By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Experience is starting to pay off for Los Fresnos.
After being tied at 21, Los Fresnos scored 14 fourth-quarter points to pull away from Harlingen High and defeat the Cardinals 35-23 in District 32-6A action Friday night at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.
Quarterback Pierce Ruiz hit Azul Barrientos on a 12-yard strike, and running back Isaac Moreno scored on a 6-yard run on another fourth-quarter drive.
The Falcons’ defense did the rest, forcing three fumbles, intercepting a pass and getting two big sacks on Harlingen High quarterback Jesse Castro with the Cardinals driving late in the fourth quarter.
“I was really excited. I think the boys came out and did exactly what we needed them to do,” Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley said. “They were poised. They responded to adversity. Took care of the football. Made the stops. Didn’t panic, and that’s big. That’s experience paying off for us through those tough games earlier (this season), and it’s never easy against the Cardinals.”
The battle-tested Falcons seemed to be in control, but Harlingen High made them earn it.
Los Fresnos quickly built a 14-0 lead during the second quarter. Moreno ran for a 2-yard touchdown and, one drive later, Ruiz scored from 8 yards out.
The Cardinals cut the deficit in half just two minutes later. Castro drove his team down the field, and Michael Allen Gonzalez scored on a 1-yard run. Ruiz wasn’t done, as he drove the Falcons down the field and scored from 1 yard out to get the lead back to 21-7.
The Falcons tried a short kickoff, and it cost them as Jonathan Hernandez picked it up and went 60 yards for the touchdown, pulling the Cardinals within in one score right before the half. After the squads traded fumbles, Harlingen High took advantage during the third quarter. Leo Tienda scored on a 7-yard run to tie the game at 21.
But the Cardinals’ defense wore down during the second half.
“(Los Fresnos) was able to sustain drives and keep our defense on the field, and after a while we started running out of gas,” Harlingen High coach Manny Gomez said. “We are hobbling as it is. Being on the field defensively, it was a little bit lopsided.”
The Falcons never wavered during the fourth quarter.
“We just focused on ourselves. We took care of what we needed to take care of,” Finley said. “That’s what it comes down to. When we take care of what we need to take care of, when we work on us, we do better, and that’s what we did.
“When we focus on other things that we can’t control, chaos happens.”
The Cardinals’ offense struggled throughout. They failed to get in a good rhythm, had multiple punts and turned the ball over on downs several times to go along with their four turnovers. Castro was under pressure constantly but still managed to give his team a chance during the second half.
“He’s getting battle tested. You could say he was nervous,” Gomez said. “We sat him down to get him regrouped, refocused. I think he’s having some growing pains, but that’s part of it. I couldn’t be more proud of that kid, he went out there and competed in the second half and did a great job for us.”
The quarterback threw for 84 yards and an interception and ran for 67 yards for Harlingen High (3-4, 2-2).
The Los Fresnos offense, on the other hand, thrived with Ruiz at the helm. He kept the Cardinals’ defense off-balance and guessing all evening, whether he was throwing downfield or keeping it on the ground.
The senior quarterback had 107 yards and one touchdown passing, and he ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns to lead Los Fresnos. Moreno finished with 120 yards on 18 carries and two scores for the Falcons (5-2, 3-1).
“(Ruiz) is doing a lot better job of going out there and executing the offense,” Finley said. “You have to look at what the defense is giving you. You can’t just go out there and run the play coach calls. It comes from experience, poise and understanding it. He’s a total different football player, he’s grown up. Hopefully he will continue to improve, and hopefully the whole team will do that, too.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.