San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Reagan 27, Churchill 0
Quick take: In Reagan’s first game without starting quarterback Britton Moore, the Rattlers leaned on their veteran defense and potent rushing attack to propel them to a 27-0 victory over Churchill on Saturday afternoon at Heroes Stadium.
“Happy the way they competed for four quarters,” Reagan coach Lyndon Hamilton said. “(Lance Lorenz’s) first game back at quarterback, we thought he handled himself really well. Gotta go back to work and get ready for MacArthur next week. Long district race against eight opponents, and we gotta go back and get better in all three phases.”
Highlights: After forcing a three-and-out on Churchill’s first possession of the game, Regan put together a four-play, 35-yard scoring drive that resulted in a 46-yard field goal by junior kicker Matt Velasco.
On the ensuing possession, Reagan senior linebacker Jack Davis burst through the offensive line on a blitz and stripped the ball away from Chargers quarterback Ryan Vigil before falling on top of it at the Chargers’ 20-yard line. The Rattlers (4-2, 4-0 District 28-6A) capitalized on the turnover when Lorenz connected with Gabriel Foltz on a slant route, with the veteran wideout picking the ball out of the air, bouncing off a tackle and darting over the goal line for a 22-yard score.
Late in the second quarter, Lorenz lofted a pass 32 yards down the field and into the hands of junior receiver Luke Sasser, who overcame double coverage to make the catch in the end zone to extend the Reagan lead to 17-0.
Churchill (0-6, 0-4) caught Reagan off guard with an onside kick to open the second half, with Chargers cornerback Gabe Flores recovering the ball at the Rattlers’ 38-yard line. The special teams miscue didn’t cost Reagan, however, as defensive lineman Caden Wright recovered a fumble in the Churchill backfield on the ensuing drive.
Midway through the third quarter, Reagan running back Javier Colsa took a handoff up the middle for a quick 2-yard trip into the end zone, increasing the Rattlers’ lead to 24-0.
The Chargers forced a turnover later in the quarter when linebacker Cooper Kounse tipped a pass toward the sideline and snatched it out of the air with a foot still in bounds for the interception, but they couldn’t capitalize.
Velasco added to his breakout performance with another 44yard field goal to push the score to 27-0, which would be the final points of the game as the Reagan defense completed the shutout.
What it means: With its starting quarterback, running back and other skill position players missing significant time, Reagan has been as plagued by injuries as any school in the area this season. The Rattlers still moved the ball down the field Saturday behind its physical offensive line and Colsa’s dynamic running ability, and Lorenz made several key throws to balance out the Reagan attack. Losing Moore
may limit the ceiling for this squad, but the District 28-6A championship still looks attainable for this well-rounded Rattlers team.
After an unforgiving lineup of opponents to open the season
for Churchill, the Chargers can look ahead to three favorable matchups in the next four weeks. An upset of Brandeis likely would catapult Churchill back into the playoff mix, but the Chargers must start with getting that first win out of the way next week against LEE. Quotable: “Tough yards by him today,” Hamilton said of Colsa. “He put his head down, tail up, and went to work for us. We told him he needs to make sure it takes more than one guy to tackle him. He did a good job of that, being physical behind that big O-line today.”
Game balls: Colsa rushed 18 times for 133 yards and a touchdown, while Lorenz completed 10 of 14 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns with another 54 yards on the ground.
Up next: Churchill will face LEE at 7 p.m. Friday at Comalander Stadium. Reagan will look to make it five in a row against winless MacArthur at 7 p.m. Friday at Heroes Stadium.