Sharyland handles Homecoming, turns attention to Snakeskin Classic

MISSION — A week after one of its biggest wins of the season, Sharyland head coach Craig Krell wanted to make sure his Rattlers did not lose focus.

They did not.

Sharyland jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead and handled Juarez-Lincoln 24-2 during its Homecoming game Friday at Richard Thompson Stadium, keeping the Rattlers unbeaten in District 16-5A Division II.

The win improved Sharyland to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in district play while extending its winning streak to four games. Juarez-Lincoln fell to 5-3 overall.

For Krell, the response was particularly important after Sharyland’s 37-29 win over Mission Veterans a week earlier.

“You know, after a big win like Mission Vets, you always worry that the kids are going to kind of lose focus and not stay tuned in to everything going on,” Krell said. “I thought we did a good job. We wanted to come out, make sure that we set the tempo and set the tone to begin with. We started out 21-0 in the first half, so I thought the kids did a good job of responding to what we wanted them to respond to.”

The Rattlers did most of their scoring damage before halftime and relied on their defense the rest of the way, allowing just two points in the game.

It was another step forward for a Sharyland team that has been learning how to finish games after allowing opponents back into several contests earlier this season.

Krell said keeping the sideline engaged was part of maintaining that focus Friday.

“We talk about the energy on the sideline, making sure that you’re in it for your teammates and stuff like that,” Krell said. “I thought the energy was great. We talked about it at halftime, just making sure that we stay focused, and no matter who is in the game, make sure you play hard. I thought we got that all game.”

Junior defensive back Major Walker said the Rattlers accomplished what they wanted during Homecoming, but still came away with things to correct.

“One of my biggest things is to lead,” Walker said. “Lead the guys out there with a good idea of what’s going to go on. That’s what we did out there. Everyone seemed up to par and we did our job out here.”

Now, the attention turns down Shary Road.

Sharyland faces rival Pioneer at 7 p.m. Friday in the next edition of the Snakeskin Classic, with the Diamondbacks serving as the home team.

The matchup carries more than bragging rights this season.

Sharyland enters the week as the only unbeaten team in District 16-5A Division II at 3-0, while Pioneer sits at 2-1 after bouncing back from its loss to Cigarroa with a 34-10 win over PSJA Southwest on Thursday. The Diamondbacks were led by quarterback Malakai Galindo, who threw three touchdown passes in the victory.

Pioneer head coach Eddie Galindo said after Thursday’s win that records tend to matter little when the two Sharyland ISD programs meet.

“They’re explosive,” Galindo said of Sharyland. “They’ve got tremendous athletes defensively. They’ve got a great defense, special teams, they’re well coached, and we play each other all the time.”

Krell expressed a similar view from the other sideline.

“It’s always a good matchup,” Krell said. “It doesn’t matter what anybody’s record is. When you’re playing Pioneer, they want to win that one. We want to win that one. It’s going to be a good game.”

Sharyland won last year’s Snakeskin Classic 42-13, pulling away with 28 unanswered points in the second half.

For Walker, Friday’s Homecoming victory gave the Rattlers another win, but not a finished product heading into the rivalry.

“A lot of mistakes were made definitely in this game, and that happens every single football game,” Walker said. “But next week we’re going to fix those mistakes, and we’re going to execute out there. That’s my best way to say it.”