LOS FRESNOS — The matchup between the Los Fresnos Falcons and the Edinburg Vela Sabercats was surrounded by a bit of hype this week, and it delivered.
Well, for one half at least.
The Sabercats showed why they are widely regarded as the Rio Grande Valley’s top team, as they scored 21 unanswered points during the second half to pull out a 34-13 road win over the Falcons on Friday night at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.
After a 13-13 tie at the half, Vela scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, a pair of 1-yard runs by Cristian Flores and Daniel Enriquez, and never looked back as their defense held the Falcons (2-2) at bay.
“We took the wind in the third quarter and rolled the dice a little bit there,” Edinburg Vela coach John Campbell said “We were hoping we could convert some drives and we were hoping defensively we could get some stops. We got a short field in the third quarter and, fortunately for us, it played out that way. We converted some scores and maintained the lead the rest of the ballgame.”
The Falcons’ offense never got out of neutral against a stout Sabercats defense during the second half, as it turned the ball over on downs on four of its seven drives.
Los Fresnos also struggled on special teams, having two punts go awry, with one turning into a 50-yard return by Vela’s Ian Ochoa during the first half and the other a broken play that resulted in a short field for Vela, and ultimately points.
“I’ve always been honest with my assessment (of the game), and I got outcoached,” Los Fresnos coach Patrick Brown said. “(Vela) dominated us on special teams, and they had a great plan defensively for us. We never got into a rhythm, and that’s something we talked about all week. There’s only one person you can blame for that, and that’s 100 percent me.”
Vela’s defense sealed the deal when Vela’s Ivan Mendoza pick off Los Fresnos quarterback Sergio Martinez on a fourth-down play with 5:06 to play and returned it 45 yards for a score.
The Sabercats put up 223 yards of offense, led by a 90-yard, one touchdown night against the Falcons defense.
Los Fresnos racked up 211 yards of offense with quarterback Sergio Martinez running for 96 yards and passing for 103 more on a night in which he was 11 for 28 through the air with one touchdown and an interception.
Brown said the Falcons just didn’t make the changes needed to move the ball.
“Some of that was us not adjusting to some of the stuff that they did,” Brown said. “A vast majority of that was them outcoaching me. I’ve got to put our kids in better positions to win games. It wasn’t a lack of effort from our team, that’s for sure. We weren’t prepared the way we should be to have success.”
The early first half was dominated by the Los Fresnos defense and the Vela special teams.
Los Fresnos cornerback Isaiah Muniz picked off Sabercats quarterback Anthony Sotelo and returned in 62 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
Muniz picked off Sotelo seconds later, but the offense turned the ball over on downs at the Vela 33.
“That’s the reason we scheduled the way we did for our non-district,” Campbell said. “We wanted to put our kids in those kinds of stressful situations. We stick to our guns, execute the game plan; the game’s four quarters long. Obviously, you don’t want to throw a pick-six on the opening drive, but things happen. Los Fresnos is a good, quality program. … (Sotelo) kept his composure and finished up the ballgame.”
Sotelo finished the night going 6 of 18 for 90 yards and two interceptions.
Vela got on the board late in the quarter after Ian Ochoa caught a blocked Los Fresnos punt and returned it 50 yards to the house.
Vela went for a two-point try after a Los Fresnos penalty but did not convert and trailed 7-6 late in the first.
The Vela put the first offensive points on the board, after a Daniel Enriquez punt return set the team up on the Los Fresnos 20.
The Falcons held tough and forced a field goal try, but a penalty gave the Sabercats a new set of downs and they converted on Aaron Alvarez’s 5-yard run to go ahead 13-7.
Los Fresnos’ offense didn’t do much until the final 2:37 of the first half, when they went 87 yards in seven plays, culminating in a 1-yard score on a fade pass from Sergio Martinez to Elian Gonzalez.
The Falcons missed the extra point, and the two teams went into the half tied at 13.