The Rattlers fall to Vandergrift at the Alamodome

By Isaac Melchor  

KTSW Sports Reporter

 The San Marcos Rattler Football season has come to an end, after losing to the Vandergrift Vipers in the third round of playoff action. 

 After winning the coin toss, San Marcos elected to kick the ball. Vandergrift in their first drive of the game, Sam Brown scores a rushing touchdown giving Vandergrift a 7-0 lead with 8:16 on the clock. 

 When San Marcos receives the ball, 3 false starts ensued. When the Rattlers finally moved the ball down the field, Buck Steyn through an interception. Then immediately as the Vipers get the football, San Marcos intercepts it themselves. 

 Rattlers occur 4 more false starts before the first quarter is over. 

 In the second, Brock Chilton catches a pass for Vandergrift that gives them the 14-0 lead. 

After the Rattlers go 3 and out, a big return from the Vipers, set them up for good field position for a field goal. 

 17-0 with 5:29 left in the first half, both offenses go scoreless and that ends the half with the Rattlers down big, not even moving midfield the entire half. 

In the third quarter Vandergrift fumbled the ball with 6:30 on the clock but with more false starts and sacks from the Vipers, the Rattlers do not score the entire quarter. 

 After the 10th false start in the game, San Marcos finally get on the board, after a huge pass to Elliot Gray with 9:36 on the clock. 17-7 Vandergrift. 

 After the team’s offense going back and forth in the 4th quarter, Vandergrift scores another rushing touchdown to secure the game. 

 Final score, 24-7, Vandergrift moves on. 

 The penalties hurt the Rattlers, the offense couldn’t move up the field, the defense however did its job, holding Vandergrift to a relatively low scoring output. 

Coach Walsh still had a lot of praise for his team’s successful season. 

 He said, “What I love about football, it teaches you how to prosper and how to fail, I’m so proud of them.” 

“The town came to watch them, stayed to the end, the kids played hard, I’m really proud of this year.” 

 The Rattlers make it to the third round after going winless the past two seasons, a successful bounce back year for this program.