Nine weeks of high school football action are now officially in the books! Only two weeks remain. So many district races are coming down to the wire with multiple teams tied in the standings. Head-to-head matchups will prove to be the difference between earning a playoff berth and sitting on the couch in November.
Thanks to New Braunfels Canyon’s victory over Seguin, there’s a three-team logjam at 4-1 in District 12-5A Division I with the Cougars and Matadors tied with Wagner. Meanwhile, Stevens and Clark earned important wins in 29-6A and 28-6A competition respectively, each moving above .500. The same goes for Sam Houston, who moved into a tie for the fourth position in 14-5A Division II.
Needless to say, our Big Game Coverage (BGC) featured some incredible games! Let’s recap the biggest moments from the week that was in the Best of BGC.
On Instant Replay, we selected the best of the best, including highlights from Wagner, South San, O’Connor, Brennan, Judson and Clark!
>> Click here to check out the Best of BGC from Week 9! <<
Be sure to check out all of the highlights from Week 9 as well:
(Copyright 2021 by KSAT – All rights reserved.)
The top eight teams from last week’s 12?s Top 12 all went 8-0, but some familiar faces entered the bottom four spots: Burbank and Reagan. Where did they land?
>> See the full Week 10 rankings by clicking here! <<
(Copyright 2021 by KSAT – All rights reserved.) (KSAT)
NEW BRAUNFELS CANYON 27, SEGUIN 14
Community bragging rights and playoff positioning were all up for grabs at Matador Stadium on Friday night, and our Game of the Week certainly lived up to the hype.
In a surprisingly low-scoring start, Seguin broke a scoreless tie late in the first half on Corey Dailey’s seven-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Garcia. Canyon returned fire on the ensuing drive, as quarterback Deuce Adams found his brother Eli Adams for a 34-yard touchdown strike, and both teams entered halftime tied at 7-7.
The Cougars carried the momentum from that scoring drive into the start of the second half. Deuce found dynamic wideout Xayvion Noland for a 26-yard TD and a 14-7 lead. The lead then doubled to 14 points early in the fourth quarter on Deuce’s third touchdown pass of the game, a 32-yard bomb to Eli that gave Canyon a commanding 21-7 advantage. Deuce completed 23 passes for 279 yards and Eli caught five passes for 131 yards to pace the Cougars’ offense. The Matadors had possession of the ball and were driving with a chance to get back in the game midway through the fourth quarter, but Canyon’s defense came up with a key fumble recovery. Their offense then turned that into points. Elias Gonzalez scored the game-clinching touchdown with a well-timed extension over the goal line, and the Cougars left the field with a pivotal victory.
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STEVENS 35, O’CONNOR 31
Thursday night’s District 29-6A showdown at the Gus certainly set the tone for Week 9.
Towards the tail end of a back- and-forth battle, O’Connor vaulted ahead late on running back Jeremiah Hall’s 12-yard touchdown run with 1:20 remaining in regulation. That marked Hall’s second touchdown of the fourth quarter, and the fifth lead-change of the game saw the Panthers go up 31-28.
That lead lasted all of 41 regulation seconds. Stevens quarterback KK Brashears capped an incredible performance with the game-winning 15-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Ruiz with 39 ticks left. Brashears put all of his talents on display, completing 14 passes for 123 yards, rushing 13 times for 130 yards and accounting for all five of the Falcons’ touchdowns in a remarkable comeback victory. Now Stevens finds themselves in the driver’s seat for the district’s final playoff spot.
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CLARK 34, ROOSEVELT 29
The Cougars and Rough Riders entered Farris Stadium looking to bounce back from tough losses in their most recent outings, and both squads put on a show.
Clark broke a 14-14 tie midway through the third quarter on Nikos Varelas’ 14-yard touchdown run. Fellow running back Chris Goertz added a 10-yard score of his own early in the fourth quarter, as the Cougars built a commanding 28-14 lead. Goertz had an impressive night, carrying the ball 22 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Roosevelt responded with a one-yard TD run from Dontay Seay that cut the deficit in half, and then tallied the game-tying touchdown on a 15-yard pitch and catch from backup QB Amir Calhoun to Devon Tennison-Sheppard with 1:11 left in regulation. Those two players connected again on the ensuing two-point conversion to give the Rough Riders a stunning 29-28 lead.
