By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Lopez’s defense has been dominant this season and an opening kickoff return for a touchdown by Brandon Frausto made matters even worse for Porter at the start of the Battle of Southmost.
The Lobos’ defense didn’t make things any easier the rest of the way for the Cowboys and the Lopez offense took advantage, building a first-half lead and never trailed in a 39-10 win in the District 32-5A opener for both teams Thursday night in Week 5 at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“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.”
The Lopez defense had two big stops that prevented scores for Porter and changed the momentum of the game. On the Cowboys second drive of the game, a long pass play was thwarted at the 2-yard line by a strip and fumble recovered in the end zone by the Lobos.
The unit came up big again to start the second half. Porter, already down 19-7 at halftime, drove to the Lobos 1-yard line. Lopez again used its stingy defense to stop the Cowboys, stopping them at the goal line on two straight downs and the Lobos’ offense took it from there.
“I was happy the way we started,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said of the kickoff return for a touchdown. “But the defense keeps stealing the show. I’m proud of Coach (Hugo) Ramirez, proud of our defensive staff and proud of our defensive kids … it’s a team effort. We’re really doing a good job of working together in all three phases.”
Lobo’s quarterback Alex Ramirez hit receiver Jose Echavarria on a 75-yard catch and run for a touchdown that started as a broken play as Lopez went up 26-7 with 5:34 left in the third quarter. Just two minutes later, Porter botched a punt attempt and gave the ball back on its own 14-yard line. Once again, the Lobos capitalized as Hugo Salas scored after a 10-yard run to put Lopez up 33-7 and well on its way to a victory.
Echavarria had accounted for 125 yards of offense and two touchdowns on the night, one receiving and a 15-yard scamper for another score in the fourth quarter. Ivan Olivo finished with 102 yards on the ground and a touchdown for the Lobos.
The Lopez defense forced a pair of fumbles and Jose Ochoa had an interception as the unit allowed just a 30-yard field goal by Porter kicker Esteban Mata in the second half after giving up a touchdown before halftime.
But it was the Frausto kickoff return for 98 yards that gave Lopez an early 7-0 lead and gave the defense a cushion to start the game.
However, it took the Lobos a quarter to get going. Lopez added to its lead with 11:17 left in the second quarter after quarterback Marco Solis found Johnny Ibarra in the end zone for a 10-yard pass play and a 13-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, the Lobos weren’t done as Olivo dove over the goal line from the 1-yard out to put Lopez up 19-0 with 6:27 left to play in the first half.
Porter finally broke its scoreless start with 1:42 left in the half after quarterback Benjamin Ekersley hit Rey Martinez on a 10-yard strike for a touchdown, but the Cowboys trailed 19-7 at the break.
The Cowboys aren’t normally a passing team, but Ekersley threw for 180 yards and a touchdown and Johnathan Gonzalez added 139 yards on the ground on 23 carries to lead the way for Porter.
After the tough loss, Porter coach Tom Campos didn’t have much to say other than taking the blame for the outcome.
“Players win games; coaches lose them,” he said via text message. “We were out coached by Lopez. I take full responsibility.”
Lopez would only enjoy the victory for a short time; Starkey said the team would get back to work today.
“I’m glad to win our rivalry game. That proverbial trophy is back where it belongs at Lopez High School,” he said. “It was never about Porter, it was about beating yesterday and striving to be the best version of us. We put our focus onto Donna North. One week, one game at a time, it’s the way we have to keep our focus.”
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.