Friday, March 29, 2024

Another nailbiter

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Another week and another close game for the Tolar Rattlers, this one ending in a 19-18 loss to the Early Longhorns at home Friday.

Each of Tolar’s (1-2) first three games have come down to the final possession. This time, the Rattlers had the ball at midfield with about two minutes remaining but couldn’t come through with a late score.

“Three weeks in a row that we’ve been in a battle,” Tolar head coach Jeremy Mullins said. “Hopefully here in a couple of weeks (when district starts) that pays off, when we find ourselves in a tight game and we find a way to finish it. Unfortunately, we didn’t Friday night.”

Tolar took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, when Braegan Berry scored on a 16-yard run. Berry finished with 82 yards on 11 carries.

But Early wide receiver Timmy Smithson, who was an All-State selection in 2018, broke free on a 79-yard score later in the quarter to tie the game. Early had a couple of long plays that turned the tide of the game.

Mullins gave credit to Early and coach Blake Sandford, and said it was good for the Rattlers to see a spread offense after playing against ground-based teams the first two weeks.

“We didn’t tackle as well as I would’ve liked to seen defensively, and that was somewhat worrisome going into it,” Mullins said. “We didn’t tackle in space.

“It was good for us – I never want to say a loss was good for us, never want to lose, but it was good to see a spread team before district.”

Brett Jackson caught a 74-yard pass from Wesley Miller, and after a busted extra point attempt turned into a successful two-point conversion, the Rattlers led 15-13 at the half. Macaine Tucker added a 25-yard field goal to give Tolar an 18-13 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Early responded with a touchdown with 8:52 left in the game, and Tolar couldn’t score from that point on.

“We moved the ball and ran the ball as well as we had all year,” Mullins said. “We didn’t finish drives off. Didn’t execute the full game.

“There were spurts at times when it looked really good.”

Freshman Brock Owens, who also plays running back, finished with two sacks from his linebacker position.

“Brock has done well this year,” Mullins said. “He’s doing a good job and getting better every week.”

HOMECOMING

This Friday, Tolar will have its Homecoming game against the Goldthwaite Eagles. Last year’s game between the schools, which the Rattlers won 48-0, was also scheduled to be Tolar’s Homecoming, but heavy storms forced the game to be moved to Goldthwaite’s field.

The Eagles are 1-2 and have switched from a spread passing team to a Slot-T offense under new coach Keith Virdell.

“They have totally changed their offensive scheme,” Mullins said. “So we’ll go back to seeing a run-heavy offense, double tight ends for the most part, with two backs and a slot back.

“They do what they do, though, and you can tell that they’re well-coached. They’re going to line up and try to hit you right in the mouth.”

Last week against Coleman in a 20-6 loss, Goldthwaite had 215 rushing yards and outgained Coleman 247-212, attempting just five passes. Jackson Patrick was the leading rusher with 72 yards on five attempts; in a 36-27 win over Junction in the previous week, Patrick and Dusty Partin both cracked the 100-yard mark on the ground.

“They’re an improved team from last year,” Mullins said. “It’s going to be a good test.”

Tolar had a Homecoming parade Sunday, and will celebrate throughout the week with various activities.

“Most coaches, Homecoming’s probably not their favorite week of the year for all the activities, but it’s fun for the kids,” Mullins said. “It’s like I told the guys, everybody’s going to have fun and enjoy it, but they’re going to show up Friday night to see you.

“You cap it off – the right way, hopefully.”

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. from Rattler Stadium.