By MARK MOLINA | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Despite turning the ball over three times and trailing the Mission Veterans Patriots by 18 in the fourth quarter, the Lopez Lobos came within a score and found themselves down 13 yards away from the end zone with under two seconds to play.
Lobo quarterback Marco Solis tried to find a receiver on a 3rd and 15scramble with less than two seconds to play but a sack fumble would end the game, giving the Patriots a 25-17 Class 5A bi-district win Friday night at Tom Landry Stadium.
The Lobos trailed 22-3 to start the fourth, but quarterbacks Alex Ramirez and Solis threw touchdowns on consecutive possessions and the defense held the Patriots to just a field goal in the final quarter to make it a one-score game with six minutes to play.
“It’s a testament to our senior leaders and coaching staff,” Lopez head coach Jason Starkey said. “I really liked the way that they persevered. These young men have faced more adversity in a month than most people face in a lifetime. I’ve never doubted their resilience or their perseverance and that’s what you saw exhibited tonight.”
The turning when the Patriots opted for an onside after a Lobo 15-yard penalty from the first half was enforced on the opening second half kickoff.
The Patriots recovered and quarterback Landry Gilpin scored on a 1-yard run to make it 16-3 after a missed extra point.
On the ensuing possession, Mission Vets’ Joey Garcia returned a Solis interception 39 yards to make it 22-3 after another missed point after.
Gilpin was 20 of 33 for 279 yards, a touchdown and a pick to Lead Mission Vets.
Jose Echavarria and Cesar Trevino combined for 93 yards and two scores on eight receptions.
Lopez had success running game going on during the first half, but managed just a 30-yard Echavarria field goal.
The Patriots also had their struggles during the first half as a Gilpin fumble and a turnover on downs ended their first two drives.
Mission Veterans would catch a break on defense in the mid second quarter with Lopez driving inside the 20.
Solis would fumble and Elias Delgado recovered on their own 18.
Mission Veterans mounted an 82-yard drive in 13 plays, ending in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Gilpin to Mike Gonzalez.
After an Aaron Longoria 35-yard field goal gave Mission Vets a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter, Lopez drove 40 yards, but a scuffle ensued as time ran down and they were given a 15-yard penalty.
That led to the Mission Veterans onside attempt to open the half, which they recovered and scored several plays later
“It started with an unfortunate incident,” Starkey said. “We were trying to get down to spike the ball, but our lineman and their lineman were mixed up. They called a flag and it is what it is.
“We knew they were going to onside kick … they made a play and we didn’t. They took advantage of the field position and got a touchdown.”
Down 22-3 after the Solis threw the pick six, Lopez forced a Gilpin fumble, giving them possession on the Mission Veterans 30.
Ramirez would hit Trevino for a 24-yard touchdown to make it 22-10 with 11:14 to play.
After a Patriot field goal made it 25-10, Solis found Echavarria for a 14-yard score to make it a one-possession game with six minutes left, but that would be as close as they would get.
“We knew it would be a tough opponent, but the goal was to keep fighting until the end,” Echavarria said. “The result didn’t go our way, but it’s all good. We just didn’t want to lose… we didn’t want this to be our last game, but sadly,it is. We have to move forward.”