SHARYLAND — Sharyland High remains unbeaten in District 16-5A Division II after escaping defeat at the hands of their crosstown rivals Sharyland Pioneer in the Snakeskin Classic Friday night.
It was a classic rivalry type of game between the Rattlers and Diamondbacks with Sharyland High ultimately prevailing 17-13. The Rattlers now have firm control of their district-title destiny.
It was a battle in the trenches Friday night, and a low-scoring game validates that. There was not much time in the pocket for either quarterback and the yards on the ground were hard earned.
Sharyland High kicker Luis Garza extended the Rattlers’ lead to 17-13 with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter after making a 27-yard field goal.
Only a touchdown would do for the Diamondbacks, but their drive fizzled out around the Rattlers’ 40-yard line with a minute left, turning the ball over on downs.
“We got to refocus on Monday,” Rattlers head coach Craig Krell said. “This was one of those big games where there is a lot of emotion, cross-town rival. We knew records weren’t going to really matter at all. We got to refocus just like after Mission Vets. It was a tough hard-fought game on both sides. We had to refocus then and do the same thing now.”
That ability to refocus has been part of Sharyland’s run over the past several weeks.
The Rattlers have now won five straight, but those wins have not all looked the same. Sharyland outgunned Mission Veterans 37-29 two weeks ago, held Juarez-Lincoln to two points in a 24-2 win last week and then had to grind out a four-point victory over Pioneer.
The Rattlers had to focus when the score was 13-7 going into the fourth quarter. Sharyland High sophomore quarterback William Taylor locked in and found an open Francisco Gomez to make it 14-13. Taylor stepped up in the pocket to make the throw.
That was the Rattlers’ only scoring drive that yielded a touchdown. It only took six plays and went for 55 yards.
“We gave it our all and at the end we really did do something incredible,” Sharyland High senior right tackle Jose Aleman said. “Every year this is the one match that we look forward to the most and we know it is going to be a dog fight. We just had to fight until the end and you win games in four quarters.”
Aleman said it doesn’t matter how you start, but how you finish after a tough first half.
It was Sharyland Pioneer that had more dog in them in the first half. They took the ball away three times. Two were fumbles and an interception by senior defensive back Israel Briere helped set the tone for the Diamondbacks’ defense.
Pioneer’s offense was clicking in the first half. Senior quarterback Malakai Galindo connected with junior Nathaniel Alaniz to open the scoring in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter junior Cole Scurlock ran in a touchdown, both scores were from three yards out.
Pioneer came into the rivalry with some momentum on that side of the ball. Galindo had returned from injury the previous week in a 34-10 win over PSJA Southwest, while Scurlock surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in that game.
Another scoring drive when Pioneer had momentum might have changed the ending, but Sharyland High’s defense was playing lights out in the second half.
The Diamondbacks did not score again after taking the 13-0 lead.
Sharyland High picked up the momentum halfway through the third quarter when senior defensive end Christian Davis recovered a fumble in the end zone to make it 13-7.
“It was crazy, honestly, because as a defensive player you don’t really get the opportunity, but that was a real game changer,” Davis said. “It changed the tide of the game.”
Davis said it felt amazing being able to play a part in beating a crosstown rival. That was Davis’ first ever touchdown. Emotions ran high sometimes, it really was a dog fight like Aleman said.
From there, the Rattlers found just enough offense to finish the comeback. Taylor’s touchdown pass to Gomez put them ahead, Garza added the late field goal and the defense completed a second-half shutout.
Sharyland High is now 6-2 overall and 4-0 in district play and controls its path to the District 16-5A Division II title with Cigarroa and PSJA Southwest remaining.
Pioneer, now 4-4 overall and 2-2 in district, will look to bounce back against Roma and keep its postseason hopes alive.
