragons errors and McDonough’s block built a sizeable lead. With Ware serving, Clark turned out the proverbial lights with 10 uninterrupted points.
“It was a lot of our mistakes,” Morgal said. “A lot of times we were within an inch left or right of getting a kill. It took us one or two games to find our (comfort zone).”
For Southwest, Aguilar produced a team-high 10 assists. Senior Lindsey Calderon finished with two blocks.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Edison, Harlandale, Jefferson, Kennedy, McCollum, Memorial.
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For the second-consecutive season, the Tommy Bowl went down to the wire. This year, it was Edison that broke the proverbial finish-line tape.
Golden Bears senior Michael Benavidez broke up a pass from Jefferson quarterback Weston Redding in the end zone as the game ended, preserving a 28-21 victory for Edison (5-5, 5-3). The Golden Bears had taken the lead in the District 28-5A contest just 18 seconds before.
The Mustangs scored with 10 seconds left a year ago for a six-point win, their only victory of the season.
“They were on the (Edison) 40-yard line, which is about the distance Weston can throw,” Edison coach Albert Torres said. “There was just one second on the clock. Fortunately, Michael was able to knock it down.
“The same thing happened last year, except we lost it. We scored to make it 22-21 with 4:15 left. They drove the length of the field and won on a hail Mary with 10 seconds left.”
With 18 seconds on the clock in the Nov. 7 game at Alamo Stadium, Torres said he instructed his kicker not to give brothers Jesse and Eric Flores a chance to take the kickoff return for a touchdown. The tradeoff meant giving the Mustangs (3-7, 3-5) the ball 65 yards from the end zone.
A 15-yard pass from Redding to Jesse Flores helped give Jefferson a chance to win.
Edison had perfectly executed a bubble screen, with Chris Velez throwing a crucial block, for the go-ahead touchdown. Golden Bears quarterback Jonathan Hernandez (11 of 21, 202 yards) hooked up with Bryan Bolton (120 yards, 5 receptions) on a 59-yard pass play.
“We felt we, hopefully, could get down there to score a touchdown or kick a field goal to win it,” Torres said. “but we didn’t want to give Jefferson a chance to win.
“Eric Flores is a pretty good kicker. He kicked a 47-yard field goal against McCollum.”
Taking the ball with 1:11 remaining, Hernandez (94 yards, 19 carries) ran for a first down and went out of bounds to stop the clock.
“We wanted to get a few more yards and then see where we were at,” Torres said. “We went with a bubble screen, because that’s a pretty safe play most of the time. We thought Bryan would get out of bounds. But he got an excellent block from Chris and he was able to take it all the way to the house.”
The win assured Edison of a third-place tie in the district and its first playoff appearance since 2010. The Golden Bears will face Boerne Champion (10-0) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at Heroes Stadium in the bi-district round.
The Chargers won the 27-5A title and are the top-ranked team in the Express-News sub-6A area rankings.
“They definitely can score a lot of points,” Torres said. “But, at this point in the season, you don’t put in new plays or change what you do. You do what you know and what’s been helping you to be successful.
“It comes down to execution. They’re as tough a team as we’ve seen this season. We need to keep them in front of us defensively and keep making first downs. Hopefully, that will lead to points.”
Fifth-place Jefferson, which last qualified in 2012, had tied the score 21-21 on a 23-yard pass from Redding (7 of 16, 82 yards) to senior tight end Henry Bocko (56 yards, 3 catches) with 11:55 remaining. Edison led 13-7 at halftime.
For Edison, Hernandez threw for three touchdowns and ran for another.
“Jonathan got every rep in every game last year as a junior,” Torres said. “He learned a lot last year. This year, he took it to another level. He understood what he was good at and what he wasn’t good at, and he played to his strengths.
“I have to say he was a key to our success.”
Jesse Flores (181 yards, 22 carries) and Eric Flores (120 yards, 16 carries) each ran for a Mustangs touchdown. Jefferson had two long touchdowns called back because of penalties.
Like Edison, Jefferson improved throughout the district season.
“The Jefferson kids battled hard and their coaches coached their butts off,” Torres said. “They had a good line and some good skill-position kids. It was unfortunate that someone had to lose.
