By ADAM KUJAWSKI,Staff Writer
EDINBURG — The Los Fresnos Falcons’ defense got it done early, and the offense finished the job.
The Falcons held the Edinburg North Cougars scoreless through three quarters en route to a 42-7 win in the bi-district round Friday night at Cats Stadium.
The Cougars took the opening drive into the red zone and appeared to be on their way to a touchdown, but a fumble by quarterback Martin Rodriguez gave Los Fresnos possession deep in its own territory.
“(The defense) played lights out,” Falcons coach Clint Finley said. “They’ve played lights out for the past three weeks now, and I couldn’t be prouder of their effort. They keep working, they keep getting better and that’s what it takes to keep moving on.”
The Falcons’ offense made sure to capitalize when opportunities were presented.
Quarterback Pierce Ruiz drove his team down the field on a 12-play drive that ended with a 6-yard run by Isaac Moreno, putting Los Fresnos on the board first.
At one point during the second quarter, Edinburg North found itself moving the ball well, crossing into Falcons territory.
However, for the second week in a row, Taylor Kage came up with a crucial interception.
“(Kage) is a heck of a football player,” Finley said. “We’ve had him since he was a freshman, and we knew he was a football player way back then. This is the first year he’s played middle linebacker, and he’s really coming into his own and making plays.”
The turnover prompted a quarterback change for the Cougars and gave Los Fresnos prime field position at the 7-yard line of Edinburg North.
“We had our opportunities in the first half,” Edinburg North coach Rene Saenz said. “But our starting quarterback had a couple turnovers, so we felt we should give (Christian Espinoza) an opportunity to rally the troops a little bit.”
The following play, Raul Lopez ran toward the pylon to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead they took into halftime.
The floodgates opened during the early stages of the third quarter when the Los Fresnos offense kicked it into high gear. Azul Barrientos carried the ball 75 yards on the first play of the half to expand the lead.
Then, following a Cougars fumble on the ensuing possession, Ruiz found Lopez from 44 yards out for the Falcons’ second score in as many plays to start the half.
Los Fresnos piled on two more touchdowns during the third quarter on runs of 1 and 12 yards by Moreno and Sammy Cruz, respectively.
Espinoza eliminated the shutout threat for the Cougars with 5:17 remaining in the game on a 5-yard run.
Looking back on the season, Saenz is proud of his team’s ability to muscle through a tough District 31-6A schedule.
“The kids achieved a lot just by qualifying because it was a tough district all the way around,” Saenz said. “Los Fresnos played a good, solid game. They were more mature than we were tonight, but we’ll be back next year.”
The Falcons will face Del Rio, which is coming off a 35-20 win over McAllen Memorial, in the area round at a time and date that is yet to be determined.
“Del Rio is a heck of a football team,” Finley said. “They’ve seen some good football, so I’m sure we’ll have our hands full.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.