As soon as Grant Sweeney gets the football in his hands, Boerne has a chance to win.
After failing to score a touchdown in the first half Friday night, Sweeney rallied Boerne to a 38-31 victory over Alamo Heights to open District 13-5A-II play, ten months after the Greyhounds sent the Mules home in the state quarterfinals.
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“I think this was a really big win for us, getting (Alamo) Heights out of the way,” Sweeney said. “They’re like the other (top) team in the district, but I think it was huge for motivation.”
While Boerne’s third straight win over Alamo Heights had razor-thin margins like the previous two matchups, the high stakes contest to open district play was just what Boerne (5-0, 1-0) hoped for.
“If you don’t like this test, then you’re in the wrong business,” Boerne coach Brett Sawyer said.
Boerne’s last three victories over Alamo Heights (4-1, 0-1) have been decided by seven points or less.
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“It’s not fun getting your tail kicked by 40 or winning by 40,” Sawyer said. “This is the kind of stuff you want to play.”
Both teams had stalled offensive drives in a scoreless first quarter, but Alamo Heights got on the board first late in the second quarter. Alamo Heights quarterback Easton Stone found senior wide receiver Landon Balldin in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown with three minutes left in the first half. The extra point attempt from junior kicker Miles Stedman was successful.
Boerne finally put points on the board with two seconds until halftime with a 21-yard field goal from senior kicker Diego Jimenez. But it was a bittersweet drive after the Greyhounds were forced to attempt the kick after being stopped on the Mules’ 4-yard line on third down.
Sweeney only attempted five passes in the first half, but that quickly changed after the break.
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Boerne opened the third quarter on offense, and the Greyhounds promptly scored on a six-play drive that was capped off with Sweeney finding junior wide receiver Jacob Hicks for a 12-yard touchdown.
“Being able to play at stressful levels and things like that, having the poise, (he) gets more comfortable,” Boerne coach Brett Sawyer said of his quarterback, who led the Greyhounds to the state semifinals last year.
Boerne senior Grant Sweeney (9) runs down the field for a touchdown during a game between Alamo Heights and Boerne on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 at Orem Stadium, in Alamo Heights, Texas. (Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News)
Boerne was unfazed as Alamo Heights briefly retook the lead on an 84-yard kick return touchdown from senior receiver Murray Gray. Sweeney silenced the Alamo Heights homecoming crowd the next drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Slade Salinas on the final play of the third quarter.
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Boerne’s offense also had some help from the defense as Alamo Heights tried to mount a comeback. Senior linebacker Cooper Kirk picked off Stone in the fourth quarter, which started a Boerne drive that ended in another score.
“I saw the ball and just kind of caught it and just ran,” Kirk said.
Boerne is off next week while Alamo Heights heads to New Braunfels Long Creek next Friday to continue district play.
Although Boerne won a game that likely will decide the district champion, it’s not impossible for the Greyhounds to see Alamo Heights again this season. If Boerne wins 13-5A-II and Alamo Heights finishes as the district runner up, then the two teams could potentially match up in state quarterfinals again.
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“It was a great game,” Sweeney said. “We’ll see them in the playoffs, probably.”
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This article originally published at Boerne nabs third straight victory over Alamo Heights in another thriller.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
