Medina Valley rumbles past Warren on strength of three-headed rushing attack

Medina Valley’s juggernaut offense racked up 401 yards rushing and eight scores on the way to a 63-20 rout of Warren Saturday at Gustafson Stadium.

A trio of Medina Valley runners – senior quarterback Hunter Hurtado and junior running backs Kourtney Bratcher and Jayden Salas-Adonay – combined for all eight rushing scores as the Panthers (2-0) rolled up 50-plus points for the second consecutive game.

Medina Valley put on a similar performance in a 59-21 season-opening win over Churchill last week.

Hurtado and Bratcher each rushed for over 100 yards Saturday, with Hurtado running for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Bratcher added 101 yards and three scores, with Salas-Adonay also scoring three times on 66 yards rushing.

Hurtado credited a stout offensive line for Medina Valley’s early season offensive explosion.

“It starts with the guys up front,” Hurtado said. “They work their butts off every week. Without them we wouldn’t be us. We just run downhill and we’re physical. So, we’re going to get after it every run.”

Hurtado said having multiple players who can score at any time makes it difficult for opponents to defend Medina Valley’s rushing attack.

“As a defense, you got to prepare for all of us,” Hurtado said. “You can’t just lock in on one guy. There are multiple guys on this team that have the ability to score, so it’s tough for defenses just to plan for us.”

Medina Valley coach Andrew Britt said the Panthers’ offense starts with the leadership of Hurtado, who is in his first season as the team’s starting quarterback.

“Hunter Hurtado is a phenomenal football player,” Britt said. “He paid his dues and he played a lot in the playoffs (last year), and now it’s his time to shine. I can’t say enough about him. He leads. He has become a better leader. It rolls through him. I can’t speak enough about Kourtney Bratcher and Jayden Salas (Adonay), they work extremely well together.”

FOOTBALL SCORES:Check out Saturday’s San Antonio-area high school football scores and stats

Medina Valley jumped to a 28-6 lead at halftime, boosted by a defense led by 6-5, 260-pound end Rhys Wheeler and tackle Michael Holland, who created havoc early against Warren (1-1), creating turnovers that led to the Panthers’ first two scores.

Wheeler and the Medina Valley defensive front pressured Warren quarterback Mac Anderson to throw an early interception to Holland, who lumbered his way for 31 yards to the Warren 3-yard line, setting up a Hurtado 3-yard touchdown run with 7:35 left in the first quarter.

Later in the opening quarter, Wheeler sacked Anderson, jarring the ball from the Warren quarterback, with Medina Valley linebacker Slate Crisp recovering the fumble at the Warren 8.  Two plays later, Bratcher scored on a 1-yard dive for a 14-0 Medina Valley lead on the opening play of the second quarter.

Two minutes later, Warren answered on a 49-yard scoring pass from Anderson to Deonta Corley to pull the Warriors within 14-6, as the 2-point conversion pass for Warren failed.

Medina Valley scored two more times in the last 6:43 of the first half to take a three-score advantage at halftime, with Salas-Adonay scoring on a 1-yard run, which was set by a 51-yard pass from Hurtado to Easton Lange, and Bratcher dashing in for an 11-yard touchdown with 33 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The Panthers scored on the opening possession of the third quarter on a Hurtado 8-yard touchdown run, to extend their lead to 35-6.

Anderson followed that with his second scoring pass of the night, a 64-yarder to Julius Daniel, to pull the Warriors within 35-13. A 47-yard fumble return by Blake Anderson in the third quarter gave Warren a spark, but Medina Valley scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 66-yard punt return by Kevin Straughter to close out the game.

While Anderson finished the game with 167 yards passing, it was below the 199 yards he had in Warren’s 56-21 win over Jay in Week 1, as Medina Valley defenders intercepted the Warren quarterback twice and forced the Warriors into four total turnovers.

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This article originally published at Medina Valley rumbles past Warren on strength of three-headed rushing attack.