I went to Lehnhoff Stadium in Schertz, Texas for the game between the Cibolo Steele Knights and the Lake Travis Cavaliers. The Knights are coached by Steve
Lehnhoff. They entered the game with a 1-0
record having beaten San Antonio Madison 37-7.
They were ranked as the AP #7 team in 6A football. Hank Carter leads the Cavaliers. They lost their opening game to Converse
Judson 35-28, giving up 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. They began the season ranked #2 in 6A, but
fell to #8 after their loss.
It was 90 degrees with a slight chance of rain
in the forecast before game time. This was a much anticipated early season non-conference
game between two teams that each figure to make a deep run in the play-offs.
I had never been to Cibolo before, so I had to try
out some of the local barbecue.
The Barbecue
Harmon’s BBQ is located at 102 South Main Street in
Cibolo. It sure looked and smelled like
a BBQ joint when I pulled into the parking lot.
According to their web site, Harmon’s serves up some of the best
barbecue in the San Antonio area. Based
upon what I had to eat, I would beg to differ.
The brisket was dry and crumbly to the touch. While the meat did have a smoky tatse, there
was no smoke ring cooked into the meat.
My brisket did not have any outside bark on it, possibly removed by the
meat cutter as he prepared my order.
Their sauce was fine and absolutely needed. Without it, the meat was like chewing on a
piece of paper towel. The pork ribs were
big and meaty, but again the meat was overly dry and leathery. I almost could not finish eating my
order. Not because I was full, but
rather due to the amount of work I had to do to chew it. Had I been there at 11:00 AM when they
opened, maybe the meat would have been moist and juicy. But I was at Harmon’s after 5:00 PM and the
barbecue tasted like the life had been cooked out of it.
The restaurant was clean and had a warm
atmosphere. The staff was friendly. They have a large room in the back where
people can kick back with a few beers and enjoy live music. That is all well and good, but I went to
Harmon’s for the BBQ and came away disappointed. Next time I am in the Cibolo, I will try some
other place. I have to rate Harmon’s BBQ
a single shaky Hook ‘Em.
The Game
The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes due to
lightning strikes in the area. A gentle
rain fell through the first 10 minutes of the game.
 |
| Rainbow over Lehnhoff Stadium |
The Knights took the opening kick-off. They made a couple of first downs before
punting. On the Cavs first possession, Charlie
Brewer connected with Garrett Wilson on a short pass, then he took it 75 yards
to the house for the first score.
Quarterback Xavier Martin fumbled on the Knights next possession. A few plays later, Brewer took it in himself
to make it 14-0. The Knights answered
with an 84 yard drive, capped off by a 33 yard touchdown pass to Caden Sterns
in the corner of the end zone. It took
the Cavaliers just one play to go 76 yards on a pass from Brewer to Maleek
Barkley to make it 21-7 with 2:37 left in the first quarter.
The Knights stormed back with another long drive. Brenden Brady took it in from short yardage
to make it 21-14. Here comes the
Cavs. After a flea flicker moved the
ball deep into Steele territory, Charlie Brewer connected with Cade Green for a
score. And here comes the Knights right
back. After a long pass set up the
Knights with first and goal, Martin carried it in on a quarterback draw for a
13 yard touchdown to make it 28-21. A
fumbled toss by Maleek Barkley set the Knights up on the Cavaliers 39. Martin threw another touchdown pass to tie
the game at 28-28. That’s how the first
half ended.
Lake Travis took the third period kick-off and started
from deep in their own end of the field.
They were unable to pick up a first down. A 51 yard punt set up Cibolo on their
45. Pounding the Cavs defense with runs
by Brady and Martin, the Knights moved into Lake Travis territory. On first and goal from the 8, Martin scored
on a quarterback keeper to give Cibolo their first lead of the game 35-28.
The Cavs started from their 31. Runs by Barkley and short passes from Brewer kept
the chains moving. Barkley scored on a
four yard run. For the extra point, Lake
Travis lined up in a swinging gate formation.
Cibolo was unsure how to defend the formation. Brewer took the quick snap and ran up the
middle for wo points. That gave Lake Travis
the lead at 36-35. The Cavs added a
field goal with 2:13 to play in the third quarter to lead 39-35.
Here come the Knights right back. Starting from their 20 yard line, Cibolo
moved down field behind the running and passing of Xavier Martin. From the Cavs 7, Martin found Caden Sterns in
the corner of the end zone. The
touchdown and point after gave Cibolo the lead at 42-39.
Lake Travis stormed right back. Starting from their 42, the Cavs moved into
Cibolo territory on runs and passes from Charlie Brewer. On third and 13 from the Knights 19, Brewer threw
to the corner of the end zone. Garrett
Wilson made a diving catch for the touchdown.
The extra point kick put the Cavs back in front at 46-42 with 7:07 left
to play.
Cibolo took possession on their 25. Brady carried for a gain of 13. Martin connected with CJ Williams on a deep
pass good for 39 yards. Lake Travis was
called for a face mask penalty that set up the Knights with first and goal from
the 7. Their resulting touchdown gave
Cibolo a 49-46 lead with 4:57 to play.
After a penalty wiped out a good kick-off return, Lake
Travis started on their 8 yard line. On
third and 8, Brewer was pressured as he tried to pass. His pass was incomplete, forcing Lake Travis
to punt. But more importantly, Brewer
was injured on the play and had to be helped from the field.
With 3:13 left in the fourth quarter, Cibolo took
possession at midfield with a chance to run out the clock. Incomplete passes and penalties killed their
drive and left time on the clock. After
the Cibolo punt, the Cavs took possession on their 20 with 2;52 to play.
Charlie Brewer was unable to play, so Mathew Baldwin took
the field in relief. He connected with
Cade Brewer on several passes to move the Cavs down field. On fourth and 12 from the 33, Baldwin
scrambled to the 50 for a first down. He
found Cade Brewer for a gain to the Knights 29. With just 2 seconds left in regulation,
kicker Cameron Dicker connected on a 46 yard field goal to tie the game and
send it into overtime.
Steele took possession first on the Cavs 25. It took Brady only two carries to get the
score making it 56-49. Lake Travis had
to answer to keep the game going. On
second down, Baldwin hit Cade Brewer who walked into the end zone. The Cavs thought about going for two, but
their extra point kick tied the game at 56.
Lake Travis started first in the second overtime
period. They could only muster a 29 yard
field goal from Dicker to go up 59-56.
Now the Knights need to meet it or beat it. They pounded Brady over and over again. Facing fourth and 1 from the two, the Knights
called timeout. They could kick a field
goal to tie the score and send the game into a third overtime. Instead they decided to try for the touchdown
to win the game. Martin rolled to his right, was pressured by a Cav linebacker,
then threw the ball into the end zone for Rashad Beecham. He dropped the pass and the game was
over. A thrilling double overtime
victory for Lake Travis 59-56.
Attached is the video for this adventure:
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