BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
MERCEDES — In a game during which every touchdown came on the ground, a late interception sealed Mercedes’ 21-20 come-from-behind win on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
Facing a fourth-and-11 at Mercedes’ 27-yard line with 1:35 left in regulation, Weslaco High senior quarterback Marco Leal lofted a pass that was intercepted by Mercedes defensive back Raul Arteaga.
“We knew when he (Marco) was in the game, they were going to pass it,” Arteaga said. “In that situation, I just let the play develop in front of me, and I made a play on the ball.”
Weslaco High coach Michael Salinas alternated between Leal and sophomore Jacob Cavazos at quarterback all night but elected to go with Leal in a fourth-and-long situation.
“It was something that we had worked on earlier in the week and was something he was a little more comfortable,” Salinas said. “It just didn’t work out in our favor today.”
Before Arteaga’s interception, the Tigers were down six after failing to capitalize on several opportunities. Earlier in the fourth, Mercedes went for it on fourth down at Weslaco High’s 30-yard line and turned the ball over on downs. On their next possession of the quarter, the Tigers had a fourth-and-7 at the Panthers’ 8-yard line and turned it over on downs once more.
As soon as Weslaco High took over at its own 8, sophomore wide receiver Peyton Knaub fumbled, and Mercedes pounced on the ball at the 13. Tigers junior Fabian Ledesma soon punched it into the end zone to tie the game at 20. Senior kicker Luis Munoz’s extra point gave the Tigers their second lead of the night.
“I saw the hole when I cut back, so I just hit it,” Ledesma said. “It feels good that Coach (Roger Adame Jr.) could count on me in a situation like that.”
“The atmosphere here was electric,” Adame Jr. said. “Great programs and well-coached teams battling for four quarters. We’re scoring, they’re scoring. This is what the game of football is all about.”
Adame Jr.’s Tigers are already dealing with injuries at key positions. One of the more notable players bitten by the injury bug was senior Matthew Gracia who was seen after the game on crutches.
“We’re really excited for our boys, because we want to see them fight through adversity,” Adame Jr. said. “We had some guys that were missing, but we never use that as an excuse. We hurt ourselves with some turnovers, and we had to fight out of them. That’s what good teams do.”
Friday night’s chapter in the Weslaco High-Mercedes rivalry marked the Tigers’ first win against the Panthers in more than 20 years, Adame Jr. said.