SHARYLAND — Sharyland High senior Oscar Cantu caught two touchdown passes and freshman Alex Rojas scored twice on the ground as the Rattlers defeated Brownsville Pace 31-20 in Thursday night’s bi-district playoff game at Richard Thompson Stadium.
Pace gave the District 16-5A Division II champions all they could handle, but Sharyland’s fast start and timely scores proved to be the difference.
Rojas opened the scoring with a 37-yard touchdown run before senior quarterback Francisco Gomez connected with Cantu in the back of the end zone to quickly give the Rattlers a 14-0 advantage.
For a Sharyland team that had battled through several slow starts during the regular season, jumping ahead early was significant. The Rattlers had developed a habit of making things difficult on themselves early in games, but Thursday night they flipped that script and took control from the opening quarter.
“They were good catches,” Cantu said of his two touchdowns. “We practice all the time. That is the belief that I have in myself and that is the standard that I set for myself — to go out and make a play when my team needs me.”
The circumstances made Sharyland’s early success even more notable.
Sophomore starting quarterback William Taylor, who entered the postseason with more than 2,200 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and just three interceptions, did not play during the first half. Gomez, normally one of the Valley’s top receivers and a 1,000-yard target for the Rattlers, stepped in at quarterback and threw both of Cantu’s touchdown passes.
Brownsville Pace answered behind quarterback Juan Hernandez, who accounted for all three Vikings touchdowns on the ground.
Hernandez scored to cut Sharyland’s lead to 14-7 before Rattlers senior kicker Luis Garza extended the advantage to 17-7.
Pace responded again after a strong kickoff return helped set up another Hernandez touchdown, cutting the deficit to 17-14 and putting pressure on the Rattlers late in the first half.
Sharyland answered at perhaps the most important moment of the game.
Gomez connected with Cantu for his second touchdown just before halftime, pushing the Rattlers’ lead back to 24-14.
“I think Paco [Gomez] came in on short notice and played a heck of a game,” Sharyland head coach Craig Krell said. “I am proud of him. He didn’t take all of the reps throughout the week, but he went back there and did a great job for us, an outstanding job for us. When he goes back to receiver, he is deadly there as well.”
That late first-half touchdown became even more important when Pace opened the second half with a six-minute scoring drive.
Hernandez capped the possession with his third rushing touchdown to make it 24-20, and the Vikings followed by forcing a Sharyland punt to give themselves an opportunity to take their first lead.
They never did.
Sharyland’s defense settled in and kept Pace off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. The Vikings stayed within striking distance deep into the fourth quarter, but the Rattlers continued to come up with stops when they needed them most.
Rojas then provided the insurance early in the fourth quarter, powering into the end zone on a short touchdown run to extend the Rattlers’ lead to 31-20.
The freshman’s two-touchdown performance continued what has become one of the more important developments in Sharyland’s offense this season. Rojas stepped into a larger role after an injury to Kevin Ali earlier in the year and has since become a significant part of the Rattlers’ ground attack.
Pace made another push late in the fourth quarter, but Sharyland’s defense came through again on fourth down to effectively end the Vikings’ upset bid. Pace never led despite staying within striking distance for much of the night.
The victory also continued a remarkable turnaround for Sharyland.
The Rattlers opened the season 1-2 before finding their rhythm and have now won eight consecutive games. That run included a perfect 6-0 mark through District 16-5A Division II and Thursday’s playoff victory, improving Sharyland to 9-2 on the season.
The win also felt like another step forward for a team that had repeatedly been tested in close or uncomfortable situations throughout the regular season. Sharyland had fallen behind early against Pioneer, needed a second-half surge against Mission Veterans and nearly let a commanding lead slip away against La Joya before escaping in overtime.
Thursday brought another challenge, but this time the Rattlers started fast, absorbed Pace’s comeback attempt and never surrendered the lead.
“I honestly think we could have done better,” Sharyland senior guard Aiden Garza said. “At the end of the day, a win is a win, and we are off to the next round.”
Sharyland advances to face Alamo Heights in the area round.
