Alamo Heights 49, Gregory-portland 14
Quick take: Alamo Heights senior quarterback Colin Ernst accounted for 420 total yards and four touchdowns to lead the Mules to a 49-14 victory over Gregory-portland in the second round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs on Saturday afternoon in the Alamodome.
“That’s 12 straight weeks of that,” Alamo Heights coach Ron Rittimann said of his quarterback’s performance. “Nothing he does surprises me. He’s got the ‘it’ factor.”
Highlights: Ernst exploded for an 88-yard touchdown rush on the first play of the Mules’ second drive. Sophomore back Damond Garza added a 26-yard touchdown rush to put the Mules up 14-0.
A mishandled punt from Alamo Heights set up Gregory-portland on the Mules 16-yard line. Quarterback Reed Dooms ran in the 10-yard touchdown to give the Wildcats hope trailing by two touchdowns at halftime.
Alamo Heights did not blink in the second half, as the Mules scored touchdowns on four straight possessions before allowing Gregory-portland to answer.
Ernst and junior back Michael Terry III each had 52-yard touchdown runs on back-to-back possessions for the Mules. The Wildcats then had a muffed kick and an offensive turnover on two straight possessions to set up a 4-yard touchdown rush from junior back Patrick Arriaga and a 45-yard touchdown pass from Ernst to Garza.
“Sometimes when momentum goes the other way, he just always finds a way to make a play,” Rittimann said of Ernst. “Whether it’s throwing the ball, running it, or just with our check system. He’s been that guy all year long.”
Gregory-portland had its
lone second-half touchdown off a 21-yard pass from Dooms to tight end Carmello Catalano late in the fourth quarter.
“I always say our defensive coordinator, coach (Jordan) Ricker, he’s the best in the game at halftime adjustments, and (on) offense, we just keep doing our thing,” Ernst said.
The Mules and Wildcats faced each other in the same round last season, with
What it means:
Alamo Heights winning 31-8. One year later, the Mules beat Gregory-portland by an even more impressive margin, though the 49 points tie for the fewest points scored for Alamo Heights this season.
Rittimann credits the Wildcats for being the toughest opponent they have faced all year.
Quotable: “I thought we played at a really high level against a really good opponent,” Rittimann said.
“That’s probably the best team we played this year. We had to scratch and find a way to do certain things and make some adjustments. I’m really proud of the coaches for what they did at halftime. I’m really proud of the guys because they had great effort.”
Game balls:
Ernst completed 8 of 13 passes for 237 yards along with two passing touchdowns and an interception. He also had 14
Alamo Heights 49, Gregory-portland 14
carries for 183 yards and two more rushing touchdowns.
Up next: Alamo Heights returns to the Alamodome for its third-round matchup against Pieper at 7 p.m. Saturday.