Janecek Runs for 5 TDs as Shorthorns Race Past Three Rivers

Schulenburg advances to the second round of the football playoffs following a decisive victory over the Three Rivers Bulldogs in New Braunfels last Friday.

The Shorthorns won 4228. The Horns racked up 457 yards of total offense, despite injuries riddling their ranks. Junior running back Da’Terrion Houston did not suit out for the game. Sophomore ball carrier Mason Kunschick came out in the second half after taking some punishing hits.

The Horns’ biggest weapon Friday night was their fleetfooted quarterback, Aaron Janecek. He ran for 228 yards and scored five times on the ground. He threw 11 passes on 16 attempts for 167 yards with another touchdown. A fumble on a bad exchange in the second quarter and an interception in the first blemished an otherwise brilliant performance by the senior.

“When you have a guy like Aaron Janecek you always have a chance,” Schulenburg head coach Luke Hobbs said after the game. “We really didn’t have a running back tonight, especially in the second half when Mason got hurt. He’s just the man. He took it on his shoulders. He ran the ball well. He made some huge mistakes in the first half, but he shook them off.”

Following that interception in the first quarter, Three Rivers drove down the field and scored first on a pitch from quarterback Cody Sells to James Contreras. The extra point was good and they went up 0-7. They tried a tricky pooch kick on the kickoff that followed, but the Horns safely recovered it. They marched down the field and scored on a quarterback keeper by Janecek, tying it up 7-7 at 9:26 left in the first half.

Schulenburg followed up with a gutsy onside kick. Kicker Brycen Schramek booted a slow roller straight ahead and recovered it himself. The play energized the sideline and, looking back, turned the tide of the game.

Hobbs said assistant coach Brad Oden drew up that play.

“He said, ‘I think we can bulls-eye them,’” Hobbs said. “They vacate the middle and rear off to their blocks really fast. That’s the thing about having a great kicker like Schramek, because he lulls people to sleep. He booms over everyone’s head all year long - 28 touchbacks or something like that. So when they start leaving early, and we saw it on film, he dribbled that thing up the middle and made a heck of a play. Great execution. It was huge for us.”

The Horns went on to score two unanswered touchdowns: the first on a 14-yard run by Janecek just under six minutes until halftime; and the second on a 24-yard reception by Byron Johnson in the third quarter. The Horns were now up 21-7 with 9:27 left in the third.

Three Rivers’ Xavier Carranza returned the ensuing kickoff to near midfield. Five plays later they were first and goal from the Schulenburg 10 yard line. They got all the way down to the one on fourth and goal. But Schulenburg’s goal line defense held.

“It was one of the biggest plays of the game,” Hobbs said.

The Horns got the ball back on their own three yard line and then marched it 97 yards. They scored on another Janecek keeper. After the point-after, the Horns led 28-7 with about 53 seconds left in the third quarter.

But Three Rivers wasn’t ready to give up. On the next drive, a huge pass from Sells to Jason Galey put the ball at the Shorthorn 13 yard line. Contreras ran in a touchdown four plays later, cutting the Schulenburg lead to 28-13 after the extra point.

Schulenburg responded with a quick drive and a touchdown from Janecek on a keeper. Schramek’s extra point was good, and the Horns led 35-14.

Just two plays after the kickoff, Three Rivers scored again on a 67-yard pass from Sells to Xavier Carranza. Now down 35-21 with 7:41 left in the game, Three Rivers could not overcome the deficit. Nor could they stop Janecek. At this point in the game, he ran wherever he wanted on the field. He accounted for every yard on the following drive and scored on a keeper.

The Bulldogs would score once more with 2:21 left in the game. Sells connected with Ethan Conn from the 10 yard line. The point after was good and the Bulldogs trailed 4228, which would end up being the final score. Three Rivers ended their season with a 9-2 record.

Hobbs credited the win to the Horns’ gritty offensive line.

“We were able to run the ball however we wanted, and that’s because the O-line played hard,” Hobbs said. “Our O-line has been patched together all year. We haven’t really had a lot of the same looks lately. Calvin Thompson is playing on one leg. And he tells his coach, ‘I’m not coming out, I'm good.’ The community should appreciate kids who play like that through that kind of pain.”

Calvin Thompson wasn’t the only one. The sophomore Kunschick, sore from a grueling season as Schulenburg’s power back, managed 55 yards on 11 carries before he came out in pain.

“We try to teach grit and toughness,” Hobbs said after the game. “It’s hard to teach kids that. We’ve got some tough kids. We’ve got some kids who need to get tougher, that’s for dang sure. But we have some tough kids. And I hope the ones who aren’t as tough watch these guys who played tough and see. You play through pain. You play through adversity. No matter what gets thrown at us, you’re gonna go.”

Friday’s game gave Hobbs his first playoff win as a head coach. In his first season as a head coach last year in Schulenburg, the Horns lost a heartbreaker in the first round 28-21 against Johnson City, a game in which Janecek came out with a shoulder injury.

“I think we’re way better this year,” Hobbs said. “We’re a lot better team. We have better depth. Last year we had a ton of injuries in that playoff game. We were gutsy and we played hard. Owen Brenek came in and played quarterback. We did everything we possibly could. There’s no shade on the team from last year. We didn’t have the depth. We have just as many guys out if not more this year, but we’re throwing young guys in building depth. Were a better football team. But we have to overcome adversity. We don’t want them to find excuses. You’re going to find one if you look for one. Just make plays.”

Schulenburg faces the Marlin Bulldogs this Friday in the area round of the playoffs at Hutto Memorial Stadium, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. the Horns are now 8-3 (4-2 in district). Marlin is also 8-3, but they won their district title going 5-0.

Marlin beat Holland in the first round 51-7.