(Seguin) — For the second straight year, Seguin and Boerne Champion lit up the scoreboard, but this time it was the Chargers who ended up with the higher score at the end in a 57-50 victory over the Matadors on Friday night.
After Champion took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the teams exchanged touchdowns the rest of the half. Seguin quarterback Corey Dailey scored on a seven-yard run to get the Matadors on the board late in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Dailey hit running back Ian Moreno on a fourth down play with a 17-yard TD pass and later Moreno crossed the goal line from 10 yards out for Seguin’s third score of the game.
In the third quarter, the Chargers extended their lead to 20 points at 48-28, but Seguin battled back in the fourth. Dailey scored on another fourth down, this time from the one-yard line to make the score 48-35. A Champion field goal and touchdown put the Chargers up 57-35 midway through the final quarter, but the Matadors would continue to fight.
Dailey found Abram Acuna with a three-yard touchdown pass to make the score 57-43 after a two-point conversion with 3:40 left in the game. Following a stop on fourth down by the Seguin defense, the Matador offense drove 57 yards making the game a one-score game when Dailey hit Ayden Avila with an eight-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left.
Champion clinched the victory by falling on the ensuing onside kick. Following the recovery, the Chargers would kneel down the ball to run out the clock.
Both teams put on offensive displays, combining for over 1,100 yards in front of a homecoming crowd at Seguin High School. The Matadors put up 519 total yards while the Chargers amassed 514.8
Corey Dailey was 38 of 47 through the air for 295 yards and three touchdowns. The senior signal-caller also ran for 64 yards and three scores. Ian Moreno ran for 186 yards and a TD. He also had 65 receiving yards and a score. Seguin wide receiver Ayden Avila had 18 catches for 173 yards.
Boerne Champion quarterback Julian Navarrete accounted for three touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground. The junior had a gutsy performance. His status for the game was up in the air after suffering an ankle injury against Smithson Valley last week.
Following the game, Seguin head coach Craig Dailey talked about the performance of his son Corey and his quarterbacking counterpart Navarrete for Champion.
“I’m proud of Corey, but not just him, but also Julian,” Dailey said. “Those are two of my favorite guys. They train a bunch together. They go to camps. Quarterbacking is my forte, so I just love those two dudes. We’re gonna miss those two guys go at it. They are two of the best quarterbacks in the state of Texas.”
With the win, the Chargers avenged a 73-66 loss at their homecoming game in Boerne last season. Champion improved to 1-1 through two games in District 13-5A this season, while the Matadors fell to 1-1.
Next week is a bye week for all teams in the district. Seguin will play at Pieper in two weeks. The Warriors are also 1-1 after they fell 27-17 on the road at Smithson Valley. The Rangers are 2-0 atop the district along with New Braunfels after the Unicorns beat Victoria East, 42-3, on Thursday night.
In other area games on Friday night, Marion routed Poteet, 50-20, at Marion High School. And Navarro lost a close game, 31-28, at Wimberley.