“They had been playing better against McCollum and Highlands. They had been coming on.”
The Mustangs had another trait in common with Edison. Both teams did their best work after halftime, as the Golden Bears proved once again in their regular-season finale.
“In most of our better games, we did a good job in the second half,” Torres said. “We concentrated on finishing the job at hand. I’m really proud of the kids for taking in the coaching and making adjustments.
“It was a matter of staying focused and not getting down on themselves.”
Frontier Bowl
Harlandale 7, McCollum 6
The Indians (6-4, 5-3) needed to beat their chief rival Nov. 7 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium to assure themselves of a third-place tie in District 28-5A and notch a playoff berth. McCollum made that extremely difficult.
The Cowboys (2-8, 2-6) scored their only touchdown as time expired on a 36-yard pass from senior quarterback Ralph Vidal (10 of 23, 84 yards) to junior Allen Ojeda. It was Ojeda’s only reception.
McCollum tried to run for the two points, but Harlandale’s defense repelled the conversion attempt to win the 51st Frontier Bowl.
Neither team scored until 6:57 remained in the fourth quarter, when Harlandale’s Hunter Orozco returned an interception 10 yards.
Indians quarterback Jacob Delgado completed 11 of 17 passes for 72 yards. John Aguirre added 61 rushing yards. McCollum junior Mike Ramirez ran for 63 yards.
Salsa Bowl
Kennedy 28, Memorial 21
After suffering the slings and arrows of District 27-5A, the Rockets (1-9, 1-7) scored in the fourth quarter to emerge from this battle of previously winless teams with a Salsa Bowl win over rival Memorial (0-10, 0-8).
Memorial led 14-7 in the first half, but Kennedy scored the next three touchdowns at Edgewood Veterans Stadium. The Minutemen tied it 21-21 with about two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
No statistics were available for either team.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: East Central, Highlands, McCollum, Southside.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE SOUTHSIDE REPORTER WEBSITE:
East Central (24-16) battled Brennan (29-12) on even terms in the first two games of a Class 6A bi-district match Tuesday at Cole. The Bears prevailed 28-26, 23-25, 25-13, 25-15.
The loss ended an 11-match winning streak for the District 28-6A champion Hornets.
Only two of the area’s 10 playoff qualifiers advanced from the first round. Holy Cross and Providence each reached the TAPPS state quarterfinals.
Junior Kaylin Mills led East Central with 33 assists and 10 digs. Madison Simon contributed 11 kills and 11 digs. Defensive leaders for the Hornets were senior Brandi Campos (17 digs) and Nichole West (16 digs, 2 aces).
The other top hitters were Lindsey Lubianski (9 kills, 5 digs), Skeyler Embry (8 kills) and Christie Cosper (7 kills).
Victoria West 3, Southside 0
Southside (20-16) ended its season with a solid performance against state-ranked Victoria West Tuesday in a Class 5A bi-district match in Seguin. The Warriors (31-9) won 25-12, 25-20, 25-17.
Victoria West, No. 12 in the current Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A poll, had a balanced offensive attack. The Warriors were led by Jillian Hermann (11 kills), Saige McLarty (10 kills) and Brooke Kirkpatrick (8 kills).
Ashley Sanchez and Analee Uriegas led the Cardinals with six digs apiece and Briana Martinez made three. Sanchez also finished with six kills.
Floresville 3, McCollum 0
McCollum (24-9) lost its second in a row following a 16-match winning streak Tuesday in a Class 5A bi-district contest. Floresville (27-16) defeated the district 28-5A champion Cowboys 25-13, 25-18, 25-10 at Wagner.
Senior Catie Gonzalez led McCollum with 17 digs. Savannah Borjas added nine digs. Neyda Sanchez finished her Cowboys career with six kills.
Michaela Sifuentes led Floresville with 28 assists, 11 digs and three aces.
Boerne Champion 3, Highlands 0
District 28-5A runner-up Highlands (25-13) was eliminated with a 25-10, 25-16, 25-12 loss to Boerne Champion (19-12) in a Class 5A bi-distrct match Monday at O’Connor.
Haley Higgins led the Chargers with 23 assists, six kills and four assists.
