(Seguin) — Junior linebacker Damian Garcia came up with an interception in the endzone late in the fourth quarter and the Seguin Matadors would run out the clock on Victoria East to take home a 37-30 win on homecoming in the District 13-5A opener for both teams on Friday night at Matador Stadium.
The teams traded scores in the first half. Seguin got on the board with a 41-yard wide receiver screen pass from quarterback Corey Dailey to wide receiver Nik Henry to go out in front, 6-0. Dailey would find Cameron Juarez-Bruns from 15 yards out for a score in the second quarter to give Seguin a 13-9 lead. Victoria East quarterback Kason Kolle would score on a two-yard run with just under a minute to play in the half as the Titans took a 16-13 lead into the locker-room.
In the third quarter, Matador running back Ian Moreno scored on a 12 yard TD run to cap the first drive of the second half. After a Titan touchdown later in the quarter, Moreno would score on a one-yard run with about 10 minutes left to go in the fourth quarter. Three minutes later, after Victoria East turned the ball over on a bad snap on a punt attempt, kicker Gabe Hernandez drilled a 24-yard field goal to put Seguin up 30-23. But on the ensuing kickoff, Titan return man Caleb Jefferson ran the ball back 75 yards to tie the score.
With just under five minutes to go in the fourth of a 30-30 game, Seguin quarterback Corey Dailey avoided a Titan rush and found his receiver Nik Henry in the right flat. Surrounded by Victoria East defenders, the Matador senior track star wide-out was somehow able to zigzag around the defense and take the ball over the goal line from 34 yards out to put the Matadors in front setting up Garcia’s interception to ice the game on Victoria East’s next possession.
Henry finished the night with eight receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Dailey was 20 of 29 for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Moreno ran for 149 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns.
For the Matador defense, Jared Rogers had four tackles including two for loss. The senior lineman also had a strip sack and blocked a field goal. Dylan Eisen-Sepeda had three quarterback pressures and forced a fumble. And Marcus Troy had seven tackles.
Following the game, Seguin head coach Craig Dailey said his team accomplished their goal of getting that first district victory.
“We’re 1-0 in district. That was the number one goal tonight,” Dailey said. “If (you win by) 30 points or one point, it doesn’t really matter. You just try to be 1-0 every week in this gauntlet of a district and hopefully you’re playing in November. You want to be playing your best ball in November and December. So, we still have a lot of work to do.”
In other district games on Friday night, New Braunfels crushed San Antonio MacArthur 62-0 in New Braunfels and Smithson Valley won at home taking down Boerne Champion, 42-10. On Thursday, Pieper beat Wagner, 35-21 in Converse.
The Matadors will head to the Hill Country next Friday to play Boerne Champion. The Chargers and Matadors will kick off at 7 p.m. next Friday in Boerne and you’ll hear the game on KWED and streaming at SeguinToday.com.
In other area games:
Navarro fell on the road to La Vernia, 38-21.
And Class 4A Lago Vista won at Class 3A Marion, 42-7.