MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — The end of the regular season is still four weeks away, but Sharyland High took a considerable leap forward in its quest to capture a third consecutive district crown, beating Mission Veterans Memorial 37-20 on Friday at Tom Landry Stadium.
Right off the bat, the Rattlers (5-1, 2-0) faced their biggest threats for that title to open district. They squeaked by Edinburg Vela last week and followed that with a convincing win against a Mission Vets team that struggled to stay toe-to-toe with them.
“Those are two darn-good, tough teams,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “We know it’s not going to get any easier, but it certainly does feel good being 2-0 (in district), having beaten two of the top contenders for the district championship.”
Sure, the Rattlers face two more playoff-caliber teams with Roma (3-2-1, 1-1) and Sharyland Pioneer (3-3, 1-1) on deck, but they can breathe a sigh of relief after scratching off their toughest tests.
“It’s a great stepping stone,” Sharyland High’s Sean Landez said. “District is still in the air, but we just have to keep pushing forward.”
Quarterback Lance Madden again led the charge, completing 17 of 23 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for a team-leading 96 yards on 12 plays and another score.
Madden connected twice with Manny Campos on TDs for 40 and 19 yards, respectively. The first broke open a scoreless tie early in the second quarter. The latter gave the Rattlers a 31-13 cushion with 6:42 to play in the third.
Though Sharyland High led 23-6 at halftime, the Patriots (3-2, 0-1) continued to battle. John Garcia (14 carries, 44 yards) scored on a 3-yard pickup to narrow the deficit. Early in the fourth, his 1-yard plunge brought Mission Veterans within 30-20.
But Sharyland High’s Raciel Garza returned the ensuing kickoff for a 66-yard touchdown — his second score of the night — for the final margin.
“Too much Sharyland,” Mission Veterans coach David Gilpin said. “That’s a good football team. We knew that coming in. … It’s a better football team than us tonight. We lose the game and move forward to Roma.”
ROUGH OUTING
Mission Veterans’ Santos Villarreal limped off the field late in the third quarter Friday and left the stadium on crutches.
Gilpin said Villarreal sustained a high ankle sprain and is expected to be evaluated over the weekend. The senior quarterback grabbed his right ankle after being tackled with 20 seconds to play in the third period. He finished the game completing 8 of 17 passes for 47 yards, while rushing for 77 yards on 17 plays.
“As of right now, we don’t know (how much time he’s going to miss),” Gilpin said. “Obviously it’s a concern of mine. It’s one we’re going to watch very closely. … Santos is a tough kid. Hopefully if it’s not as bad as our original prediction by our training staff, maybe we’ll get him back.”
Villarreal struggled to get going against Sharyland High. He threw two interceptions and was sacked three times before halftime. The second of two picks helped lead to a Sharyland score. Villarreal’s pass around midfield was slapped by linebacker Aaron Simeanoux and into the hands of Landez, who returned it to the 7-yard line. Four plays later, Madden’s 1-yard plunge gave the Rattlers a 14-0 advantage with 9:03 to play in the first half.
Villarreal was also sacked twice by Sharyland defensive end Beto Ruiz on the same drive. Linebacker Rudy Tornero delivered perhaps the biggest hits, sending the QB back for a loss of 15 yards on a 4th-and-8 situation inside the 37 with 3:07 to go before intermission.
SPECIAL TEAMS
All year, Adame has emphasized putting all three phases of the game together. On Friday, the Rattlers delivered on that front, when Raziel Garza provided a big lift on special teams.
After Garcia scored on a 1-yard run to narrow the deficit 14-6, Mission Vets bobbled the point-after attempt, never getting off a kick. Instead, Garza picked off the ball and took it the length of the field to give Sharyland High a 16-6 advantage with 7:05 to play in the second quarter.
Garza scored later on a kickoff return.
“I’m happy for him that he was able to do that,” Adame said. “It gave us a little bit of breathing room.”
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Mission Veterans had two three-and-outs to open the game. Sharyland High went three-and-out before fumbling on the third play of the next drive and then fumbling a punt return.
It marked a sloppy start to the game for a Sharyland High team that didn’t have the excuse of coming off a bye as Mission Veterans did.
“As coaches, you know most coaches are going to strive for perfection,” Adame said. “I know tonight we didn’t play the perfect game. But we played well enough to win.”