SHARYLAND — Sharyland High entered Friday night knowing a win would guarantee two things.
A share of the District 16-5A Division II championship and the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs.
The Rattlers took care of both.
Sharyland defeated Cigarroa 31-12 at Richard Thompson Stadium, improving to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in district play while extending its winning streak to six games.
“So if we won, we were going to have at least a share of the district championship no matter what happens next week,” Sharyland head coach Craig Krell said. “And if we win today, we got the number one seed in the playoffs. So, for us, that was huge.”
The stakes went beyond the district championship.
Krell said a loss could have dropped Sharyland several spots in the playoff seeding depending on the result and tiebreaking scenarios.
“We were talking to the kids about having a playoff game here, about being district champs,” Krell said. “That was the importance of this game.”
Sharyland made that importance clear early.
Sophomore quarterback William Taylor connected with Austelio Mendoza for a touchdown on the Rattlers’ opening possession to give Sharyland a 7-0 lead.
The defense then created another opportunity.
Senior defensive back Alejandro Rico recovered a Cigarroa fumble, and Sharyland reached into the playbook immediately afterward.
Instead of Taylor throwing it, senior receiver Francisco Gomez got the ball and launched a pass downfield to junior Asdrubal Flores for a touchdown.
The trick play gave Sharyland a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter.
It was another example of the Rattlers finding different ways to score during a winning streak that has now reached six games.
Sharyland added a Luis Garza field goal in the second quarter to make it 17-0 before Cigarroa finally put together its best drive of the first half.
The Toros leaned on the ground game, with senior running back Carlos Aburto helping move the ball before quarterback Israel Gonzalez faked the handoff and pitched to Gilbert Guzman. Guzman broke down the right sideline for Cigarroa’s first touchdown.
The extra point was blocked, leaving the score at 17-6.
Sharyland answered before halftime.
Taylor found junior Omar Cantu streaking down the middle of the field for a long touchdown, giving the Rattlers a 24-6 lead heading into the locker room.
Despite the 18-point advantage, Krell was not completely satisfied with what he saw.
“I was happy. First half, we scored a bunch of points, but I thought we were a little flat,” Krell said. “I told the kids I wanted to see the energy on the sideline when we get some stops, when we score some points or anything positive. I wanted to see the energy on the sideline.”
The scoreboard moved much slower after halftime.
Cigarroa’s defense made adjustments and kept Sharyland scoreless throughout the third quarter. The Toros had opportunities to cut into the deficit, but Sharyland’s defense repeatedly kept them from finishing drives.
That was an encouraging development for Krell.
Earlier in the season, he felt the Rattlers were better at starting games than finishing them.
“I thought we did a better job of that in the second half because early in the year, we were more of a first-half team than a second-half team,” Krell said. “We didn’t score as many points as we normally do in the first half as we did the second half, but I felt a lot of energy and I thought the kids played their butts off.”
Sharyland eventually broke through again when Taylor connected with Gomez for a touchdown, extending the lead to 31-6.
Cigarroa added another touchdown later in the fourth quarter, but the Rattlers had already done enough.
For Sharyland, Friday was another step in a run that has developed several different identities.
The Rattlers beat Roma 41-34 to open district play, outscored Mission Veterans 37-29, held Juarez-Lincoln to two points in a 24-2 win and rallied from 13 points down to beat Pioneer 17-13 in the Snakeskin Classic.
Against Cigarroa, they combined an explosive first half with another strong defensive performance to secure the district’s top playoff seed.
There is still one piece of business left.
Sharyland travels to PSJA Southwest next week for its regular-season finale.
The Rattlers already own at least a share of the district championship, but Krell made it clear they are not interested in sharing it.
“For us next week, we don’t want to share the district championship with anybody,” Krell said. “We think we did enough to earn it outright, and we’ve got to finish it off next week versus Southwest to own it all by ourselves.”
For Cigarroa, the loss delayed an opportunity to secure its first playoff berth since 2006. The Toros entered Friday at 5-3 overall and 3-1 in district after three straight wins and will now take their postseason push into the final week against Roma.
Sharyland’s situation is much simpler.
The No. 1 seed is secured.
A share of the district championship is secured.
One more win, and the Rattlers will not have to share anything.
