Rebel defensive back Jared Rodriguez lays out to knock the ball away from Alamo Heights receiver Christian Biedenharn during the Mules' 17-14 win last Friday night at Shelton Stadium. The Rebs will try to rebound at Clemens Friday night in what head coach Blake Feldt is calling a must win. (Photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton)
By JASON GORDON
The energy Hays displayed in its furious comeback win over Lehman just seven days earlier was nowhere to be found last Friday night against Alamo Heights.
Luke Donnally kicked a 29-yard field goal with just over a minute to play to give Alamo Heights a 17-14 win over Hays at Shelton Stadium.
The Mules held a Hays team averaging 31 points per game coming in to only 224 total yards and 11 first downs.
“This loss opened our eyes,” said Hays receiver Taven Mayberry. “After this we’ll be a lot better team. We just didn’t come out ready to play.”
Donnally’s game-winning kick capped a drive in which quarterback Wes Yancy led the Mules down the field by completing passes of 24 and 13 yards to Truman Biggs and 14 yards to Garrett Iverson.
“When people need to make plays, we make plays,” Alamo Heights head coach Don Byrd said.
Hays (3-3, District 1-1 27-4A) looked to have the momentum late as the Rebels went on an 84-yard game-tying drive with just over four minutes to play in the game.
Caleb Kimbro completed a 24-yard pass to Taven Mayberry and Michael Romero’s 17-yard run paved the way for Mayberry to score on a 1-yard sweep into the left side of the end zone.
Hays tried to answer the Alamo Heights (4-2, 2-0) field goal, but linebacker Skylar Nelson sacked Kimbro for a 12-yard loss and the Rebels could move the ball no further than their own 30 before they turned the ball over on downs.
Alamo Heights took the lead early in the game when Dub Yarbrough’s 26-yard run set up an 8-yard touchdown pass to John Geibel to make it 7-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter.
Hays answered just before halftime when Granger Studdard hauled in a 22-yard Kimbro pass and Charlie Johnson followed with a 4-yard touchdown run leaving the score tied 7-7 at the break.
Even though the contest was low scoring and yardage was hard to come by for both squads, Alamo Heights did an excellent job in the game going on time-consuming drives. The Mules had a six-minute drive in the first half and drives of five and six minutes in the second half.
“They set the tempo for the game and we can’t let people do that,” Hays head coach Blake Feldt said. “There’s no doubt if we’re the ones that score early it changes things.”
Hays was looking to go 2-0 in the ultra-tough District 27-4A but with its record falling to 1-1 in league action this Friday’s game at Schertz-Clemens now looks like a must win if the Rebels want to keep themselves in prime position for a playoff spot down the road.
“I think it’s pretty close to a must win,” Feldt said. “In fact, the Clemens game and then next week at home against Lockhart plain and simple are games we have to win.”
