The San Marcos Rattlers lose to the Madison Mavericks

By Osmara Valles

Sports Reporter

SAN ANTONIO, Texas— The San Marcos Rattler Football Team traveled to San Antonio, Texas, Friday night to face off against the Madison Mavericks.

The Rattlers fell short against the Mavericks with a final score of 49-28. The Rattlers matched up against the Madison offense featuring Landon Gill as their starting quarterback, Ethan Morrison as their running back and Lavonta Henry as their wide receiver. Through the value of teamwork, the Mavericks were able to work their magic in the 2nd half of the game.

When these two teams matched up last season, the Rattlers defeated the Mavericks with a final score of 31-24 with the help of an extra overtime period. Unfortunately, the ending result for the game was not what the Rattlers hoped for. The starting quarterback for the Rattlers, senior Kutter Gage Webb, fought to put them in the lead throughout the first half of the game. Webb had 156 passing yards completing 37% of his passes (9/24), one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown. Senior running back Stefan Stenett had a total of 83 rushing yards.

Senior wide receiver Tony Diaz without a doubt made a spectacular appearance in the 1st half. After racking up 122 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, and forcing an interception on the defensive side of the ball, the Rattlers went into halftime with a 28-14 lead.

As the 2nd half of the game rolled around, the Mavericks made an impressive comeback. Senior Landon Gill with a 67% completion rate (14/21), a total of 149 yards, 3 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns, flipped a switch for the entirety of the game. Gill helped push the Mavericks over the top to score 35 unanswered points; the Mavericks ultimately won 49-28.

With a total of three running backs completing a spectacular amount of rushing yards, senior Ethan Morrison was no doubt the team’s head rusher. Along with a touchdown, Morrison had a total of 121 rushing yards. Right behind Morrison, senior Lavonta Henry was their leading wide receiver with 88 receiving yards along with 2 touchdowns contributing to the team.

Although the Rattlers ended the night with a second straight loss, there is always room for improvement since it is still the beginning of their season. The Rattlers will have home-field advantage in their next game against the Wagner Thunderbirds on Friday, Sept. 8. The Thunderbirds were defeated by the Dripping Springs Tigers last Friday night, but there is potential for either team to earn a win.