Raul Flores Express-News Staff Writer
Publication: San Antonio Express-News
Date: December 3, 1990
Page: 3B
Unlike four previous meetings all season-openers Saturday’s state quarterfinal clash between Judson and Marshall will be the season-ender for one. The Rams and Rockets collide at 2 p.m. at Alamo Stadium for a berth in the big 5A semifinals. The mythical city championship will also be at stake.
The two last met in 1987, when they battled to a scoreless tie in David Visentine’s debut as Marshall coach.
Judson holds a 2-0-2 edge in the series. The Rockets won by 14-12 in 1985 and 30-13 in ’86 after a scoreless tie in the ’84 opener, which was D.W. Rutledge’s first game as Judson coach.
The Rockets, 12-1, used a stout defense to pulverize Victoria, 33-7, in regional playoff action Friday and earn their eighth trip to the quarterfinals in the last nine years. Marshall, 10-3, used an unorthodox play to earn its first-ever quarterfinal berth by stopping Pharr San Juan Alamo, 20-14, Saturday night.
Madison, San Antonio’s other entry in the 5A playoffs going into week 13, was bombed by Mission, 59-17 ending the Mavericks’ Cinderella season at 5-7-1. “We got behind early in the second half and had to do some different things,” Madison coach Mark Saunders said. “When you turn over the ball seven times, it’s hard to win. The kids had a fine season, but we just met our match. I think they (Mission) can win it all.” The Eagles, 12-1, face top- ranked Aldine in the small 5A semifinals at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Astrodome at Houston.
In the other 5A semifinal, Dallas Carter (12-1) faces Arlington Lamar (13-0) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Texas Stadium.
Marshall, meanwhile, turned to a seldom-used play to turn back P-SJ-A. Instead of sticking with one of his three main guns V.J. Villarreal, Nick Monreal or Anthony Holmes Visentine opted for a quarterback bootleg and got a 17-yard touchdown run from David Sammon with 2:09 the winning points. “In that situation, we felt they would be keying on V.J.,” Visentine said. “So we faked it to him. Basically, they (P-SJ-A) did a good job of stopping the run in the second half. “We used the same play and got a touchdown from (Marc) Saldana against MacArthur last week. But we used it very little throughout the season. We felt it would be a weapon, simply because people weren’t used to seeing it.”
Rutledge said his Judson defense will have to key on Marshall’s three main backs. “No doubt, those three guys just jump right out at you,” Rutledge said. “Combined, they have some impressive numbers. Trying to contain them is the key. We won’t do anything special. We’ll just run our basic defense. That was our philosophy against Victoria.” Judson got stellar performances from Cory Sears, Pat Johnson and Darnell Stephens against Victoria. Stephens and Johnson each came up with two interceptions as the Rockets held the Stingarees averaging 397.9 yards per game to 102 yards. Victoria’s big gun, Ervin Yates, came in with 1,818 rushing yards, but found the Judson front line too tough. He finished with 40 yards on 14 carries. “Traditionally their defense is awesome,” Visentine said of Judson. “Victoria had a great offense coming in and Judson showed you what they can do. We’re a running team, but we proved we can throw and we’ll have to do it again Saturday.”
Marshall, which had thrown for just 325 yards all season, got its biggest pass play of the season late in the game against P-SJ-A. Sammon connected with tight end Brandon Kittlitz for a 34-yard pickup on the winning drive. The Rams’ running game will have be more productive than it was against the Bears to keep pace with the Rockets. Marshall managed 180 yards on the ground, well below its 263-yard average per game. Visentine said outstanding defensive play has gotten his Rams this far. Saturday, Marshall constantly flushed P-SJ-A quarterback Hector Ayala out of the pocket, and allowed just 82 yards passing. Headed by Jason Mays, Matt Cate, Carl Junek, Henry Kalowkowski, Tim Woods, Todd Siebert and Mark Futschik, Marshall’s defense came up with four turnovers and four sacks.
