Culpepper Runs Wild in Brackenridge Win

SAN ANTONIO- Willie Culpepper led his San Antonio Brackenridge Eagles (6-1, 4-0 District 28-4A) to a 34-21 victory Thursday night over the district rival San Antonio Kennedy Rockets (2-5, 1-3) in front of a crowd of 1,914 at historic Alamo Stadium.

Culpepper scored all five Eagle touchdowns for an average of 38.6 yards for each score. His shortest came on a run of 17 yards; four of the touchdowns came on the ground, while yet another came on a 39 yard touchdown pass from Michael Reyna midway through the third quarter, putting the game out of reach with Brackenridge going ahead by three scores, 27-7.

"Whenever you see daylight, you just have to hit it and go," Culpepper said. "Whatever you get, you get. That's just how I thought about it tonight."

Whatever his thought process was, it was the correct one, as well as for the rest of the Eagle football team. While there was only a thirteen point margin in the final score, the game was all Eagles, as each time the Rockets inched closer to the Eagles, Brackenridge had an answer.

After falling behind 14-0, Kennedy seemed to have found a way to stop Brackenridge, and after a 37 yard drive culminated with a Daniel Contreras one yard quarterback sneak, the score was brought back to 14-7. Brackenridge answered the following drive, after a 3rd and long appeared to silence Brackenridge's last drive of the first half, when Culpepper took a draw play up the middle and off to the races for a 49 yard touchdown scamper. After a failed point after attempt, the Eagles led 20-7, which would be the score at the half.

Brackenridge's next touchdown drive would be almost solely through the air. A Reyna pass to Michael Olivas set up the Eagles at the Kennedy 39. Reyna then found Culpepper unguarded in the flats near the Kennedy sideline, and as Culpepper has shown before, he only needs a little daylight before he's on the loose.

Culpepper finished off the reception with a dash down the sideline and into the end zone for his fourth touchdown on the night.

Kennedy built up momentum of their own, by promptly scoring on a Contreras keeper from four yards out, then forcing a fumble, recovered by Gabriel Cantu of the Rockets. Brackenridge's defense claimed some damage control, as their own Rene Almaguer scooped up a fumble recovery of his own. This led to another prompt Culpepper touchdown, his longest of the night, for 50 yards.

This touchdown would be the Eagle's final of the night, and would effectively end the game by putting Brackenridge ahead by three touchdowns with less than a quarter remaining. The Rockets would not die though. Their next drive ended in seven points as Contreras found Romount Beasley for 27 yards and the end zone.

With the victory, the Eagles move even farther ahead in the district race, to 4-0 on the year.

"Man, it feels good to be 4-0 (in district)," Coach Willie Hall said.

Brackenridge's next opponent will be the Fox Tech Buffaloes (2-4, 2-1), while Kennedy faces the other undefeated team in 28-4A, the Lanier Voks (3-3, 3-0).

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