Lions lose heartbreaker to San Marcos

By Wesley Gardner
LPR Editor

The Lockhart Lion varsity football lost a heartbreaker against San Marcos High School on Friday after a last-second Hail Mary sealed the game for the Rattlers 26-25.
The game started with a familiar script for this year’s varsity squad – with a 42-yard rushing touchdown from senior quarterback Jackie Edwards, Jr. That’s also where the woes began. A missed extra point attempt would set the stage for the Lions to fight from behind after the Rattlers answered quickly with a 40-yard aerial strike to take a 7-6 lead.
San Marcos would score again early in the second quarter, taking a 14-6, though the Lions answered back with touchdown run from senior running back Jordan Garcia. The Lions tried for a two-point conversion but came up short, leaving them trailing 14-12 going into halftime.
The Lions opened the second with a perfectly executed onside kick and took over possession of the ball with great field position. They would methodically drive down the field, only to miss a field goal attempt from about 35 yards out.
San Marcos took over on downs and had a nice drive of their own that appeared to be heading for the endzone, but a Lion interception again shifted the momentum of the game.
It was game full of lead changes and momentum shifts, but ultimately, the Lions couldn’t hold on after taking a lead late in the fourth quarter.
Edwards Jr. took over the possession with two long runs that eventually ended in a Lion touchdown, but another missed two-point conversion kept the score at 18-17 with Lockhart leading.
San Marcos drove down the field, eating much of the clock in the fourth quarter, but was eventually held to a field goal, bringing the score to 20-17 San Marcos.
The Lions got the ball back with a little over five minutes left to play in the contest and drove the ball to the 25-yard line. They lined up a field goal that looked like it would sail clear through the upright, but it clanged loudly off the upright, leaving San Marcos up 20-17 with 2:35 left to play.
The Lions made the most of their time outs over the next two minutes as they held San Marcos to one first down and eventually forced a punt from the Rattlers. Edwards Jr. wasted little time in finding junior wide receiver Tay Andrews on a deep route to the endzone, putting Lockhart up 25-20.
The cheers from the sideline and crowd would be short lived however, as San Marcos’ quarterback connected on a deep route of his own on the final play of the game, putting the Rattlers up 26-25.
It was emotional,” said Head Coach Todd Moebes. “You have to be able to get over it and move past it, but at the same time, you want it be able to get past it, but you can’t forget about it.
“It’s a learning point. It emphasizes every play in the game. That particular play is certainly magnified with the way it ended, but you can’t just look at that one play. We played a good football game. We did a lot of things better in that game than we did in the first one, so we have grown. We just have to be able to finish in situational football.”
Looking forward, Moebes said the coaching staff and players have their sights set firmly on Friday night’s matchup against Dripping Springs High School.
“I don’t know if they do anything poorly,” said Moebes. “They’re a program that has been a perennial winner.
“They have extremely high expectations of how they’re supposed to play. It’s tough being able to look at them and necessarily find an area they’re short in.”
Lockhart will face off against Dripping Springs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lions Stadium.