San Marcos Falls Short to Cibolo Steele Despite Strong First Half Performance

Santos Gonzalez

KTSW Sports Reporter

The San Marcos Rattlers fell to the Cibolo Steele Knights 27-21 on Friday night after a promising start that saw the Rattlers lead midway through the second quarter. 

Steele opened the game with a field goal before San Marcos responded quickly. With five minutes left in the first quarter, quarterback Justin Tardy ran in for a touchdown to give the Rattlers their first lead of the night. The defense followed up with a big play when San Marcos forced a fumble with 2:41 remaining in the quarter. 

Early in the second, defensive back Hank Harris extended the Rattlers’ lead with a pick-six at the 10:22 mark. Quarterback Buck Steyn added another score with his legs just under five minutes later to make it 21-3. 

However, momentum began to shift late in the half. A botched punt snap by San Marcos resulted in a safety, and Steele capitalized quickly. Running back Johnathan Hatton Jr. found the end zone with 2:37 left in the second quarter, and following a late interception with under a minute remaining, the Knights scored again through the air to Hatton, cutting the Rattlers’ lead to 21-19 going into halftime. 

The second half was all Steele. Hatton struck again at 7:36 in the third quarter with another rushing touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion to give the Knights a 27-21 lead. The Rattlers were unable to find offensive rhythm the rest of the way and were shut out in the final two quarters. 

After the game, Head Coach John Walsh credited Steele’s defense and discipline for slowing his team’s offensive success. 

“They’re good,” said Walsh. “I mean, we broke some plays and then once we got some momentum, we’re down on the 30-yard line and we start getting penalties, and we’re not good enough to overcome downs such as 1st and 20.” 

Despite the loss, Walsh emphasized that the Rattlers proved they can compete with top programs in the state. 

“We just played one of the best teams in the state to a 27-21 ball game and had our chances to win,” said Walsh. “Just think of the fact that they almost threw an interception, and if we picked that off and scored, we’re up and they’re trying to catch up.”