Highlands statistics were unavailable.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Central Catholic, East Central, Edison, McCollum, Southwest.
Southwest (5-4, 3-1) demolished a team that took an undefeated record into the District 28-6A season Oct. 30 in Corpus Christi. Southwest rolled to a 27-7 halftime lead over Corpus Christi Ray (6-3, 1-3) as it maintained its hold on first place.
With the 61-7 win, Southwest shared first in the district with East Central and Corpus Christi Carroll (8-1, 3-1).
Holy Cross (7-1, 5-0), Brackenridge (6-3, 6-1), Central Catholic (6-3, 3-1), East Central, Sam Houston (8-2, 8-0), Southside (7-2, 4-2) and Southwest have qualified for the playoffs. Two more 28-5A teams to be determined will join them this week.
Dragons senior Jon Cruz ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Sophomore John Blaz accounted for 115 on four rushes, thanks to a 60-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Southwest scored the first two touchdowns, on a 51-yard dash from Cruz and a 26-yard interception return from Adrian Gonzales. Following Ray’s touchdown at the 2:26 mark of the first quarter, the Dragons scored 48 unanswered points at Buccaneer Stadium.
The defense supplied another touchdown, in the form of Robert Fuentes’ 16-yard fumble return. Cruz scored again on runs of 24 and 54 yards. Quarterback Bowen Crisp threw for 53 yards and a touchdown.
The Dragons play host to Carroll Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
East Central 24, Corpus Christi King 15
The Hornets (5-4, 3-1) held off Corpus Christi King (6-3, 2-2) to win what was essentially a tie-breaking game Oct. 31 at East Central. Like Southwest, East Central clinched a playoff berth.
East Central scored the first 17 points. Justin Upshaw-Mendoza (12 of 16, 205 yards) connected with Kyle Lamey (70 yards, 3 receptions) for a 34-yard strike and Jauwan Hall for a 20-yarder in the first half.
Dalton Zigmond kicked a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter. D’Anthony Carter ran 29 yards for a score early in the fourth quarter for a 24-7 lead.
The Hornets finish the regular season with a 7:30 p.m. game Friday, Nov. 7 at South San (2-7, 0-4).
Edison 16, McCollum 14
The Golden Bears (4-5, 4-3) kept their District 28-5A playoff hopes alive while McCollum’s came to a difficult end. Edison scored all of its points in the first half and held off a comeback from McCollum (2-7, 2-5) to win the Nov. 1 Alamo Stadium.
Edison was tied for third place with Harlandale entering the final week of the 28-5A season. The Golden Bears finished with a 7:30 p.m. game Friday against Jefferson at Alamo Stadium.
Senior quarterback Jonathan Hernandez (12 of 31, 312 yards) threw a 14-yard pass to Chris Velez and a 63-yarder to back Matthew Garcia for the Golden Bears’ touchdowns. With 6:07 until halftime, Joseph Delgado kicked what turned out to be a crucial 22-yard field goal.
McCollum’s John Martinez cut the Bears’ lead to 16-6 by returning a blocked punt for a touchdown with 5:12 left in the third quarter. Senior quarterback Ralph Vidal punched in a one-yard touchdown 29 seconds into the fourth quarter and also ran for the two-point conversion.
Cowboys junior Mike Ramirez ran for 102 yards on 20 carries.
Michael Benavidez led Edison with 116 reception yards on three catches. Bryan Bolton and Joey Rodriguez had 51 reception yards apiece.
Central Catholic 44, Brownsville St. Joseph 8
The Buttons remained in a second-place tie with the commanding TAPPS District 2-I win Oct. 31 at Brownsville St. Joseph (5-4, 1-3) at location.
St. Joseph took an 8-point lead on its opening possession, when Mario Garcia ran 12 yards for a touchdown. Central Catholic recovered to roll to a 30-8 halftime advantage.
Buttons senior quarterback Joseph Nava passed for 159 yards and five touchdowns. Nava also ran for a team-leading 89 yards.
Senior back Jimin Suh (85 rushing yards), Caleb Salinas (85 yards) and Thomas Palomera (72 yards) also contributed to a 373-yard rushing attack.
