By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Los Fresnos showed some rust after the long layoff but took care of business on the road.
The Falcons’ offense turned multiple mistakes by Lopez into points and built a lead it wouldn’t relinquish during a 46-7 win in the District 32-6A opener for each team Saturday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“We were a little rusty, I felt like we were a little sloppy, but that’s to be expected a little bit,” Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley said. “It was huge to come out and get started. The boys did exactly what we needed them to do they were taking what (Lopez) was giving us.”
The Falcons scored on their first drive as quarterback Rene Ortega found Pete Perez on a 30-yard strike for a touchdown and, after a 2-point conversion, an 8-0 lead.
Later, Sammy Cruz found the end zone on a 10-yard run to give Los Fresnos a 15-0 lead.
The Lobos moved the ball against a stout Los Fresnos defense, but the Falcons forced five turnovers — three of them during the first half.
“They drove and scored, and we drove and didn’t,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “We were trading blows in the first half, but a couple plays didn’t go our way.”
Los Fresnos increased its lead during the second quarter. Fabian Rodriguez scored on a 5-yard run for a touchdown, and Cruz added another touchdown on a 1-yard run to give the Falcons a 29-0 lead before halftime.
Lopez had its opportunities but fumbled to end one drive, threw interceptions to stall two others during the first half and had another pair of interceptions after the break.
Los Fresnos scored a defensive touchdown on a 14-yard interception return by Robert Ramirez, and Armando Izaguirre added a 33-yard field goal during the third quarter to take a 39-0 lead.
The Falcons’ defense was just dominant. The unit finished with four passes intercepted, one forced fumble and held the Lobos offense to just 234 yards and the one score.
“They aren’t doing anything different,” Finley said about his defense. “We knew we had some experience there coming back, and they’re getting better and better. We want to keep working our schemes and keep getting better at it.”
The Falcons added another score during the fourth quarter as Ortega hit David Alvarez on an 8-yard screen pass.
Lopez finally got on the board during the fourth. Alex Ramirez hit Saul Mendoza on a 17-yard pass for a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough against the Falcons.
Despite the loss, the Lobos feel confident. They feel like they battled a good team from start to finish.
“I bet they didn’t expect us to fight them for 48 minutes, but that’s just what they did,” Starkey said. “My team’s morale was outstanding the entire game. I told them I didn’t care what the score was or who we’re playing, All I cared about is they gave me 48 minutes, and (Saturday) they did and I’m very proud of them for that.”
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.