San Marcos Football began its 2026 season at home against a highly talented Dana Hills team. The Royals, under first-year head coach Isaiah Veal, showed promising flashes of what their team is capable of but ultimately dropped their first game of the season, 56-10.
“That’s an incredible program over there. Well coached, been battling for the last few years, highly successful at a high division. I’m so proud of our guys for not giving up and continuing to fight the entire game. They stuck together as a team and kept pushing. One thing for certain is, these guys played their hearts out,” said Veal.
The Royals were on their heels early in the game. Dana Hills, on the first play from scrimmage, ran a jet-sweep pass and completed it for a huge 60-yard gain, immediately putting them in the red zone. Dana Hills had a towering combination of receivers. Jack Norman and Mason Valles are both listed at 6’3″, causing problems for the San Marcos secondary. Dana Hills finished their first drive with a fade route to Valles to take an early 7-0 lead.
San Marcos was able to put together a nice drive early in the second quarter. Senior quarterback Hayden Feleay made quick decisions throughout the drive, mainly targeting his favorite receiver of the night, Isaac Murillo, who caught everything coming his way. The drive ultimately stalled after a mishandled snap resulted in a fumble recovery for Dana Hills.
Defensively, San Marcos struggled to cover the screen-pass game throughout the first half. Dana Hills continued to score at will, getting the score up to 42-0 by halftime by relying heavily on their run game.
The second half of the game is where the Royals showed their heart, even after falling behind by multiple scores.
“I told the team to just do their job to the best of their ability, and the rest will take care of itself. Getting the boys to just play for each other, I think they did tonight. Even though the scoreboard might not have shown it, tonight was still a success in my eyes.”
The Royals were able to secure a long field goal in the third quarter to get their first points on the board. The ensuing kickoff featured a great onside-kick recovery by the Royals, enough to get the crowd back into the game despite the score.
The Royals would eventually get their first touchdown of the game at the very end of the fourth quarter, with freshman wide receiver Victor Villanueva finding the end zone.
As for standout efforts, Coach Veal praised receiver Isaac Murillo and running back Tommy Diaz.
“It’s no surprise to me. Those guys have had nothing but heart the entire off-season. Never skipped a day, and those are our workhorses the rest of the year. They know that, the team knows that. We’re gonna count on those guys and keep counting on them. I’m not surprised at all about what they did tonight against a high level of talent. They’re ballers.”
Looking forward to the rest of San Marcos’s season, Coach Veal alluded to what’s to come from his team down the line and how they will improve from this game as a whole.
“For the rest of the season, we’re looking at knowing we can compete. There were times when we did shoot ourselves in the foot, and there were times when I made mistakes as a play caller. It’s our debut as a coaching staff, so we’re just gonna keep learning. As long as the kids have effort and passion and keep playing like they have been, we will have a bright future ahead of us.”