Troy Lozano was the Buttons leading receiver, with touchdown catches of 44 and 32 yards. Lozano caught four passes for 78 yards.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, Brooks Academy, East Central, Edison, Highlands, Jefferson, Sam Houston, South San, Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
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East Central (24-15, 10-0) closed out its undefeated run to the District 28-6A championship with a 25-8, 25-13, 25-13 win over South San (17-21, 3-7) Oct. 28 at East Central. The Bobcats finished in a fourth-place tie in the district.
Ten area teams qualified for the postseason, including Brackenridge (14-24), Brooks Academy (10-9), East Central, Highlands (24-11), Holy Cross (37-14), Jefferson (26-9), McCollum (24-9), Providence (19-21), Southside (20-15) and Southwest (21-16, 6-4). Holy Cross and Providence were eliminated from the playoffs Nov. 1 in the TAPPS Class 4A state quarterfinals.
McCollum was the area’s only other district champion. The 28-5A champion Cowboys also had an unblemished district record (16-0).
Junior setter Kaylin Mills led East Central with 30 assists and eight digs. Lindsey Lubianski (8 kills, 1.5 blocks), Christie Cosper (7 kills, 3 aces, 3 blocks), Madison Simon (5 kills, 6 digs, 1.5 blocks) and Skeler Embry (5 kills) were the Hornets’ hitting leaders.
Brandi Campos made 12 digs for the Hornets . Nichole West recorded six aces and six digs.
The Hornets were scheduled to play Brennan (28-12) in a bi-district match Nov. 4 at Cole.
South San lost a fourth-place tie-breaker to Corpus Christi Ray (20-18, 3-7) Oct. 31 in Corpus Christi. The
Bobcats lost the first game 25-15, but evened the match with a 25-20 decision in Game 2. The Texans took Game 2 25-17, but South San rallied to tie again with a 25-19 win. Ray claimed the fifth game 15-10.
No South San statistics were available from either match.
Jefferson 3, Edison 1
The Mustangs (26-9, 11-5) secured third place with the four-game District 28-5A victory over Edison (14-24, 6-10). The Golden Bears, who lost 25-22, 17-25, 27-25, 25-22, Oct. 28 at Alamo Convocation Center placed sixth in the district.
Senior libero Cecilia Campos led the Mustangs with 42 digs. Gabby Vasquez added 16 kills. Angela Hardcastle produced 16 assists. Madelyn Chavez served six aces. Marisol Montejano and Marissa Vargas each notched two blocks for Jefferson.
Edison was led by Marissa Cortinas with 29 assists and 14 digs. Kayla Lyons pounded a team-high 14 kills and had five digs. Kalani Wood added seven kills and six digs. Alyssa Alanis finished with four kills.
Other defensive standouts for Edison were Emma Garza (17 digs) Lauren Gutierrez (12 digs), Destiny McCarty (11 digs) and Elizabeth Robledo (4 digs).
Highlands 3, Brackenridge 2
The second-place Owls (25-12, 13-3) seized control of the third game to defeat Brackenridge (14-24, 10-6) Oct. 28 in a District 28-5A match at Alamo Convocation Center. The Eagles fell to fourth place with the 19-25, 25-17, 18-25, 25-21, 15-9 loss.
Senior Emily Pearce and sophomore Kiara Pesina led Highlands with 17 digs apiece. Jazmine Jackson contributed 11 kills and four blocks. Analisa Garza distributed 27 assists. Angela Garcia served three aces.
Jolicia Shelton-Brown led Brackenridge with 13 kills and 20 digs. Marquanique Freeman chipped in with 33 assists and five aces.
Sam Houston 3, Young Women’s Leadership Academy 0
The Hurricanes (16-17) swept Young Women’s Leadership Academy (6-22) 25-20, 25-19, 25-12 in a non-district match Oct. 28 at Alamo Convocation Center. It was the final match for both teams.
No statistics were available for either team.
Brooks Academy
The Bengals (10-9, 3-7) secured what is believed to be the school’s first playoff appearance, according to first-year Brooks Academy coach Raul Hernandez.
Brooks Academy assured the postseason berth and fourth place in District 26-3A with a victory Oct. 24 at Fox Tech (6-33, 1-9) in their District 26-3A finale. Melody Gutierrez led Fox Tech with 18 digs.
