The San Saba High School varsity football team was in action for its final home game of the 2021 season at Rogan Field on Friday, October 29, as the Armadillos fell 49-7 to Coleman High School on Senior Night.
Nine senior football players for the Dillos were honored prior to the opening kickoff: Leonel Aranda, Drake Bryant, Franco Franco, Elias Bessent, Adan Huron, Wesley Lackey, Reagan Mejia, Cooper Moreno, and Weston Oliver.
This was a tough night for the Dillos hosting one of the best 2A-1 Region 1 teams with the undefeated Bluecats in town, but San Saba was able to move the ball very well on its first offensive drive. The Dillos started with a bang after a 20-yard run by junior fullback Tegen Saiz, who broke multiple tackles and was brought down at the San Saba 49-yard line.
San Saba junior quarterback Lance Taylor then found fellow junior wide receiver Tyler Johnson for a nice 12-yard pass that moved the Dillos into Coleman territory. Later in that same drive and facing a fourth-and-long, Taylor connected with Johnson again over the middle for a clutch conversion.
However, after Taylor was able to convert on a third-down attempt with a pass to Franco, he was intercepted inside the Bluecats’ 10-yard line along the Coleman sideline as the San Saba offense failed to come up with points despite an impressive opening drive to start the game.
Coleman’s dynamic offense, led by standout quarterback Jadin Jackson, would then march down the field with ease against the Dillos’ defense in a long drive that would conclude with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jackson. With just two seconds remaining in the first quarter, Coleman would take a 7-0 lead over San Saba.
Taylor would then get the ball for the Dillos offense, and San Saba moved the chains on a pass to Lackey. Unfortunately, on the very next play following the first down, a deflected pass was intercepted again by Coleman and returned 52 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, Coleman extended its lead to 13-0 with 10:01 left in the second quarter. However, the extra point attempt was unsuccessful thanks to a fantastic blocked kick by Johnson.
San Saba’s offense was able to get on the scoreboard in the second quarter thanks to a great drive led by Taylor, who broke multiple tackles on a quarterback run that went for 35 yards along the Dillo’s sideline and out of bounds at the Bluecat 16-yard line.
After getting backed up a few yards on offense, Taylor was able to make a superb play and found a wide-open Bryant in the endzone, who made a great diving catch. The Dillos were right back in the game down by just 13-7 early in the second quarter.
Unfortunately for the Dillos’ defense, they simply had no answer for the Bluecat offense. After Jackson and company were able to move the ball into Dillo territory, Coleman running back Ryland Gentry exploded up the middle for a 38-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 19-7.
The Dillos continued to struggle with turnovers this 2021 season as they fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving the Bluecats the ball right back with excellent field position at the San Saba 31-yard line. Coleman would capitalize with another short touchdown run by Jackson and get a successful two-point conversion, extending its lead to 27-7 with 3:43 left in the second quarter.
The Dillos then would look to mount another drive as Taylor connected on a pass to Johnson, who broke a tackle and got inside the Coleman 20-yard line. A few plays later, with the first half coming to a close, another unfortunate pass was intercepted along the Bluecats’ sideline and returned for a touchdown. Heading into halftime, the Dillos were staring at a large 35-7 deficit.
Coleman would get the ball on offense to start the third quarter and kept its foot on the gas with Jackson connecting on a deep pass to wide receiver Denver Hunter, who made a great over-the-shoulder catch at the Dillos’ 25-yard line. This drive would result in another short touchdown by Coleman as the Bluecats’ lead ballooned to 42-7 with 8:56 left in the third quarter.
However, the Dillos would get great field position to start their next drive as Franco would return a kickoff all the way to the Coleman 32-yard line. Unfortunately, the drive would stall at the 22-yard line and Coleman would take over on offense following an unsuccessful fourth-down conversion attempt by San Saba.
On the very next play after the turnover on downs, Coleman running back Cort McFadden took a handoff and scampered 78 yards down the Bluecats’ sideline for the final touchdown of the evening. With 5:40 left in the third quarter, Coleman had a commanding 49-7 lead that would hold the rest of the way.
However, after a Dillos’ offensive drive stalled and a punt, the Dillos’ defense would come up with its first turnover of the night as Lackey intercepted a pass thrown by Jackson at the San Saba 48-yard line and returned to the Coleman 30-yard line.
Up next, the Dillos (2-7 overall and 2-2 in district play) will have their final 2A-1 District 4 game at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 5, when the Dillos play Cisco High School.
Be sure to check out next week’s edition of the San Saba News & Star for more updates on Dillos and Lady Dillos varsity athletics. Sports editor Andrew Salmi can be contacted via email at salmi.courier@gmail.com or by cell phone at (818) 645-1115.