Harris, Sharyland seize Snakeskin Classic

Sharyland quarterback Calvin Harris accounted for four touchdowns and the Rattlers broke open a one-score game after halftime to defeat crosstown rival Sharyland Pioneer 42–13 on Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.

The senior set the tone on the opening drive with a 10-yard keeper, then added rushing scores of 15 and 25 yards in the second half and tossed a 35-yard touchdown to running back Kevin Alaniz. Sharyland (7–3, 3–1 District 15-5A DII) scored 28 unanswered points after intermission to pull away in the Snakeskin Classic.

“We led up to this week…there was a lot of talk going back and forth,” Harris said after the game. “We just let that drown out the noise, and we came out here and we talked on the field.”

Protecting a 14–7 lead at the break, Sharyland started the third quarter with a surprise onside kick and recovered. Six plays later, Harris found Alaniz on a swing route for a 35-yard score and a 21–7 advantage. Even Harris said he didn’t expect the call. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he said with a grin. “At halftime, I was just warming up. I thought it was a deep kick…but apparently it was an onside kick and…we executed it.”

From there, Sharyland’s offensive line — anchored by a disciplined front that repeatedly sealed the edge — leaned on the Diamondbacks. Harris added a 15-yard keeper late in the third, then knifed in from 25 yards early in the fourth to make it 35–7. Senior Abram Carrasco’s 35-yard touchdown run pushed the margin to 42–7 with six minutes remaining.

Sharyland’s ground game established control early. Alaniz ripped a 60-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter for a 14–0 lead. Pioneer (6–3, 2–2) answered just before halftime when quarterback Malakai Galindo launched a 40-yard scoring strike to wideout Alec Chapa, trimming the deficit to 14–7 at the break.

Harris said the Rattlers expected to be balanced but were prepared to lean on what worked. “We had our game plan ready,” he said. “We were going to run, we were going to be able to pass. We study their defense every week…how they’re going to line up against our formations, and we executed.” He added that minor corrections at halftime helped clean up penalties and protection: “We made some couple of changes, a couple of adjustments, and that led us to scoring a lot more because those simple mistakes, like flags or missed blocks…we were able to capitalize.”

While the offense stretched the lead, Sharyland’s defense produced repeated stops. Linebacker Leo Trujillo registered a first-half sack to halt a Pioneer march, and the Rattlers’ front seven limited chunk plays after intermission. Pioneer’s only second-half points came on a late Galindo keeper; the two-point try failed. Harris credited preparation and poise across the huddle. “We just kept driving and driving,” he said. “There was nothing they could do.”

The win sends Sharyland into its bye week on a three-game streak and positions the Rattlers for a top-two district seed. Pioneer, now 2–2 in league play, faces a pivotal finale against Mission Veterans Memorial next week with playoff seeding at stake.