Bengals statistics were unavailable.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Harlandale, McCollum.
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McCollum’s perfect 2014 District 28-5A season had its roots in its 2013 finish.
“I think the key factor in all that started in the offseason,” McCollum coach Rose Ann Martinez said. “I could see they had such huge disappointment in the way they finished last year. The girls that returned this year weren’t ready for their season to be over.
“They started focusing right away on the things they needed to do to win more games this year.”
McCollum (24-9, 16-0), in winning the district, advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. The Cowboys made the unblemished 28-5A record official Oct. 28 at Harlandale (16-17, 8-8), with a 27-25, 26-24, 21-25, 25-19 win over their host.
Martinez is unaware of any previous McCollum team that won its district title with an undefeated record. There is reason to think a precedent exists, given that the Cowboys won the Class 4A state championship in 1976.
“We had a certain calmness to us,” Martinez said. “I think that was because we focused on us, and not what we had to stop the other team from doing.”
The season ended with a bit of frustration for rival Harlandale. The Indians were eliminated from the postseason, ending a remarkable streak of 14 straight appearances, days before the match.
Despite the disappointment, the Indians seemed to make the season finale into its unofficial bi-district match.
“Because of the rivalry, neither of these teams wants to lose to the other,” Martinez said. “The records don’t matter. It’s a big rivalry because of the community.
“The crowd was so huge. That might have been the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen in that gym for a Harlandale-McCollum game. It was nice, because there was a lot of support on both sides.”
Senior Neyda Sanchez led McCollum with 12 kills. Catie Gonzalez had a team-best 35 digs. Setters Savannah Borjas and Alicia Garcia (2 aces) each distributed 16 assists. Senior Victoria Yzaguirre had a team highs five blocks and also served two aces.
Setter Alicia Garcia led Harlandale with 25 assists and nine digs. Kianna Sandoval had a solid match with 12 assists, seven digs and four kills. Dominique Delgado (23 digs), and Keana Ramos (12 digs) and Kassandra Munoz (11 digs) also were defensive leaders for the Indians.
Munoz also finished with eight kills and two blocks. Ramos added two aces. Valeria Stokes made six kills and notched six blocks for Harlandale. Madaline Mendez had a team-high 11 kills.
“They played really well and played hard,” Martinez said. “They kept it interesting. Any time they challenged us, I called time out and told them not to think about the other team, just worry about ourselves. That was what really got us through the season.”
McCollum was scheduled to play Floresville (26-16), which placed fourth in highly competitive District 27-5A, Nov. 4 in the bi-district round.
Southside swept McCollum 25-18, 25-19, 25-8 Oct. 31 in a warm-up match.
Sophomore Alyssa Gallardo led Southside with 18 assists, five digs and four aces. Mia Soto produced 14 kills and five aces. Ashley Sanchez supplied 12 digs, five kills and two aces.
Analee Uriegas finished with a team-high 18 digs and five assists. Klaryssa Vela added eight assists and five digs. Tyler Bolton drilled seven kills. Amanda Esparza made six digs.
McCollum statistics from the match were unavailable.
The Cowboys also were undefeated in district on the junior varsity level. Their freshman team lost only to Harlandale.
NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface
Friday’s games
CLASS 6A
Division I
BI-district round
O’Connor (8-2) 49, Southwest (5-6) 14
CLASS 5A
Division I
BI-district round
Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (11-0) 42, Southside (8-3) 21
Alamo Heights (9-2) 48, Harlandale (6-5) 17
Division II
BI-district round
Boerne Champion (11-0) 57, Edison (5-6) 14
Kerrville Tivy (8-3) 54, Sam Houston (8-3) 7
TAPPS Division I
Bi-district round
Midland Christian (7-4) 56, Central Catholic (6-5) 0
TAPPS Division II
Bi-district round
Holy Cross (9-1) 43, Arlington Pantego Christian (6-5) 22
Saturday’s games
CLASS 6A
Division I
BI-district round
Stevens (8-3) 51, East Central (6-5) 22
CLASS 5A
Division I
BI-district round
Lockhart (7-4) 42, Brackenridge (7-4) 21
Friday game
TAPPS Division II
State quarterfinals
Holy Cross (9-1) vs. Fort Worth Christian (9-2) at Birkelbach Field, Georgetown, 7 p.m.
