After finally punching their ticket back into the dance, the Rattlers wanted to make sure not to let the opportunity pass them by.

On Friday night, running back Justin Tardy made sure of that. He powered the Rattlers to a 42–10 victory over Eagle Pass in their Class 6A Division II Bi-District matchup at Toyota Rattler Stadium, scoring three rushing touchdowns and adding another through the air. 

Tardy logged 95 yards on just 10 carries, finding the end zone on runs of 9, 10, and 5 yards. He also hauled in two receptions for 40 yards, highlighted by a 27-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Buck Steyn. For good measure, he snagged an interception on defense as well.

His pick was one of four interceptions the Rattlers collected off Eagles quarterback Xavier Barrera, who went 9-of-22 for 86 yards. Eagle Pass running back Luis Flores posted 85 rushing yards on 18 carries, added two receptions for eight yards, and threw the team’s lone touchdown — a 39-yard halfback pass to Jeremiah Silva.

That trick play cut the San Marcos lead to 14–7 early in the second quarter, and a field goal soon after brought Eagle Pass within three. But that was as close as the Eagles would get.

San Marcos continued to pull away thanks to a 3-yard touchdown run from Elliott Gray and a 65-yard scoop-and-score by Jah’marien Nichols after Barrera lost the ball on a scramble.

The Rattlers now advance to face the Edinburg Bobcats this Saturday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi. Edinburg enters the area round following a 24–13 win over Brownsville Veterans Memorial. Kickoff is scheduled for 1PM.