Chargers host McCallum for homecoming

Look to bounce back from first loss of season

Even though a district title is likely out of reach for the Boerne Champion football team after last week’s loss at Smithson Valley, the Chargers still have plenty to play for as they look to rebound from their first setback of the year.

With two games left in the regular season, a homecoming win on Friday against Austin McCallum will secure a playoff spot and lock up second place in 13-5A DI, which means the Chargers would host a first-round playoff game since the top two 5A teams in each district get to host.

Champion (7-1, 5-1) hosts the Knights at 7 p.m. for homecoming. Court festivities will begin around 6:30 p.m.

McCallum is fighting for a playoff spot and Chargers coach Blane Ellis said the Knights may be down this year (4-4 overall) but have had a long history of being competitive.

“They’re a quality team and well coached,” he said. “In 2019 they played in the regional semis, so they’re not that far removed from having a lot of success. They still have a chance, but they have to win out.”

The Chargers will do their best to keep that from happening as they look to bounce back from their only loss of the season last Friday at Smithson Valley, 35-24. The Chargers took a 24-13 lead into the fourth quarter but couldn’t finish.

Still, Ellis said they proved they can hang with the Rangers in a game that had a lot of eyes from around the state looking at it.

“Everybody had last Friday circled and people were asking, ‘how good are the Chargers?’ and I think we showcased that Friday. That game could have gone either way,” he said. “We turned a lot of heads and I think it was a true test for both teams.”

Turnovers were the big difference against the Rangers after the Chargers turned it over four times in the game and let the lead slip away as Smithson Valley outscored them in the fourth quarter, 22-7.

“With that many turnovers, you can’t do that and expect to beat a mediocre team. Offensively, we did a lot of good things, but we left some things out there and we didn’t take care of the ball,” Ellis said. “We have to clean up a few things and we’ll make subtle adjustments going forward.”

There’s a chance the two could meet again, but if the Rangers and Chargers finish 1-2 in the district, they would go on opposite sides of the playoff bracket, and their rematch wouldn’t be until the fourth week of the postseason or until early December.

Ellis said everybody on his team knows that’s a possibility and is hoping for that but added that they still have two regular-season games and would have to win three playoff games just to face Smithson Valley again, assuming the Rangers make it that far as well.

“If that were to happen, there would be five games between now and then. That’s half a season that has to be played. We have a chance to play them again on Dec. 4, but we need to get there,” Ellis said. “The big thing for us is to reset, that possible rematch is on the horizon, but we have to take them one at a time. We’d both be different teams by then, but it would be another great game.”