Dillos FB comes up just short against Mason

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  • Dillos FB comes up just short against Mason
    Dillos FB comes up just short against Mason
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The San Saba High School varsity football team put up one heck of a fight but were edged by Mason High School by a score of 35-28 on Friday, September 10, at Rogan Field in a great game with Homecoming festivities.

Both the host Dillos and visiting Punchers played superb defense to start the first quarter, but San Saba was able to get things going first. Towards the end of the first quarter, Dillos junior quarterback Lance Taylor engineered an impressive offensive drive that was sparked by a pass interference call against a Mason defensive back. Immediately after this, Taylor had a couple of nice throws to senior wide receivers Wesley Lackey and Reagan Mejia to get the Dillos to a first-and-goal situation. With two seconds left in the first quarter, San Saba junior fullback Tegen Saiz got the Dillos on the board first with a two-yard touchdown run up the middle to put his team up 7-0.

However, the Mason offense came up with a very good-looking drive of its own to start the second quarter as the Punchers would tie the game up 7-7 with 10:20 remaining.

Both teams would trade interceptions on their next offensive possessions. The Dillos would get the ball back on an awesome interception by senior cornerback Franco Franco, who made a diving catch over his shoulders to secure the ball and give the San Saba offense the ball.

Taylor would then lead another great drive down the field, and the Dillos would score on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Mejia, who made a fantastic catch in the back of the endzone and was able to get his feet inbounds. With 5:23 left in the first half, the Dillos were back on top of the Punchers 14-7.

Unfortunately for the Dillos, they were unable to stop the Punchers’ rushing attack on the next drive as Mason immediately marched down the field and was able to tie things back up at 14-14. On the ensuing kickoff, Mason was able to recover a squib kick and got the ball back on offense in search of more points. Mason would eventually get in the endzone again on a short touchdown run with 2:25 left in the second quarter to go up 21-14, a score that would hold up at halftime.

Out of the break, the Punchers received the kickoff to open the third quarter and again moved the ball downfield. The Dillos were not able to halt the powerful rushing attack of Mason as the Punchers would score another short touchdown run to extend the lead to 28:14 with roughly 5:26 left in the quarter.

The Dillos were not out of this game yet as the defense kept them within striking distance while the offense stalled for a few drives. However, almost midway through the fourth quarter, Taylor connected with junior wide receiver Tyler Johnson on a pass that got San Saba to a first-and-goal situation. Saiz would then score on a handoff up the middle for his second short touchdown run of the night to make this a 28-20 ballgame in favor of Mason with 7:32 left in regulation.

In need of a defensive stop to get the offense the ball back, the Dillos got just that from senior cornerback Adan Huron, who broke up a deep pass that forced Mason to punt the ball with just under six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately for the San Saba offense, a back-breaking interception was returned for a touchdown on the very first play of the drive to give Mason a 35-20 lead.

The Dillos would get the ball again and drive down the field and score on a short touchdown pass from Taylor to Lackey, a successful two-point conversion, and the deficit was down to just 35-28 with 1:08 left in regulation.

San Saba had to recover the ensuing onside kick in order to have a shot at winning this game but was unsuccessful as the Dillos fell to 0-3 on the 2021 season.

The Dillos will have their second consecutive home game at Rogan Field at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 17, as San Saba hosts Llano High School (2-1). The Jackets, who are coming off a 37-7 victory over Austin Crockett High School last Friday night, handed San Saba a heartbreaking 35-31 loss during the 2020 season in Llano.

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.