By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Los Fresnos were fighting to earn a District 32-6A playoff berth.
The Falcons took control during the first half and never let up as they clinched a playoff spot with a 35-10 defeat of Brownsville Veterans in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week for Week 10 on Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Los Fresnos quarterback Rene Ortega threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another, and the Falcons’ defense forced seven turnovers — including three interceptions by Christian Campos — in the win.
“We wanted to come out and get started quick, and we did,” Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley said. “Our defense played lights out, they gave us the time to get things figured out and we figured it out in the end.”
Los Fresnos got on the board first. After its defense forced a fumble a few plays into the game, Sammy Cruz scored on a 14-yard run and the Falcons took a 7-0 lead.
The Falcons’ defense forced another turnover as Campos intercepted a pass, and Fabian Rodriguez posted a 1-yard touchdown run to take a14-0 lead.
“We don’t feel sorry for ourselves,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “The Falcons caused those turnovers. I have a great deal of respect for (Los Fresnos defensive coordinator) Mike Evans, he doesn’t get enough credit in Los Fresnos. I think he’s one of the top defensive coordinators, not just in the Valley, but in South Texas.
“Mike Evans needs to be a head coach somewhere soon. He does a tremendous job, and he has for all the years he’s been at Los Fresnos. He deserves a great deal of credit (for the win).”
Then it was Brownsville Veterans’ turn. The defense forced a fumble, and Marcus Castillo hit Stephen Flores on a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 14-7.
Later in the quarter, the Chargers added a 27-yard field goal from Humberto Trevino but still trailed 14-10.
Los Fresnos extended its lead before halftime as Ortega hit Everardo Garate on a 16-yard strike for 21-10 lead.
During the second half, the Falcons’ defense intercepted four Castillo passes, two by Campos and the others by Rodriguez and Armando Izaguirre, to shut down the top offense in the district.
“They had a great plan, and the kids played really well,” Finley said. “They contained their quarterback (Castillo), who’s a really good player, and that’s what it takes to stop a team like that.”
Ortega hit Pete Perez on a 73-yard catch and run for a touchdown, and then Ortega scored on a 1-yard run to seal the win for Los Fresnos.
The Chargers’ Castillo rushed for 113 yards on 31 carries and threw for 66 yards and one score, but the five interceptions were costly against the Falcons.
Brownsville Veterans lost for the third straight week as the opposing defense contained its offense. And Cantu gave credit where he thought it was due.
“They had a good plan (against us), their defense did a tremendous job,” he said. “They did what they needed to do offensively, but I felt (the defense) was the biggest difference.”
Finley was happy his team achieved an objective it set earlier this season.
“It feels great,” he said. “That was one of our goals, to make the playoffs, and we did that (Friday).”
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.