By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial let one slip away late against Mercedes.
After being knotted at seven through three quarters, a Chargers’ fumble allowed the Tigers to score on their next drive to take the lead with 11:19 left in the game and the visitors held on to beat Brownsville Veterans 28-14 in the District 32-5A game Thursday night in Week 6 at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“The turnovers were costly. They were at crucial times of the game,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “To be honest, Mercedes had a lot to do with that. The pressure they applied … I give credit to their defense and what they do over there.”
After Mercedes scored on a 6-yard run by Fabian Ledesma to take the lead, Brownsville Veterans fumbled the ensuing kickoff near the goal line and Caleb Rodriguez recovered it for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead with 11:13 left to play.
The Chargers had four fumbles recovered by the Mercedes’ defense and the Tigers’ offense took advantage to hand Brownsville Veterans (3-2, 1-1) its first district loss.
“Our defense works really hard,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “We emphasize physicality and running to the ball and we knew we had a huge challenge. Coach Cantu does a great job and we knew we were going to have our hands full.
“We challenged our defense to win a game like this.”
The Tigers (2-3, 2-0) got the ball back after a Brownsville Veterans punt and took a 28-7 lead with 6:46 to play after a 2-yard run by Matthew Gracia.
The Chargers got one back after a 14-yard run by Abel Martinez with 2:09 left in the fourth, but it wouldn’t be enough as turnovers proved to be the downfall for Brownsville Veterans.
It was a tight game through three quarters. After trading possessions for the majority of the first quarter, Brownsville Veterans finally broke through. After the Tigers botched a punt attempt, the Chargers go the ball at the Mercedes 22-yard line.
Brownsville Veterans took advantage a few plays later as Gustavo Vasquez took it in from the 2-yard line for a 7-0 lead with 2:12 left in the opening quarter.
Mercedes couldn’t get going on offense in the first half, but its defense helped them out. The Tigers’ defense forced a Chargers fumble and Eric Hinojosa picked it up and sprinted 80-yards to the end zone to tie the game at 7 with 3:50 left in the half and it remained deadlocked at the break.
The teams traded turnovers in the third quarter. Ryan Villalon intercepted the Mercedes quarterback and the Chargers took over at the Tigers 35-yard line. But instead of taking the lead, a fumble just inside the red zone gave the ball back to the Tigers and on that drive they were able to break the tie less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers’ defense was the difference, forcing four fumbles and never allowing the Chargers’ offense to get comfortable.
“We have a physical defense and that’s what we preach,” Adame said. “We’re going to come after you and we hope at one point it will change games for us. It’s a great feeling (to move to 2-0 in district). The game plan was executed to perfection and we were able to shut them down and come out with a win.”
It was a tough loss for Brownsville Veterans, one that won’t be forgotten soon.
“The turnovers were costly, but that’s part of the game,” Cantu said. “This obviously hurts, but we have a lot of season left. We just have to get ready for the next one.”
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.