By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
When Lopez and Hanna faced off, points came at a premium.
The Golden Eagles took a late lead during the first half and held on to defeat the Lobos 31-21 in a Week 8 District 32-6A game Saturday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Hanna quarterback Andy Lopez threw three touchdown passes — two to Joe Cavazos during the first half — and ran for another as the Eagles took control in the second half. The senior threw for 305 yards, including 142 and the pair of scores to sophomore receiver Cavazos.
“(Lopez) just made some big plays (Saturday),” Hanna coach Rene Medrano said.
The Eagles’ signal-caller picked up a crucial first down on the Eagles’ final drive that eventually led to the game-sealing touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game. But the Lobos didn’t go away quietly.
“It was frustrating as heck to try to pull away fromm,” Medrano said. “We had plays to do that, but we just weren’t connecting. We played well, but they played well. But we got the win, that’s what’s important.”
Hanna struck first as Lopez hit Cavazos on a 65-yard pass for a touchdown, and the Eagles led 7-0 about two minutes into the game.
The Lobos answered on their next drive. Quarterback Saul Mendoza found Jose Echavarria for a 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown to tie it at 7.
The defenses for both teams held steady until Hanna finally broke a tie late in the second quarter. Lopez again found his favorite target, Cavazos, on another pass play, this time for a 37-yards score as the Eagles took a 14-7 lead.
The Hanna QB then hit Jorge Cisneros on a 44-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Lobos answered a few minutes later when Mendoza hit Echavarria on a 39-yard touchdown pass to pull within 21-14.
During the fourth quarter, Hanna added a 25-yard field goal off the foot of Lopez to take a 24-14 lead.
The Lobos weren’t done and came right back as Mendoza found Cristo Garcia on a 27-yard touchdown pass, pulling within 24-21 minutes later.
“I’m extremely proud of our kids,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “Especially on the defensive side of the ball, they did a heck of a job, especially in the turnover margin. We got within a field goal and then we gave up a big kick return, we just have to learn to finish and be more consistent.”
The Lobos had two critical stops on defense and gave themselves opportunities on offense. But Mendoza was intercepted by Hanna’s Matthew Garcia to end the threat.
“Our defense held them and again on the next possession, but unfortunately we had that terrible turnover,” Starkey said.
Hanna’s Lopez put the game away a few minutes later with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 31-21 lead and seal the victory.
Starkey felt his team came up a few plays short against Hanna.
“We got better (Saturday), but we have to be better finishers and more consistent across the board,” he said. “There were a lot of opportunities, we just didn’t take advantage of them and Hanna did. I give them a lot of credit. That’s football, it’s a game of inches even though we play on a 100-yard field, and it comes down to a play here and a play there.”
Medrano, who thought his team was a few plays away from a couple more wins this season, was happy the tables turned in Hanna’s favor.
“We made key big plays when we needed to,” he said. “They just went our way this time. I’m happy that we bounced back. We have a big game next week, so we’ll see what happens.”
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.