BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — If the Rattlers wanted to go six for six in district play, then they had to do it the hard way.
Sharyland High played a Class 6A-heavy non-district gauntlet against the likes of McAllen Memorial and Brownsville Hanna, two teams that have more than simply making the playoffs on its minds.
But the Rattlers’ 1-3 start feels like a distant memory now. No. 10 Sharyland High rallied to thwart Valley View 14-10 to win the District 16-5A Division II title outright Friday at Valley View ISD Stadium.
Sharyland High trailed 10-7 after Valley View kicker Jorge Amaya made a 23-yard field goal with five and a half minutes to play. The Rattlers orchestrated another late-game comeback thanks to an 82-yard scamper for a touchdown by senior running back Adrian Solis.
“For the first three quarters, they (Valley View) were pushing us and pushing us. They were doing a great job of stopping what we do,” Solis said. “We kept working our gameplan, which was trying to find that outside zone. The coaches saw the outside zone. We lined up in our formation, got blocks on the perimeter and thank God we broke it. If not, who knows what would have happened. It was a team effort.”
“Scheme-wise, we knew it was going to be tough,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “They had a real heavy box to stop our run game and certain gaps that we usually attack. We had to tweak a couple things. We were leaving the safety (Valley View senior Javier Lopez) alone. When we accounted for him, that was what sprung us for that final touchdown.”
Sharyland High and Valley View entered Week 10 with the second (369.3 yards/game) and third (357.5 yards/game) most productive offenses in District 16-5A Division II. Moreover, the Tigers (279 points) and the Rattlers (278 points) were No. 1 and No. 2 in their district in scoring.
The game appeared to be headed for a track meet with both teams scoring touchdowns on its first offensive possessions of the night. But Sharyland High and Valley View combined for seven punts and four turnovers to end the half tied at 7.
The Rattlers and Tigers traded two punts apiece in the third before Amaya’s field goal in the fourth quarter ended the scoring drought.
“What I liked about tonight, as bad as we played offensively, they didn’t panic,” Adame said. “They stayed calm and composed. Our defense played exceptionally well tonight. When we held them to a field goal, that was big. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘If we just held them to a field goal, we’ve got a chance to win this game and not have to send it to overtime. Sure enough, that’s what happened.”
Senior linebacker Javo Lopez has been the anchor of the Rattlers’ defense, who held Valley View to 186 yards of total offense and six first downs on the night.
“They were tough, but we did what we always do,” Lopez said. “Some guys have gone down to injury, but it’s been next man up. Everyone’s all-in and that’s what I love about this team. Now we’ve got a week off to get ready for the playoffs.”
The Rattlers (7-3, 6-0) don’t yet know who their first round opponent will be from District 15-5A DII, but they will host a playoff game regardless at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission. Valley View (6-3, 2-3) lost its third game in a row. The Tigers can clinch the program’s first playoff spot in school history next week if they win at Laredo Cigarroa or if Mercedes loses its finale at Roma.
“We played the last three games in playoff-type atmospheres,” Valley View coach Elifonso Esquivel said. “It took three games to adjust to it, but our kids are there. We’re proud of them. There’s no shame to be where we are right now. If we beat (Laredo) Cigarroa, we finish 7-3 which is something we’ve never done and make the playoffs at the same time. We have to take care of the business we’re in.”