By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets are going with a backup quarterback, and they’re not skipping a beat.
Andrew Segura, a senior, replaced Marco Aguinaga at QB after the standout junior signal caller suffered a hairline fracture of a left finger two games ago.
Displaying accuracy with his deep passes, Segura, previously a starter at wide receiver, was too much for Porter to contain Friday as he threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a pair of scores during a 49-21 District 32-5A victory over the Cowboys at Sams Memorial Stadium.
The road win improves the Yellowjackets to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in district. Porter falls to 3-2 and 1-1.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” Porter coach Tom Campos said. “We seemed flat, unmotivated and at times intimidated.
“I take full responsibility for the way our guys showed up today,” he added. “That was not Porter football. Edcouch is an extremely talented team, but we made it seem too easy for them.
“We will regroup. We have a short week next week (playing at PSJA Southwest on Thursday), but rest assured, we will be running on all cylinders. We’re looking forward to Southwest.”
The Cowboys were coming off last week’s 52-44 four-overtime win at Donna North. E-E was coming off a 42-0 triumph against PSJA High during which Segura passed for three TDs and rushed for three scores.
On Friday, the Yellowjackets led 14-7 after one quarter and 28-10 at halftime. E-E took a 41-10 lead into the final period.
During the opening quarter, Segura tossed scoring passes of 41 yards to Tey Valdez and 17 yards to Moses Gomez on two of E-E’s first three possessions.
Porter’s Jorge Gutierrez bulled his way into the end zone from 1 yard out with 18.4 seconds left in the first period to close the gap to 14-7.
During the second quarter, the Yellowjackets sandwiched a pair rushing scores by Segura around a 38-yard field goal by Porter’s Anthony Cuellar to go ahead comfortably, 28-10, by intermission.
After going deep and connecting on a 59-yard pass play and then receiving help with a penalty on Porter, Segura ran across the goal line from 2 yards out with 11:50 showing in the second quarter to make it 21-7.
Then, following the first of Cuellar’s two field goals on the night, a 7-yard scoring run by Segura made it 28-10 with 1:09 to go in the half.
Segura finished with 343 yards passing, completing 17 of 27 attempts with no interceptions. He rushed for 84 yards on 14 carries.
The Yellowjackets went ahead 41-10 during the third quarter on a 7-yard run by Adrian Cardoza and a 25-yard scamper by Christian Garza.
Porter’s Cuellar made it 41-13 after drilling a 24-yard field goal with 8:33 left in the final period.
It became 49-13 when Valdez sprinted around the left side and into the end zone from 5 yards out and Gomez, set up as the holder for the extra-point kick, took off with the ball and ran in for the two-point conversion with 6:56 remaining.
Porter accounted for the final score of 49-21 as reserve running back Jose Villalon burst 1 yard up the middle for the Cowboys’ last TD with 1:31 to go. Ernie Martinez passed to Israel Yanez for the two-point conversion.
Gutierrez once again was an ironman for Porter, rushing 33 times for 138 yards.