San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Boerne 51, Somerset 21
Quick take: Rashawn Galloway threw for 468 yards and five touchdowns as Boerne scored 44 unanswered points to roar past Somerset 51-21 Friday night at Bulldog Stadium.
“He played great,” Boerne coach Che Hendrix said of Galloway. “They decided they were gonna make us one-dimensional and take their chances in the passing game. You could see we couldn’t run the ball real well. They were bringing six and seven guys and twisting and moving, and we had one-on-one matchups and Rashawn found the open guy and put it on him.” Highlights: Somerset (6-2, 1-1 District 14-4A Division I) struck on its opening drive when quarterback Koal Detmer tossed a fade route to Tajh Jones, who came down with both feet in bounds for a 9-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.
Boerne (6-2, 3-0) tied the game later in the quarter after a 37-yard pass from Galloway to tight end Koby Hunter set the Greyhounds up just outside the goal line. Defensive back and second-string quarterback Houston Hendrix entered the game for Galloway and used his size to power into the end zone to make it a 7-7 game late in the first quarter.
It took three plays for the Bulldogs to respond, with Detmer finding Jones for the duo’s second touchdown connection of the game — a 60-yard strike down the middle of the field. Boerne answered with a big pass play of its own when Galloway hit Justin Moore in stride for a 47yard touchdown, but a blocked
point attempt prevented the Greyhounds from tying the game, leaving it 14-13.
Hendrix came in the game as a receiver and turned a first-down catch into a 55-yard gain after breaking a couple of tackles, moving the Greyhounds into scoring range with under a minute left in the half. Galloway then found running back Chance Gentry on a flare route, and the sophomore jogged into the end zone for a 5-yard score to give Boerne its first lead of the game heading into the break.
Early in the third quarter, the Greyhounds set up a wide receiver screen to Cam Johnson, and the junior receiver followed a couple of good blocks on the perimeter before accelerating down the sideline for an 80-yard
touchdown pass — the only play of the drive.
Midway through the third quarter, Boerne defensive tackle Andrew Poole sacked Detmer and forced a fumble that teammate Caleb Hamby recovered and ran a few yards before meeting a Somerset tackler. As he was falling down, Hamby lateraled the ball to Sam Kennell, who ran 70 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. The Greyhounds rode that momentum into an onside kick and successfully recovered, but penalties prevented Boerne from capitalizing on the opportunity to extend its lead further.
Galloway threw two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, the first of which was perfectly placed over three deextra fenders and into the arms of Hunter in the back of the end zone. Later, Galloway hooked up with Moore for a 25-yard touchdown to make it 51-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Somerset ended the game on a positive note with a 1-yard touchdown run from Wyatt Weikle. What it means: Boerne is one win away from repeating as District 14-4A-1 champions with only La Vernia standing in the way. The Greyhounds have their open date during the last week of the regular season, providing the team with ample time to rest, heal and prepare for their firstround playoff opponent.
Somerset remains in position to secure a playoff berth but faces a tough matchup on the road next week against Pleasanton. The Bulldogs had an early lead over the Greyhounds and were in the game at halftime, but a mistake-ridden third quarter and a stalling offense allowed Boerne an opportunity to pull away late in the game.
Quotable: “We knew they would come out with a lot of energy and give us their best shot, and they did,” Hendrix said. “They’re a turning program, and this was a huge game for both of us in district. We weathered the storm. We settled in. We started playing our brand of football.”
Game balls: Galloway’s fivetouchdown performance further solidified his position as one of the top quarterbacks in the region, and his favorite target of the night, Johnson, put together his best game of the season with seven catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Hunter also eclipsed the 100-yard mark, racking up 110 yards on five catches with a touchdown grab. Jones came up big for Somerset with five catches for 93 yards and a pair of scores. Defensively, Boerne’s Will Pearson came away with two momentumshifting interceptions.
Up next: Boerne will return home to face La Vernia for its final game of the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday at Boerne ISD Stadium. Somerset will travel south to face Pleasanton at 7 p.m. Friday at Eagle Stadium.