Rank-Team-Last Week
1. Holy Cross – 1
2. Sam Houston – 2
3. Southside – 4
4. East Central – 5
5. Southwest – 3
6. Brackenridge – 6
7. Central Catholic – 7
8. Harlandale – 8
9. Edison – 9
10. Burbank – 10
11. South San – 11
12. Jefferson – 13
13. McCollum – 14
14. Lanier – 12
15. Kennedy – NR
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Holy Cross.
Holy Cross broke open a scoreless game in the second half to nail down an undefeated TAPPS District 3-II. Now it has a promise to an injured teammate to keep.
The Knights (8-1, 6-0) scored three touchdowns in a 16-minute span to defeat gritty Austin Hyde Park (5-4, 4-2) Saturday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium. Senior back Greg Scott scored a pair of second-half touchdowns and defensive leader Genaro Coleman accounted for another as Holy Cross snared a 20-7 victory.
On Scott’s shoes, he scrawled a message that explained Holy Cross’ mission. The Knights are dedicating their postseason to injured quarterback Cisco Flores, who was lost with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“We’ve got to get to state,” Scott said. “That’s No. 1 for us, so we had to win tonight. Now we’ve got to get through that first round of the playoffs. That’s what we need to do for Cisco.”
Holy Cross will play host to Arlington Pantego Christian (6-4) in a 7 p.m. bi-district game Friday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium.
“They have a quarterback, Hill Alexander, who’s all-everything for them,” Holy Cross coach Mike Harrison said. “He does it all. He’s very Cisco-ish.
“They are big, but they spread the field. They run a 3-4 defense, and they come after you with everything they have.”
Holy Cross knew that Hyde Park was a relentless, grind it out team. The Panthers controlled the ball in the first half, but didn’t reach the end zone until 3:36 remained.
“The defense stepped up,” Harrison said. “I like that bend-but-not-break philosophy. In high school football, as long as you don’t give up the big plays, you can be in every game.”
Hyde Park scored on Jack Palmer’s two-yard run. The Panthers also covered the ensuing onside kick, and put together a promising drive. However, Coleman threw Palmer for a two-yard loss from the Knights’ 17 with 30 seconds remaining.
Holy Cross ran out the clock to claim its undisputed district title.
The Knights capitalized on a muffed punt after going three-and-out off the second-half kickoff. Scott (108 yards, 21 carries) scored on a two-yard run for a 7-0 lead little more than four minutes into the half.
Holy Cross followed the game’s first touchdown with a 59-yard drive, which featured 26-yard pass from Steven Gutierrez to David Sanchez. Coleman muscled his way into the end zone from two yards out with 1:46 left in the third quarter.
A Chris Rodriguez interception led to the final, clinching Knights touchdown. Scott did the honors with a seven-yard run, 6:50 from the end.
The first half was characterized by long, but ultimately unproductive drives by both teams.
The Knights made fourth-down stops deep inside Holy Cross territory twice and squelched a Hyde Park punt attempt, which gave them the ball at the Panthers 27.
The stops came at the Holy Cross 25 with 4:32 remaining in the first quarter and at the 14 with just 14 seconds left in the first half. The Knights ran out the clock.
Holy Cross generated the only scoring opportunity in the first 24 minutes. A 27-yard field goal attempt hit the left crossbar with 7:32 to play in the second quarter.
MORE TO COME
# – denotes current San Antonio South Side Sports area ranking
SATURDAY
Austin Hyde Park Baptist (3-1, 0-0) vs. #1 Holy Cross (2-1, 0-0) at Harlandale Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.
Holy Cross is closing in on a spotless TAPPS 3-II record and has already clinched a share of first, but has to view this as the beginning of the playoffs.
In the backloaded district schedule, the Knights’ two toughest tests were saved for the last two weeks. After being in the same situation last season against Hyde Park, and prevailing, expect Holy Cross to be ready for a formidable Panthers team.
After last week’s seven-touchdown performance in a 47-17 win over then district-co-leader Austin Regents, Knights back Greg Scott will be a marked man. Of course, that’s nothing new, and he has a habit of rising to the challenge – as his 385 rushing yards against Regents attest.
