By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
The Lopez defense steals the show (again)
An opening kickoff return for a touchdown by Brandon Frausto was a good start for Lopez in the Battle of Southmost. But the Lobos defense stole the show with another dominant performance on Thursday against Porter. The unit had two monster stops that changed momentum and ultimately the outcome of the rivalry game. Lopez’s offense hadn’t got going yet and the defense made sure the team didn’t fall behind in the first quarter. After a long pass play by the Cowboys brought the ball inside the Lopez 5-yard line, the Lobos’ defense punched out the ball and recovered the fumble in the end zone to prevent a touchdown. After halftime, Lopez led 19-7, but Porter drove to Lopez’s 1-yard line on its first possession of the second half. The Lobos’ defense came up big again, stopping the Cowboys at the goal line on two straight downs. The Lopez offense converted a seemingly broken play into a 75-yard catch and run for a touchdown and a 26-7 lead on the ensuing drive. Had Porter scored a touchdown to bring the score to 19-14, the game could have ended very differently. “We’ve come together and we formed a family, a strong band of brothers,” Lopez linebacker Jesse Luna said. “Our motto is bend, don’t break and that’s exactly what we do every game.”
Brownsville Veterans finds its groove on the ground
Brownsville Veterans Memorial shook off its offensive struggles from a loss to Edinburg Vela two weeks ago by returning to form. The Chargers’ ground attack scored six touchdowns and racked up over 400 yards in a District 32-5A opening victory over Pace on Friday. Led by Gustavo Vasquez, who totaled over 200 yards and three touchdowns, Brownsville Veterans got back to one of its most potent weapons — its run game — when it needed it most. The Chargers’ offense had been fairly balanced through three games, but BVM turned to the run game (447 yards), nearly abandoning its passing attack (24 yards) during the win over the Vikings. If the Chargers can continue their offensive production throughout district, they could have a strong chance at earning a postseason berth.
Silva helps keep Port Isabel unbeaten
Port Isabel running back Omar Silva continues to impress. The senior, who missed two games with an ankle injury, has healed and that’s bad news for the rest of Class 4A as district play starts next week. Silva helped put the Tarpons in front against St. Joseph Academy with a pair of long touchdown runs in the third quarter and finished with 221 yards on the ground in a victory Friday. After last week’s 441-yard, three-score performance against La Feria, the Tarpons’ back has 832 yards and six touchdowns on the season in just three games — an average of 277 yards and two scores per game. Port Isabel is 5-0 at the midpoint of the season and begins District 16-4A, Division II next week at home against Rio Hondo after a bye week in Week 6.
Gonzalez leads Hanna in the clutch
Hanna running back Jaime Gonzalez continues to come through for his team when it needs him to. The senior rushed for 153 yards and a trio of touchdowns to help the Golden Eagles take the lead against Rivera and pull away for a victory in the District 32-6A opener for both teams. After Hanna was shut out in the first half, the Eagles got on the board with an 8-yard pass play to Chris Cardenas from quarterback Ernesto Benavides. But soon after, Gonzalez’s first touchdown gave Hanna a lead it would never relinquish. Gonzalez tallied two more scores down the stretch to put the game out of reach. Gonzalez is one of the top backs in District 32-6A and the Eagles will continue to be a threat to earn a postseason berth with him in the backfield this season.
Los Fresnos has more trouble holding a lead
Los Fresnos took an early lead, but couldn’t fight off San Benito down the stretch in the District 32-6A opener for the two programs. The Falcons took their first district loss of the season, but it wasn’t before playing in another tight contest with the Greyhounds. The two teams, along with Harlingen High, shared the district crown last season. This season the expectations remain the same for Los Fresnos with new coach Patrick Brown now at the helm. The Falcons handed San Benito its only district defeat last season. Los Fresnos’ only loss was to Harlingen High a year ago. The Falcons will need to regroup quickly to avoid falling behind in the district race with Harlingen South on tap next week.
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.