San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Buda Johnson 45, Veterans Memorial 28
Quick take: Buda Johnson kept its perfect record and position atop the District 12-5A standings intact behind a second-half surge, defeating Veterans Memorial 45-28 on Friday night at Rutledge Stadium.
Highlights: Johnson (6-0, 3-0 District 12-5A) put together a rhythmic opening drive that saw running back Ethan Ybarra punch in a 4-yard touchdown to open up a 7-0 lead. Memorial (3-3, 1-2) responded in two plays, with tailback JC Solitare taking his first carry of the game 48 yards to the end zone to draw even.
On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore linebacker Aaron Hoyle recovered a fumble to return possession to the Patriots, who added another touchdown on a 4-yard sweep to Solitare for his second score of the game.
Later in the quarter, Jaguars quarterback Jesse Medina dropped back to pass, scrambled out of danger, and found open grass, taking it 23 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 14-14. Both defenses settled in for most of the second quarter, but Solitare reignited the scoring on a 21-yard touchdown run up the middle to regain the lead for the Patriots.
With less than a minute remaining before halftime, Medina found Ethan McAlister in one-onone coverage, and the junior receiver came away with a 22-yard touchdown reception. But a failed 2-point try left the Jaguars trailing 21-20 at halftime.
Medina continued to carve up the Memorial secondary in the third quarter, tossing another touchdown to Weston Bailey on a wheel route that allowed the senior to bolt 24 yards into the end zone.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Patriots quarterback Alex Alva rolled out to his right and launched a pass downfield to
Drake, who reeled in the catch for a 22-yard touchdown to close the gap to 31-28. But the Jaguars countered quickly when Medina found a wide-open McAlister in the secondary for an easy 63-yard touchdown.
Johnson added some insurance late in the fourth quarter behind a tough 27-yard rumble into the end zone by Aiden Rodriguez, setting the final score at 45-28.
What it means: The District
12-5A race looks like it could come
down to Johnson and Dripping Springs, which boast identical records and a surplus of momentum heading into the home stretch of the regular season. Medina has turned in explosive performances on a near-weekly basis and has the offense rolling, with Friday’s high-scoring effort actually marking the first time this season the Jaguars have scored fewer than 50 points. On the other side of the ball, Johnson has some weaknesses — particLandan
ularly up front in stopping the run. For the time being, the potent offense has covered for the hit-ormiss defense.
The Patriots remain in playoff contention, but the Jaguars exposed major holes on both sides of the ball that need addressing soon. The defense had trouble wrapping up on Medina and other Johnson ball carriers, and after Solitare left in the second half, the offense sputtered. Memorial has another tough matchup next week against Dripping Springs, but the schedule drastically weakens after that, and the Patriots should head into the postseason with some momentum. Game balls: Johnson needed a big game from Medina, and that’s exactly what the Jaguars got, with the junior quarterback completing 11 of 19 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns while racking up 23 carries for 111 yards and another score. McAlister was Medina’s favorite target, registering four catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
For the Patriots, Solitare rushed 11 times for 133 yards and three touchdowns — all in the first half. Drake tallied eight catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Up next: Johnson will return home to battle Harlandale at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Shelton Stadium. Memorial will visit Dripping Springs at 7:30 p.m. Friday.