HALLETTSVILLE - A ton of responsibility was put on Drew Wenske's shoulders after he was named Shiner's starting quarterback.
Shiner's Dalton Brooks runs past Hallettsville defenders to score a touchdown during Friday's ( August 27, 2021 ) non-district game at Brahma Memorial Stadium. all photos by Emree Weaver, Victoria Advocate photojournalist
[ click on any photo to enlarge ]
He inherited a Comanches team ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, Division I and had to face Hallettsville - the No. 10 ranked team in Class 3A, Division I - in Friday's season opener.
But Wenske kept the train rolling, intercepting one of two passes from Hallettsville quarterback Trace Patek, and helping guide the offense to a 21-6 win at Hallettsville.
"It feels great," Wenske said. "We came out here, played our tails up and it worked out for us. I just step in there, trust my teammates and do my job."
Shiner (1-0) and Hallettsville (0-1) were meeting for the 19th time and the win was the Comanches' fourth straight in the series. Hallettsville leads the series 11-8 all-time.
Senior Doug Brooks and junior Dalton Brooks were on display once again and scored all three of Shiner's touchdowns.
After a scoreless first quarter, Dalton Brooks opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown in the second. He would finish the night with 20 carries for 58 yards, two touchdowns and caught two passes for 56 yards.
"We came in training camp we went hard, we went hard as usual, went hard took this game," Dalton Brooks said. "It was 118 degrees every day. We came out, had a beautiful night and it just worked out for us."
Hallettsville looked to Patek to lead the Brahmas offense as Cam'ron Alamilla, Price Pruett and Damani Hartwell split time at running back.
The Brahmas cut into the deficit with a 14-yard touchdown pass to De'Keidris Bedford right before halftime. Chase Janak missed his extra point, putting Shiner up 7-6 at halftime.
"I think stuff's getting in our heads, dropping passes, stuff like that," Pruett said. "Linebackers not being able to scrape across. Once we get that down we'll be good."
Shiner took full control in the third quarter with Wenske and Eli Fric intercepting Patek on Hallettsville's first two drives of the half.
Shiner's Doug Brooks breaks through Hallettsville defenders during Friday's game.
The picks set up a 1-yard score by Doug Brooks and a 2-yard score by Dalton Brooks.
"We've just got to go to battle tomorrow," said Hallettsville coach Tommy Psencik. "The only sin would be if we didn't learn from it. A lot of times your best improvement is between the first and second game. We've got a lot of people that still have to prove themselves. I thought I saw a lot of good things out there today, we just shot ourselves in the foot occasionally."
Shiner's defense limited Hallettsville's offense to 161 yards of total offense.
Down by 15 in the fourth quarter, Patek was forced to throw to move the ball. But the Brahmas' final two drives resulted in turnovers on downs as Shiner took the season opening win.
"Definitely proud of the kids," said Shiner coach Daniel Boedeker. "We knew we were going to come in here and have a tough battle on our hands with Hallettsville just like we always do and I thought our kids responded well to that adversity."
Shiner plays Blanco in its home opener Friday.
Hallettsville next plays at Industrial, which is ranked No. 6 in the Class 3A, Division I poll.
"From here we can only get better," Pruett said. "We had many mistakes that we're going to have to correct by next week against Industrial. We're gonna hold each other accountable and fix our mistakes that we're making."
MORE SHINER @ HALLETTSVILLE GAME PHOTOS
source: Victoria Advocate Photo Gallery
[ click on any photo to enlarge ]
The Hallettsville Brahmas run out onto the field for their first game against Shiner on Friday ( August 27, 2021 ) at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Shiner's Eli Fric carries the ball after making an interception during Friday's game against Hallettsville at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Hallettsville quarterback Trace Patek hands off the ball to Cam'ron Alamilla during Friday's non-district game against Shiner at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Shiner's Carmello Brooks carries the ball during Friday's non-district game against Hallettsville at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Hallettsville quarterback Trace Patek talks to one of his coaches before Friday's game against Shiner at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Shiner's Dalton Brooks jumps over Hallettsville defenders during Friday's game at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Hallettsville's Trace Patek passes the ball during Friday's non-district game against Shiner at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Hallettsville defenders try to take down Shiner's Doug Brooks during Friday's non-district game at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Shiner head football coach Daniel Boedeker congratulates his players on their win over Hallettsville on Friday at Brahma Memorial Stadium.
Peter Scamardo is a sports reporter for the Victoria Advocate.
He may be reached at pscamardo@vicad.com, 361-574-1240,
or on Twitter @PLScamardo2.
Emree Weaver is chief photographer at the Victoria Advocate.
Contact her at 361-580-6584 or eweaver@vicad.com.
GAME STATISTICSsource: Victoria Advocate Game Statistics, August 27, 2021 Shiner 21, Hallettsville 6 Friday, August 27, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Brahma Stadium, Hallettsville SCORING SUMMARY 1 2 3 4 F Shiner 0 7 7 7 -- 21 Hallettsville 0 6 8 0 -- 6 SCORING DETAILS: First Quarter no score Second Quarter Shiner: Dalton Brooks 7 yard run (Ryan Peterson kick), 10:00 Hallettsville: Trace Patek 14 yard pass to De'Keidris Bedford (Chase Janak kick no good), 00:40 Third Quarter Shiner: Doug Brooks 1 yard run (Peterson kick), 6:43 Fourth Quarter Shiner: Dalton Brooks 2 yard run (Peterson kick), 11:12 TEAM STATISTICS: Shiner Hallettsville First downs 10 9 Yards rushing 36-139 23-77 Yards passing 65 84 Passes 4-6-0-0 11-26-1-2 Punts 27.5 31 Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0 Penalty-yards 5-21 5-55 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS: Rushing Shiner: Doug Brooks 14-83, TD, Dalton Brooks 20-58, 2 TD, Drew Wenske 2-(-2); Hallettsville: Trace Patek 6-37, Cam'ron Alamilla 8-23, Price Pruett 5-12, Damani Hartwell 3-5, Brandt Trlicek 1-0. Passing Shiner: Wenske, 4-6-65-0-0; Hallettsville: Patek, 11-26-84-1-2. Receiving Shiner: Dalton Brooks 2-56, Eli Fric 1-8, Doug Brooks 1-1; Hallettsville: De'Keidris Bedford 3-25, 1 TD, Pruett 4-19, Hartwell 2-15, Chase Janak 1-15, Brayden North 1-10.
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