The San Marcos Rattlers pulled off a hard-fought 27-17 win over District 29-6A rival Converse Judson this past Friday, powered by a dominant second-half performance including a 3rd quarter clock-eating scoring drive led by quarterback Buck Steyn.

Steyn’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a 19-play, 75-yard drive that drained over nine minutes of the third quarter, giving San Marcos a lead it never gave back. That drive featured clutch conversions, including a 15-yard pass to Hank Harris on third-and-15 and a fourth-down strike to Elliott Gray.

Judson took an early first half advantage, briefly leading 17-14 at halftime after a late field goal. But the Rattler offense came out energized in the second half, and the defense stifled the Rockets’ offense —managing just 56 total yards in the 3rd and 4th quarters and turning the ball over on downs.

Running back Justin Tardy led the ground attack with 66 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Steyn added 47 rushing yards and a score, along with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Lampkin—his lone pass attempt of the second half.

With the win, San Marcos improved to 3-1 in district play and now turns its attention to a key matchup against the Steele Knights, who sit undefeated in district at 3-0.

Kickoff for the Homecoming and Senior Night game will be this Friday at 7:30 at Toyota Rattler Stadium.