Photos courtesy of LaWaynea Cox
The Magazine Little League Rattlers knew what they were up against on September 14th as they squared off against the Hackett Hornets. Last season, they played each other in football thrillers during week one and in the playoffs with Hackett winning all of the matches against the Rattlers. The Hornets finished the season earning the WCFL Championship and the WCFL Runner-Up. Magazine knew these two games against the Hornets would be a valuable measuring bar for their program.
The Rattlers 3rd and 4th grade stepped out on to the field first ready to give it their all. The Hackett offense was able to spread the field on the Rattlers with speed, reducing the opportunities for Magazine to put multiple helmets on the ball carrier. Although the Rattlers offense ran the ball well on a few occasions, they weren’t able to push the Hackett defense around like they wanted to. Magazine fought very valiantly in the match-up but in the end, fell short losing to Hackett with a 26-12 final score.
“We came out, had some bright spots but didn’t do enough things right in order to win,” explained 3rd and 4th grade coach, Cody Shelton. “We had some costly turnovers and didn’t tackle very well. Our running backs performed nicely, we just didn’t get it done on the defensive side of the ball.”
Magazine’s 5th and 6th grade team was up next and its safe to say that they were programmed for upset mode. The Rattlers were able to contain Hackett’s high powered offense for most of the night refusing to back down even after the Hornets lit up the scoreboard. Magazines defense against Hackett’s offense was a true slugfest between two heavyweights. But it wasn’t just the Rattlers defense who showed up to play. The offense was able to move the ball downfield on multiple occasions giving the Rattlers the chance to hang 12 points up on Hackett. To the surprise of many around the league, the Rattlers were able to go to Hackett’s home field and upset the defending WCFL Champions 12-6.
“I believe that everyone played their hearts out in this game. We definitely needed this win to have a chance for the number one seed. I noticed that this game reflected our kids finally coming together. Mansfield will also be another great team. I believe this game will definitely help us against them,” said Rattler 5th and 6th grade coach, Charly Moua.
With the tests of Lavaca and Hackett behind them, the Rattlers know there’s no rest for the weary. Magazine will host the Mansfield Tigers on Saturday, September 21 in what looks to be a battle of playoff position for both the 3rd and 4th grade teams and the 5th and 6th grade teams. This, ladies and gentlemen, should be the equivalent of a no-holds-barred Tyson versus Ali boxing match.
