The San Saba High School varsity football team won its second consecutive 2A-1 District 4 game on Friday, October 22, when the Armadillos picked up a crucial 45-14 road victory against the De Leon High School Bearcats.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Dillos marched down the field on offense with an impressive drive behind junior quarterback Lance Taylor. San Saba picked up some solid yardage on a few plays that got them past midfield and into Bearcats territory. The Dillos quickly got themselves on the board when Taylor connected with a wide-open senior wide receiver Wesley Lackey for a 38-yard touchdown pass to put San Saba up 7-0 over De Leon with 8:14 remaining in the first quarter.
The winless Bearcats did not flinch as their offense got the ball and also put together a very nicelooking drive. De Leon went the length of the field and eventually scored on a short touchdown run to even the score at 7-7.
However, on the ensuing kickoff, the Dillos quickly responded with a superb special teams score. Fielding the kickoff at his own 20-yard line, San Saba senior cornerback Franco Franco made a few nifty moves and turned on the afterburners for a thrilling 80-yard touchdown return to put the Dillos back on top 13-7 with 4:45 left in the first quarter.
For the second straight drive, the De Leon offense capitalized with a big play that quickly got them deep into San Saba territory. They would again score on a short touchdown run that helped the Bearcats regain the lead at 14-13 with 2:01 left in an action-packed first quarter.
To begin the second quarter, the Dillos would get another great drive going on offense that got them deep into De Leon territory. Unfortunately for San Saba, a pass by Taylor that was tipped near the line of scrimmage was intercepted, and the Bearcats took over on offense.
However, on the Bearcats’ next offensive drive, a clutch play was made on defense by Dillos’ senior cornerback Reagan Mejia as he broke up a pass and helped force a De Leon punt. Although the Dillos were unable to move the ball on their next offensive possession, they got a fantastic punt from Mejia that was downed by junior linebacker Tegen Saiz all the way at the Bearcats’ 5-yard line with 6:48 to go in the second quarter.
The Dillos’ defense again turned away the Bearcat offense thanks to a great open-field tackle by senior safety Drake Bryant on third down to force a punt that gave the Dillos excellent field position at the De Leon 35-yard line.
Taylor would get to work on offense when he threw to his wide receiver Bryant along the San Saba sideline for a clutch reception down to the 15-yard line of the Bearcats. A few plays later, Lackey would score via a short rushing touchdown to put San Saba up 19-14. They also were successful on the two-point conversion run by junior wide receiver Tyler Johnson as the Dillos took a 21-14 lead with just 2:25 left in the second quarter, a score which would hold into the half.
The Bearcats got the ball on offense to start the second half deep in their own territory and would only go backward thanks to great defense from the Dillos. On third down, San Saba got a huge sack on the De Leon quarterback from Dillos senior defensive lineman Elias Bessent to force another punt. Unfortunately for the Dillos, they fumbled the ball in Bearcats territory two plays later as De Leon got the ball back again on offense.
Like it would end up being for a majority of the second half, the Dillo defense was outstanding as they forced another punt thanks to a key pass breakup by Mejia. On offense, the Dillos would move the ball on a very physical run by Saiz that got them deep into Bearcat territory. Following another solid run by Johnson, it would set up a short touchdown pass from Taylor to Mejia that extended the San Saba lead to 28-14 with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter.
After San Saba forced another De Leon punt, the Dillos put up more points on the board. Although the drive stalled, San Saba still got a short field goal from Mejia to extend the game to a three-possession lead at 31-14 with just over two minutes left in the quarter.
However, the Dillos were not done scoring yet. With 16 seconds left in the third quarter, the Dillos got a defensive score as senior linebacker Weston Oliver sacked the Bearcat quarterback to force a fumble. The ball was then scooped up by San Saba senior defensive lineman Cooper Moreno and returned for a touchdown to put the Dillos up 38-14.
For good measure, the Dillos added one more insurance score with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 45-14, which would hold the rest of the way as head coach Andreas Aguirre was able to get a handful of reserves in the game on both offense and defense.
With the victory, San Saba secured at least a fourth-place finish in 2A-1 District 4 and will return to the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Up next on their district schedule, the Dillos varsity squad (2-6 overall and 2-1 in district play) will return home to Rogan Field at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 29, vs. the undefeated Coleman High School Bluecats.
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.