My video from this adventure:
I went to Lenhoff Stadium in Cibolo, Texas, just north
of San Antonio to see the
Cibolo Steele Knights in action against their district rivals the SmithsonValley Rangers. David Saenz is the first
year coach of the Knights. He had served
as the co-defensive coordinator since 2012 before being promoted. Cibolo only lost two games in 2016: the first
to eventual state champion Lake Travis in a thrilling overtime game in week two
and their second to De Soto in the 6A Division 2 state championship game up at
Jerry’s World.
Smithson Valley is coached by Larry Hill. He has led
the Rangers for the past 25 seasons and picked up his 250th win last
week with a victory over Round Rock.
They finished 2016 with an 8-3 overall record. Their season came to an end in the second
round of the play-offs when they lost to eventual state champion Lake Travis.
The Knights enter this game at 1-2. They need a win to pick up momentum for
district play. The Rangers have a
perfect 3-0 record in 2017. They lost to
Cibolo last year and are looking to turn that around. It should be a good one. . .
But before we talk about football, let me show the barbecue I enjoyed earlier in the day.
The
Barbecue
2M Smokehouse is located at 2731 S. WW White Road in
San Antonio, on the southeast side of town.
They opened their doors in 2016 and made the Texas Monthly Top 50 list
just a year later. This is some barbecue
I needed to try.
There were several cars and trucks in the parking lot
when my wife and I arrived around 11:30 AM, but there wasn’t much of a line for
barbecue. My moist brisket was served up
in thick slices and could best be described as buttery. Tasty outer bark and a deep smoky
flavor. The meat was so tender it was
easily cut with a plastic fork. Chewing
was almost optional. The pork ribs were
big and meaty. The meat easily bit from
the bone and had a smoky, sweet flavor to it.
My wife ordered lean brisket and turkey which were both excellent.
2M did not have barbecue sauce, but instead what they
called syrup, thick and red with a sweet and not spicy taste. I liked it, but those people who prefer a
tangier sauce might not. The homemade
pickles were also very good. I even have
to comment on their selection of Stubborn Soda.
The root beer was fantastic.
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| Briskets on the pit |
The counter staff was super friendly and warm,
greeting every customer with a smile.
Joe was doing the cutting and was great to talk with. When I finished eating, I knocked on the door
of their smoking shed and was warmly greeted by Esaul, their pit master. He was excited to show me their big pit and
let me take a peek inside where the smoking magic happens. Next to the shed was a stack of oak wood they
use for smoking all their meats.
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| Esaul the pitmaster |
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| Joe the cutter |
The name 2M is in honor of Esaul’s and Joe’s
grandparents: Ignacio Marquez and Joe J Melig, Jr. On their website, they talk
about their love of family and their love of cooking. It was obvious from how good the barbecue was
that they are poring a lot of love into what they are doing. Their spot on the Top 50 list is very well
deserved.
2M Smokehouse – great barbecue served by great people. I give this barbecue my highest rating – two Hook
‘Ems!
The
Game
Cibolo took the opening kick-off and used their
punishing ground game to move the ball downfield into Smithson Valley
territory. Brenden Brady piled up big
yardage running behind his huge offensive line.
He scored from 1 yard out to give the Knights an early 7-0 lead.
The Knights forced the Rangers to go three and out.
Brady burst through the Ranger defense for a 51 yard gain. Onyx Smith’s pass on second down was
intercepted by Jacob Johnson, denying the Knights a chance to go up by 14.
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| Brenden Brady (#25) runs for 51 yard gain |
The Rangers began their own long drive. On third and 15, quarterback Levi Williams
scrambled for 10 to close the first quarter.
They gambled on fourth and 5.
Williams pass to Diego Cervantes was good for first and goal from the
1. Williams kept the ball for the
touchdown. The extra point was no good,
leaving the score 7-6 with11:33 to play in the second quarter.
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| Levi Williams (#13) rolls out on fourth and 5 |
The Knights returned the ensuing kick-off to the 45
and kept moving the chains downfield with their ground attack. Brady scored from 12 yards out to push the
lead to 14-6.
As the clock wound down before halftime, the Rangers
moved the ball. A face mask penalty at
the end of a run by Williams gave them a big first down. Facing third and 9, Williams avoided the rush
and passed to Mason Pierce for a first down on the one. Williams scored from
there. The extra point kick was good
making the score 14-13 with just 18 seconds left before halftime.
The kick-off bounced in front of the Cibolo
receiver. He wasn’t quick enough to the
ball and Smithson Valley recovered.
Williams found a receiver open in the back of the end zone for a
touchdown. In a span of five seconds,
the Rangers scored 13 points to take a 20-14 lead into the locker room.
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| Kick-off bounces in front of Cibolo receiver |
The Rangers got the ball to start the third
quarter. Williams was sacked for a loss
of 12 on first down. On second and 22,
Williams connected with Ricky Rios for a 49 yard catch and run to the Knights 9
yard line. Pierce carried the ball for a
7 yard touchdown. The two point
conversion failed leaving the score 26-14.
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| Ricky Rios (#11) gains 49 yards on catch and run |
Only down by 12, the Knights used their ground game to
move to midfield. A bad handoff exchange
between Smith and Brady led to a fumble recovery by CJ Kuehler giving the
Rangers the ball on the 48. Smithson
Valley never threw a pass as they marched downfield and ate up clock. Pierce scored again on a 14 yard run to push
the score to 33-14.
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| Mason Pierce (#19) carries 14 yards for a touchdown |
The teams traded scores in the fourth quarter to make
the final 43-20 for the Rangers, but the game was decided in the third
quarter. Down by double digits, Cibolo
could not use their powerful running attack and were forced to pass. The Knights defense was pretty much gassed in
the second half and unable to get the stops they needed. The Rangers took advantage of Cibolo miscues
and scored 20 points off turn overs.
There is still a lot football to play this season, but
Cibolo needs to turn things around fast.
Next week they face undefeated Converse Judson which is ranked #5 in
Texas. The Rangers won’t play Converse
until November in a game that could decide the district champion.
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