BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
HIDALGO — Down 48-42 with 43 seconds left in regulation, the Sharyland High Rattlers defense appeared to have no answer for the Mission Veterans Patriots’ less-than-one-minute offense, which ate up huge chunks of yardage with almost zero resistance. The Patriots earned extra downs and extra yardage but couldn’t come up with the biggest yard when it mattered most.
On a first-and-goal at Sharyland’s half-yard line with 4 seconds left, Patriots quarterback Landry Gilpin couldn’t handle the snap from the shotgun. As Gilpin gathered himself with a stumbling start behind the line of scrimmage, Rattlers defenders gathered around and tackled him at the 1-yard line as the final horn sounded at Valley View ISD Stadium in Hidalgo.
“This team always gives us everything they have, and tonight was no exception,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “I’m so proud of our boys bouncing back from a pretty big loss last week (against Laredo Nixon) to beat a team that was 8-0 coming into this week.”
In a game that featured 90 points between the two teams, the defining moments came on defense.
Sharyland High senior cornerback Noe Guzman started as a safety in the place of sophomore Sebastian Hinojosa. The start was Guzman’s first at safety this season.
“I had to step up for my team tonight,” Guzman said. “I’m pretty much a utility player. The coaches depend on me a lot, and I depend a lot on my teammates to help me succeed in anything I do.”
Entering Week 10, Gilpin was the only quarterback in the Rio Grande Valley to throw for more than 1,900 yards and 20 touchdowns and commit just one interception. Guzman ruined the distinction, intercepting Gilpin on Mission Veterans’ first drive of the game and then again late in the third quarter.
“My coaches taught me a lot,” Guzman said. “They kept on telling me to read my keys during practice. The same plays that I had picks on tonight, I wouldn’t read them in practice. They pushed me to read them.”
Sharyland quarterback Edgar Longoria and the rest of the Rattlers (7-2, 6-1) picked the thin Patriots secondary apart. While running for two scores, Longoria also threw five touchdowns passes to four different receivers.
Senior wideout Gabriel Tamez was the lone Rattler with two touchdown receptions.
“(Mission Veterans’ defense is) really aggressive, but they’re so aggressive that they’d bite down,” Tamez said. “It’d open up the deep ball, and we took advantage. We knew exactly what we needed to do in practice, and we did it.”
The victory creates a three-way tie for first place in District 31-5A between Sharyland High, Mission Veterans (8-1, 6-1) and Laredo Nixon (7-2, 6-1). Next week, Mission Vets will face Valley View in Hidalgo, Sharyland High will tussle with Rio Grande City, and Nixon will deal with the newly eliminated Laredo Martin.
Playing for a district title, coupled with the chance to end RGC’s playoff hopes, adds much more than most regular-season finales.
“We’re going to shock the world,” Guzman said.