Weimar Upsets Schulenburg 27-14

Schulenburg fell to their arch rival the Weimar Wildcats Friday night 14-27 in Weimar.

Schulenburg was 4-1 on the season coming into the game versus Weimar, who was 1-3 coming off a bye week. The orange crowd in the visitor’s stands rivaled that of the home side. The seven miles of Hwy. 90 between Schulenburg and Weimar saw more traffic that night than it does most of the year. But the drive back was a somber one for the Horns.

“It stings, it hurts,” said Schulenburg Head Coach Luke Hobbs after the game.

The Shorthorns could not stop Weimar’s running game, led by junior running back Jerron Fisher who rushed for 226 yards and three touchdowns. The Wildcats completed only one of five passes, but they didn’t need to with 393 total yards on the ground.

Schulenburg ran for only 84 yards on 22 carries. Shorthorn quarterback Aaron Janecek threw seven for seven the week before against Brazos. He threw for 200 yards against Weimar, but with a 7-for-21 completion rate.

“There’s not much to say,” Hobbs said after the game. “They beat us up front. They beat us outside. They beat us on special teams. They beat us on defense. They beat us on offense. And they beat us on the scoreboard.”

Weimar won the coin toss and received the opening kickoff. They scored on the third play of the game with a 38-yard run from Fisher. The extra point was good and they went up 0-7.

The two teams traded possessions until the end of the first quarter. The Wildcats found a winning combination with speed from Fisher and Zach Norrell, and power from Dereon John- son. They marched down the field and scored again with a keeper from quarterback Huxton Kloesel. After the extra point, the Wildcats went up 0-14 with 11:04 left in the half.

Schulenburg picked up momentum on the next possession. On the second play from their own 28 yard line, Janecek threw to Jayse Janda, who caught the ball and ran downfield for a 72 yard touchdown. The extra point was good and Schulenburg trailed 7-14 with 10:01 left in the half.

Schulenburg threatened to score again just before halftime. They got the ball back on their own 33 yard line with 3:49 left in the half. The Horns put together one of their better drives of the game. They got down to their Weimar 36 yard line with 46 seconds left on the clock. Janecek threw to Byron Johnson, but Johnson bobbled it. A Weimar defender snatched it out of his hands. The Wildcats took possession on their own 28 and let time expire.

Schulenburg put together another good drive after receiving the second half kickoff. They got down to the eight yard line. The Horns tried a trick play on third and goal. Tavondrick Ellison was in the game at tailback. Janecek pitched the ball to Ellison, who handed the ball back to Janecek. Janecek tossed the ball to Jayse Janda, who was wide open in the end zone. The Schulenburg stands erupted in cheers as the Horns appeared to be an extra point away from tying the game.

But the line judge on the Weimar side threw a flag. The play was ruled an illegal forward pass, which resulted in an eight yard penalty (five yards from the spot of the foul) and loss of down.

“It was the most important moment of the game,” Hobbs said. “Our kids executed perfectly at the start of the second half. It was exactly what we wanted to do to tie the ball game. I can’t blame the kids for it. It was great execution. It got called back.”

That left Schulenburg at fourth and goal from the Weimar 16 yard line. Janecek tried running it in but was stopped short. Weimar took over on downs.

Fisher scored five downs later on a counter play that haunted the Shorthorns all night. But the extra point was no good. Weimar led 7-20 at the 3:30 mark in the third quarter.

Schulenburg got the ball back at the beginning of the fourth quarter and put together another good drive. Zane Brenek caught a key pass on third and eight deep in Schulenburg territory to keep the drive alive. Janecek ran for two first downs in a row. Then he connected with Byron Johnson on a deep pass that scored. After the extra point, the Horns trailed 14-20 with 9:37 left in the game.

The Shorthorns tried the onside kick, but Weimar recovered. The Wildcats scored again three plays later on a run from Fisher. The extra point was good and the Wildcats led 14-27 with 8:46 left in the game.

On the following kickoff, Weimar repaid Schulenburg’s onside kick with a squib. The Horns appeared unprepared for it and Weimar recovered the ball. Schulenburg forced Weimar to punt after four downs. But then Weimar did the same. The Wildcats made a couple of first downs as time ticked down. By that time, Schulenburg fans numbed themselves to the announcer’s frequent refrain: “Another Wiiildcat first down!”

Weimar lined up in victory formation and ran the remaining time off the clock.

Schulenburg linebacker John Davis, a key player, came out of the game with a knee injury in the first quarter. He did not return, and Hobbs said the prognosis “does not look good.”

“I think they’re the best team we’ve played,” Hobbs said. “I’m not panicking. I don’t think we lost to a bad team. We played horrible.”

Schulenburg, now 4-2, has a week off before facing their toughest challenge of the season against Ganado, who are now 5-1. The Indians were ranked No. 3 in state before their 35-0 win over Kenedy Friday night. Schulenburg beat Kenedy 49-0 two weeks ago. The Shorthorns face Ganado at home on Oct. 18.