Instant Reaction: Johnson Leans On Run Game & Defense In Upset Of Brandeis
One of the most important games of the 2020 Texas high school season so far was a Thursday October 22nd matchup of undefeated teams at Northside ISD's Dub Farris Athletic Complex. VYPE Player of the Game Benjamin McCreary's touchdowns ultimately led San Antonio Johnson (4-0, 3-0) to a huge 19-7 upset win against the San Antonio area's top ranked team, San Antonio Brandeis (3-1, 2-1), in UIL 28-6A district play.
"That defense really stepped up," said McCreary. "And the offense, we just tried to do our best."
You've heard from the VYPE Player of the Game. Now, check out VYPE's takeaways!
(1) Run Game Was On Point Early And Often
The game between San Antonio Johnson and San Antonio Brandeis was expected to be a competitive one. The contest definitely started like that because the Jaguars and Broncos drove down the field and scored a rushing touchdown on the first two offensive drives. First, it was San Antonio Johnson's Benjamin McCreary, who scored from three yards out at the 6:35 mark of the first quarter. Moments later, Nico Garcia found a hole for San Antonio Brandeis and scored from eight yards out at the 3:48 mark of the period.
Nearly two quarters later at the 4:14 point of the third, Ty Reasoner ran for 54 yards and the go-ahead score to continue the trend and put the Jaguars up 13-7. Later, McCreary's second score of the game allowed them to extend their lead to 19-7 with only 76 seconds before the fourth.
(2) Defense Came To Play
After the offensive-led opening frame, most fans at Dub Farris Athletic Complex expected more scoring from that side of the ball in the second. Instead, both teams leaned on an important defensive stop to produce a shutout in the period before halftime. The first one was an interception by San Antonio Johnson's Sam Hall at the 2:12 mark and San Antonio Brandeis' unit stopped San Antonio Johnson on the Broncos' side of the field with 19 ticks left in the half.
The dominant defensive presence continued with three straight scoreless drives to open the second half. San Antonio Johnson added a fumble recovery with 3:04 left in the frame, a Reid Watt interception on a San Antonio Brandeis fourth and 18 pass at the 11:38 point in the fourth quarter, two more fourth down stops at the 8:06 and 4:46 marks of the period and a forced punt with 1:27 left in the game to wrap up the victory.
(3) Brandeis Shined On Special Teams
San Antonio Brandeis may not have won the game, but it found more special teams success than San Antonio Johnson did. The Broncos were perfect on their only extra point kick, while the San Antonio Johnson Jaguars missed one of their two launch attempts and had an incomplete pass on a two-point conversion. San Antonio Brandeis also got a boost from Aiden Inesta-Rodriguez, who returned a kickoff to the San Antonio Johnson 25-yard line with 1:05 left in the third quarter.
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