On the other sideline, Clark had already turned to their own backup quarterback: Phillip Metzger, who stepped in to replace injured starter Nic Lee. Metzger had already thrown a touchdown pass in the first quarter to Michael Vasquez. Fifteen regulation seconds after Roosevelt’s go-ahead touchdown, Metzger found Vasquez again for a remarkable leaping grab in the end zone. That 18-yard touchdown gave the Cougars the lead for good. Moments later, junior Kevin Ramon sealed the game with an interception, and Clark survived to earn their first victory over Roosevelt in eight years.
The Cougars are now 4-3 in 28-6A with one game left to play. A win in Week 10 against Brandeis means they’re in the playoffs.
(KSAT)
SAM HOUSTON 27, BRACKENRIDGE 24 (OT)
It seems like there’s a Game of the Week contender from District 14-5A Division II every week. This time, it was the Hurricanes and Eagles’ turn in the spotlight at Alamo Stadium.
Sam Houston took a 14-7 lead into halftime thanks to Albert Goodloe’s 26-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Espitia late in the second quarter, but the Eagles scored a pair of TDs in the third quarter to take their first lead of the game. First, Xaviur Camargo raced to the end zone from 22 yards out for the game-tying touchdown, then Brandon Garcia ripped off a 76-yard touchdown run on the Eagles’ very next possession, and Brackenridge went up 21-14. Camargo finished the night with 25 carries for 156 rushing yards and 2 TDs, while Garcia had 10 carries for 115 yards.
But Na’Qwentis Brooks delivered when the Hurricanes needed him most. The junior running back tied the game at 21-all midway through the fourth quarter on a 29-yard touchdown scamper. Neither team scored over the final seven minutes of regulation. Overtime would decide it. After the Eagles put a 25-yard Edgar Barreda field goal on the board, Brooks called game on Sam Houston’s next possession with a three-yard touchdown plunge. He finished with a game-high 165 yards and 2 scores, and the Hurricanes promptly swarmed the field.
Now, Sam Houston is 4-3 in District 14-5A Division II, tied with Highlands in the standings after the Owls lost a 21-20 decision to Lanier. The Hurricanes will face Highlands this Friday with a playoff spot on the line.
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I feel like a broken record at this point, but James Peoples is just so much fun to watch. Friday night, I took the BGC Fan Cam to Veterans Memorial’s road contest against Pieper at Warrior Coliseum, and Peoples promptly scored three touchdowns in the first quarter. His final stat-line wasn’t as jaw-dropping as previous weeks — 20 carries for 90 yards and those three scores — but quarterback CJ Irving had a night to remember, accounting for 404 total yards, 210 on the ground, and three total scores as the Patriots won their second straight game 42-28. Next up, Veterans Memorial will host Kerrville Tivy in a crucial District 13-5A Division II tilt.
Finally, I want to take a moment to shine the spotlight on the sport of Water Polo. The first ever UIL season concludes this week with the first state tournament being held right here in San Antonio at Josh Davis Natatorium this coming Saturday. Two teams made history and became our area’s first representatives at the State level after some incredible Regional Final games over the weekend.
First, the Brandeis girls rallied from a seven-goal second-half deficit to defeat Brennan 23-14 in overtime and punch their tickets to state. Grace Goldhammer scored the game-tying and go-ahead goals in the victory, as the girls became the first team from San Antonio to qualify. The boys Regional Final then featured Boerne Champion vs. Clark in a clash of powerhouse programs. The Chargers took advantage of a third-period ejection and sophomore Bexon Harrison helped piece together a six-goal run that proved to be the difference in a 16-13 victory.
The Brandeis girls will open their state tournament competition Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. against Clute Brazoswood. Should they win that matchup, they would advance to face either Richmond Foster or Southlake Carroll in the championship game at 4 p.m.
The Boerne Champion boys take on Richmond Foster in the state semifinals at 1:30 p.m. With a win, the Chargers would advance to face either Clute Brazoswood or Southlake Carroll in the championship game at 6 p.m.
Good luck to both teams, and congratulations to the entire San Antonio area on a remarkable first UIL season of water polo competition!
We’ll see you on Thursday night for the start of Week 10!
Andrew Cely, KSAT 12 Sports Producer and Reporter
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