San Marcos Academy Bears In Season Opener Tonight Against Medina Bobcats

Bears vs. Medina 2009

The San Marcos Academy Bears hit the road to Medina on Friday night to take on the Bobcats of the UIL. With three weeks of practice in the books and one scrimmage at St. Andrews in Austin, the Bears are looking to answer several roster questions at the game.

The Bears are still trying to learn new offensive and defensive systems, but the new spread offense has showed promise during the scrimmage last week. The defense looks strong with Alex Ashley and Cody Watson at defensive ends with Sabas Castillo and Cameron Whitehead coming up the middle from the line and linebacker positions.

The running game looks strong with Ty Merriweather and Shayne Boyer expected to carry most of the load. The passing game looks as if the Bears will carry two quarterbacks into the opener with both expected to see action in Senior Jonathan Powell, a transfer from Lago Vista, and returning Quarterback Aubrey Oswalt.

Players Brett Mackel, Austin Hay, Dalton Wade, and T.J. Wilson have had good camps for the Bears in early August.

SMA Head Coach Les Davis, former Head Coach at New Braunfels Canyon said,

“This game is a first step on our journey for the season. I just want the kids to continue to improve each game so we can reach our destination. This will be the first actual game experience for us as a team.”

The coaching staff is looking for big contributions from Wide Receiver Josh McIntyre, Tight End John Myers and Defensive Lineman John Ferguson in the opener.

The Bobcats will be looking to avenge last season’s 31-28 loss to the Bears at A+FCU/Ingram Stadium. The Bobcats coached by Keith Mills have six players on offense returning and five on defense. Key players returning for the Bobcats are Fullback/Linebacker Armando Rodriguez, Tight End Wade Duke and Quarterback Jeremy Kennedy. Cooper Sparks is expected to be the main man on the line both ways for Medina.

The Bobcats had offensive struggles in 2009 averaging only 18.4 points a game while allowing 36.9 in a 1-9 season.

The key for success for the Bears in their opener is to experience success early, no early season jitters, and cut down on turnovers while becoming adjusted to their new spread offense. The defense must make better tackles than they did in their scrimmage in Austin.

Davis added,

“It will be fun to watch who rises to the occasion. We need our offensive and defensive lines to have a great game to set the tone for the season. Football is the ultimate team sport, so we need to all play together.”

Kickoff is scheduled for Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium in Medina.