Last week our San Saba JV football team travelled to Coleman to play a district ballgame. The Dillos received the ball and began to march down the field with runs of 16, 12, 12, 11, and 11 by Kelan Verette. He was following great blocking by Nathan Amstead, Dusty Parum, Aaron Perez, Brian Rogers, and Dylan Rosales. Once we reached the opponent’s 30 yard line, the offense struggled a bit and turned it over on downs. Our defense took the field and held the Coleman offense to only a couple of first downs, forcing a punt.

Our second possession again crossed midfield and entered Bluecat territory. We attempted to pass deep over the middle, but JT Mathis’ pass was intercepted and Coleman was back on offense. Great defensive play by Mario Valdez, Jordan Watson, and Luis Vega stopped the Bluecats in their tracks. A forced fumble by Juan Carlos Garcia was recovered by Dusty Parum, and gave the ball back to San Saba at the Coleman 40 yard line.

Our third possession saw more runs by Verette and great blocking by the offensive line once again. We drove down to the three yard line, where JT Mathis faked right and came back left on a keeper for a touchdown. The two point play was successful as JT Mathis threw the ball left to Kolton Ellis, over a defender, in our swinging gate play. This put San Saba up 8-0. As Coleman took the ball, our defense buckled down yet again, forcing a three and out. This set up a 51 yard touchdown run for Kelan Verette, who took the toss left and broke all the way back across the field to the right, outrunning the defense along the way. We attempted another toss to the left with Verette for two points, but we did not get in. This made the score: San Saba 14, Coleman 0.

With time running out in the first half, the Dillo defense withstood the Coleman surge once again. A few short catches were made, but a swarming defense controlled the ball carrier with minimal damage. Juan Ortega intercepted a Coleman pass and returned it 41 yards to the Bluecat 49 yard line. We attempted a run and three passes, to try to score again before halftime, but the passes fell incomplete turning the ball over on downs. The defense held tough as time ran out.

The entire second half was a denfensive battle. Playing great for the Armadillos was Jordan Watson with four tackles and two sacks for the game. Another standout was Dusty Parum with six tackles and the fumble recovery in the first half. The leading tacklers were Mario Valdez with ten, Kolton Ellis with five, Juan Ortega with five, Juan Carlos Garcia with three and a fumble recovery, Brian Rogers with three and a forced fumble, and Luis Vega with four and an interception.

The offense in the second half was focused on ball control and field possession. We would have a short, thirty yard drive or so and punt to pin the Bluecats deep to let the defense take over. This managed to protect the 14 point lead and the defense recorded a shutout. Kelan Verette finished the game with 155 yards on 18 carries. This win made the Armadillos 2-1 in district (3-5 overall), seeking two more wins and a shot at a district title. Our next game is this Thursday against the Ozona Lions at 6:30 (note: original time was 6:00) right here at Rogan Field. We look forward to seeing you there. Thank you everybody!!