The quarterback tandem of Nazario Coleman and Steven Gutierrez did what was needed against Regents, and will need to again.
The biggest key for the Knights may be matching Hyde Park’s toughness. The Panthers play a physical, ball-control brand of ball.
Seth DeVries, Jack Palmer, Myles Diggs and Parker Burns are Hyde Park’s ballcarriers to watch.
Holy Cross will want to get on the scoreboard early and limit Hyde Park’s time-consuming drives. Mostly, they don’t want to give the Panthers hope for a co-championship bid.
Series leader (record): unknown. 2013 score: Holy Cross 28, Austin Hyde Park Baptist 14. 2014 favorite: Holy Cross.
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Southwest.
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Accountability may have been the hidden key to Southwest’s playoff season.
“We made it a priority to focus and leadership,” Dragons coach Peter Wagner said. “We need to do that moving forward. We have a group of kids that are very good leaders.
“They didn’t get rattled and stuck together, even after Carroll kicked that field goal.”
Corpus Christi Carroll (9-1, 4-1) used a 31-yard field goal from Zach Riley with 2:34 remaining to secure a share of first place in District 28-6A. Carroll scored the last 10 points after Southwest (5-5, 3-2) tied the score and won 24-14 decision Friday at Southwest Stadium.
The Tigers took advantage of the breaks it received to surge ahead. The clinching field goal ended a seven-play, 41-yard drive after both defenses had stiffened.
Carroll (9-1, 4-1) and East Central (6-4, 4-1) shared the 28-6A title, but the Hornets attained the district’s No. 1 seed with a 50-49 win over Carroll in the first week of district play.
The Tigers won their four remaining district games.
“That (loss) definitely motivated us,” said Tigers senior Noah Lisk, who scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:01 remaining in the third quarter.
“We didn’t want to lose at all. We came back and hit every week harder. It got us to where we are now.”
Southwest had shared first place going into the game after building a three-game winning streak. The Dragons were seeking their first district title since 2009, when they won the 27-5A crown with an undefeated record.
The Dragons finished in third place tie with Corpus Christi King, but won the head-to-head meeting. Southwest will be the district’s No. 3 seed and compete in Division II.
Southwest will play O’Connor next Friday in a 7:30 p.m. bi-district game at Gustafson Stadium.
“They have an extremely tough defense,” Wagner said. “Right up the middIe, they’re very good. They have two very good linebackers and a safety who’s probably going to play in the Big 12.
“They pitched a shutout against Wagner and Steele had to figure out ways to get 10 points.”
The Dragons drove 76 yards off the second half kickoff to tie it 14-14. Jon Cruz (236 yards, 35 carries) scored his second touchdown of the game on a four-yard run.
Southwest committed six penalties in the third quarter, including two that gave Carroll first downs on its go-ahead drive. Lisk (80 yards, 15 attempts) scored on a five-yard run for a 21-14 edge, after the Dragons were penalized half the distance to the goal line.
“Our kids were really excited to play for the district championship,” Wagner said. “Those (penalties) really hurt our drives. That was a big difference. It may go down as a 10-point loss, but it was a lot closer than that.”
Carroll, which led 14-7 at halftime, made the field goal after stopping Southwest on fourth-and-6 at the Tigers 41.
“Coach (Tony Trevino) talked to us at halftime about finishing,” Lisk said. “We all executed and it paid off.”
Corpus Christi Carroll scored first, after partially blocking a.Southwest punt. Tigers quarterback Jesse Jones (111 yards, 19 carries), who ran for 100 yards in the first half, scored on a two-yard run with 3:54 left in the first quarter.
Carroll increased its lead to 14-0 on the first play of the second quarter. Lisk ran 15 yards for the touchdown.
“We haven’t come back from 14 points down before,” Wagner said, “but we came back and got after them.”
On a drive that consumed exactly five minutes, Southwest closed to 14-7 just 44 seconds before halftime. Cruz, who ran for 69 yards on the drive, scored up the middle from one yard out.
“This is a special group of kids,” Wagner said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them for the way they played football tonight.”
SAN ANTONIO SOUTH SIDE SPORTS 