By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — Los Fresnos and Harlingen South traded blows, but the Falcons were left standing.
Los Fresnos held a slim lead at the break but broke the game open by scoring 22 points during the third quarter on their way to defeating Harlingen South 39-21 in a Week 7 District 32-6A game Friday night at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.
During that third quarter, Isaiah Zepeda scored a touchdown on an 8-yard run. On the next drive, Rene Ortega scored on a 16-yard run. After the defense recovered a fumble, Ortega hit Pete Perez on a 20-yard touchdown pass to take a commanding lead that held up.
“We executed a little bit better,” Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley said of his team’s halftime adjustments on offense. “We came back to some plays we thought we could have had early but we didn’t hit. We hit them a couple times. The boys just came out and executed. They were hungry, it was a big game.”
Harlingen South took a 7-0 lead after they grinded down the clock during its first drive. The Hawks used nearly six minutes, and Adrian Torres scored on a 13-yard run.
Los Fresnos stalled on its first drive but settled for a 25-yard field goal by Armando Izaguirre to cut into the lead. The Falcons quickly took the lead a few minutes later when Ortega found Perez on a 27-yard strike for a 10-7 lead.
Ortega rushed for 58 yards and one touchdown. He threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, both to Perez, who had five catches for 66 yards for Los Fresnos.
The Hawks reclaimed the lead during the second quarter as Brandon Villarreal scampered for 30 yards and a touchdown to give Harlingen South a 14-10 edge.
Los Fresnos wasn’t done and drove down the field on its next drive, which was capped off by a 5-yard touchdown by Fabian Rodriguez to give the Falcons a 17-14 lead at the break.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Finley said. “Give credit to South, they play tremendously hard. That’s just who they are, who their coach is. They’re well coached. They’re a tough ballclub.”
The Falcons took a 39-14 lead in the third quarter with the scores from Zepeda, Ortega and Perez.
“Those guys are good, and you can’t make mistakes against them,” Harlingen South coach Lanny Wilson said. “You have to come out and play a perfect game against them. They don’t get a first down when you mess up, they score touchdowns.”
Harlingen South added a touchdown during the fourth quarter as Villarreal hit Alec Garza on a 20-yard pass to cut it to 39-21.
Villarreal ran for 163 yards and one touchdown, and he threw for 38 yards and another score.
Wilson took the blame for the loss but vowed to work to improve his team.
“I’m proud of my kids. I’m not proud of the score, but (Los Fresnos) is a good team,” he said. “It’s not a lack of effort, it’s a lack of technique or being in the right position, and that’s a coaching deal. We need to make some changes or we need to teach them better. We can get better every week and we’re going to, we have lots of room to get better.”
The Falcons’ defense held stout during the second half and forced a fumble that led to a score that put the game out of reach.
“I think the defense is pretty confident,” Finley said. “We have some experience, and that makes a world of difference. The kids go out there and they know what they’re doing, and luckily it’s paid off for us.”
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.