Schulenburg Falls to Johnson City in Playoff Opener

The Schulenburg Shorthorns’ football season came to an end on a cold, misty night in Buda Friday, Nov. 10. The Horns fell to the Johnson City Eagles 21-28 in the first round of the playoffs. They finished the season 5-6 overall 4-2 in district.

First-year head coach Luke Hobbs credited his players with resurrecting Schulenburg’s storied football program from the abysmal 0-10 season last year.

“I love these kids,” Hobbs said. “They’re awesome, hardnosed kids. Blue-collar, tough kids. They played hard.”

Schulenburg started off to an early 6-0 lead with a 22yard touchdown reception by Byron Johnson from Shorthorn junior quarterback Aaron Janacek. The extra point was no good due to a bad snap. But that wasn’t the worst part of that possession: Janacek injured his shoulder during the drive.

He managed through the rest of the first half. The Eagles responded with their hurry-up offense and returned the favor after six plays to the end zone. The extra point gave them a 6-7 lead after one quarter of play.

Both teams punted on their next possessions, and then Janacek threw an interception in the second quarter. The Horns were in good position to score, but the interception gave the Eagles the ball at their own 22. Johnson City got a big break with a 3rd down midfield pass from McCray Jacobs to Johnny Slawinski to the one yardline. Eagle running back Colton Bonnett ran it in for the touchdown. The extra point was good and Johnson City extended their lead 6-14.

Schulenburg’s Da’Terrion Houston, a sophomore receiver who hadn’t played since early in the season, showcased his explosive potential on the ensuing kickoff return. Houston caught the ball at the goal line and weaved a path 98 yards downfield. An Eagle defender finally tripped him up at their two yard line. Senior Shorthorn running back Rodney Walton ran in the touchdown. Schulenburg opted for a two-point conversion. The Horns executed a flea flicker with Janacek handing off to Walton, Walton pitching back to Janacek, and Janacek tossing the ball to Johnson in the end zone. That tied the game 14-14 with 7:17 left in the half.

But Schulenburg couldn’t stop the Eagles on their next drive. Johnson City ran four plays in just over a minute to re-take the lead 14-21. The Horns got the ball back with 6:13 left in the half. Despite the nagging injury, Janacek marshaled his team down to the red zone. But then he took a hard tackle near the sideline on a 2nd and goal scramble from three yard line. Schulenburg called a timeout with about a minute left in the half. On the next play Janacek attempted a bootleg pass but fumbled the ball under pressure. The Shorthorns recovered on the 27. Hobbs took Janacek out of the game and he never returned.

“He got hurt in the first drive,” Hobbs’s said. “He battled for four or five more drives. Janacek did not pull himself out. He told me to leave him in. I made the call. He’s not soft. He did not tap out. He’s a tough kid” Freshman tight end Owen Brenek moved into the quarterback position. He threw an incomplete pass, and the Horns turned the ball over on downs just before time expired. The half ended with the Eagles still on top 14-21.

“You throw a freshman as your quarterback in there, and you have to move around your tight end, tackle and a guard,” Hobbs said. “It moved everybody around. But they responded.

“We made some huge plays to keep it within one score,” he added. “I’m very proud of them.”

Johnson City received the kick after halftime. They fumbled the ball on the return, and the Horns pinned them at the 12 yard line. The Schulenburg defense adjusted well to the Eagles’ fast-paced play calling after the half and held them to a punt.

The two teams traded possessions without a score before Brenek settled into his new position behind center. He completed two big passes - a 35-yarder to Johnson that got the Horns into Eagle territory, then a 22 yard pass to Jose Cortez for a touchdown.

Janacek was Schulenburg’s holder on field goals and extra points. With him out of the game, the only other Shorthorn with good experience holding was the starting kicker, Brycen Schramek. So Schramek went in as holder. His backup, Cooper Demel, booted the ball through the uprights to tie the game 21-21 with 5:21 left in the third.

But just like the last time Schulenburg tied the game, Johnson City quickly responded with a minute-and-a-half, six-play scoring drive to take the lead 21-28.

The Shorthorn offense sputtered on the next drive. They managed one first down and then lost yardage on a quarterback keeper and a false start. Brenek threw an interception on 4th and 8 on the Eagle 29 as time expired in the third quarter. The teams traded the ball without scoring throughout the fourth as a heavy mist fell on the stadium. Schulenburg had the ball on own 26 with 3:48 left in the game. They went four-and-out to turn the ball over with about 1:30 left. The Eagles lined up in the victory formation to end the game.

Schulenburg will lose only four seniors from this team: Bryce Stoever, Rodney Walton, Jacob Vacek and Nicolas Lopez. But Hobbs said those four played a key roll in turning the program around this year.

“They laid the foundation for us,” Hobbs said. “They work hard every day. They’re good leaders. We don’t have a lot of seniors, but we have great senior leadership. Hopefully next year, we’re advancing some rounds in the playoffs and winning a bunch more games, and those seniors know they laid the foundation for that. They don’t always get to see the benefit or their hard work, but they will be recognized.”

The Shorthorns have high hopes for next year with 19 juniors on this squad, along with several freshmen and sophomore playmakers like Brenek and Houston.

“To get the program turned around has been a huge effort,” Hobbs said. “The coaching staff has been awesome. The administration has been awesome. The kids have been awesome. Everyone works hard. Everyone has been positive. This has been one of the funnest football seasons of my life. I’ve really enjoyed it and I cannot wait for next season already.”