SAN ANTONIO — Max DiDomenico had just started his third game as a sophomore strong safety for Clemens last year when head coach Jared Johnston and offensive coordinator Brad Molder agreed to make a move that would pay dividends immediately. They made DiDomenico the Buffs' starting quarterback.
"We were 2-and-1," Johnston recalled this week. "We were winning ballgames but I felt like we needed a spark on offense, so we made a decision over the weekend" after the third game of the season. "We called him in on Monday and said, 'You're going to quarterback.'
"I told him, 'Look, I know you haven't done anything on the offensive side in the spring or summer, but we're going to give you a shot.' We were playing Smithson Valley that week."
Starting his first game at quarterback since he played on the freshman team, DiDomenico was outstanding in the Buffs' 19-13 victory over the Rangers in their District 26-6A opener. While he passed for only 61 yards, DiDomenico rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
"The rest is history," Johnston said.
Now a junior, DiDomenico is 13-5 as Clemens' starting quarterback and helped lead the Buffaloes to their first district championship since 2006 this season.
DiDomenico had a workmanlike game in the showdown against Judson for the 26-6A title last Friday. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 148 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 54 yards and another TD in Clemens' 34-30 victory. The win completed a 7-0 sweep of the district for the Buffs, who snapped Judson's 19-game regular-season win streak.
Clemens (9-1) plays Austin Bowie (5-5) in the first round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lehnhoff Stadium. The winner advances to play the Johnson-Brandeis survivor.
"It's always on our checklist to be district champions," DiDomenico said. "Now we're in the playoffs. Everyone is 0-0, and go from there."
One of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the San Antonio area, DiDomenico has amazingly similar stats as a runner and passer this season. He has thrown for 1,188 yards and 13 TDs, and rushed for 1,125 yards and 18 TDs.
"Max is a very talented and tough athlete, but he's also smart," Johnston said. "He's super smart. He understands what we're trying to do. You know you have something when your quarterback can come on the sideline and talk to you like he's just another coach. He understands what's going on. But that's a lot of our players."
Clemens is in the playoffs for the third consecutive season and sixth time in the last seven years. The Buffs won their last of three straight district titles from 2004 to 2006, but hadn't finished higher than third since then.
Last year's team advanced to the postseason as a fourth-place team and lost to state power Austin Westlake 28-14 in the first round, finishing 6-5. The early playoff exit motivated DiDomenico and his teammates to work harder in the offseason and make a longer postseason run this year.
Clemens has won seven straight since losing to Reagan 35-28 in its third game of the season.
"After the loss to Westlake last year, everyone was down about the loss," DiDomenico said. "But we knew that this year we just needed to prepare in the offseason. Everyone worked out. It was team bonding.
"We all just came together, especially after the loss to Reagan. We should have had them. We had them the first half, but they came back. and won. We just never let that happen again."
The Buffs played Westlake to a 14-14 tie in the first half, but the Chaparrals scored two TDs in the third quarter to build a lead Clemens couldn't overcome.
"They scored a touchdown right before the half to tie it up and it was a seven-point game a long time, and then they wound up scoring another touchdown later to go up," Johnston said. "We still had some chances."
Johnston gathered his players after the game at Chaparral Stadium and challenged them.
"I said, 'You just went toe to toe with one of the top-ranked teams in the state of Texas. Last week we played Judson, one of the top-ranked teams in the state of Texas. You just saw two of the best teams. You know what we've got to get to. Let's start working now,'" Johnston said.
DiDomenico said the Buffs took Johnston's words to heart.
"We just knew we had a real good team coming back and if we all worked together, we could get where we want to be," DiDomenico said.
Clemens would play Westlake in the state quarterfinals, or regional final if both win their first three playoff games. Westlake (9-1) hosts Clemens rival Steele (8-2) in the first round Friday night.
Johnston won his first district title with the Buffs in his eighth season at Clemens, which has made the playoffs six times under Johnston. Johnston, who turns 47 on Nov. 20, was an assistant coach at Steele for seven seasons before he succeeded Greg Ferrara at Clemens.
Johnston was on the coaching staff at Steele when the Knights won the 5A Division II state title in 2010 and lost in the state final a year later.
"The most important thing we've had on this team is the bond the players have with each other," Johnston said. "You've got to be unselfish. These kids hang out with each other before school, after school and have each other's back. They've been able to handle adversity. We have good guys and then we have great athletes.
"If you listen to me talk to our kids after every game, we call it closing the chapter. We closed chapter 10 (10th game) last week. The first time I talked to them before the first ballgame, I said, 'You're writing history. You are writing your own book about this season. How do you want people to remember you.'"