By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
RIO GRANDE CITY — What was expected to be a high-scoring affair for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers and the Rio Grande City Rattlers turned into a one-possession defensive struggle at the half.
After the break, the Brownsville Veterans offense stayed stuck in neutral and the Rattlers blew the game open with 29 second-half points on their way to a 36-13 District 16-5A Division I win.
The Chargers fell to 2-2 in district play, and the Rattlers improved to 3-1.
While the Rattlers’ offense exploded during the second half, it was the defense that never let up, pressuring Chargers quarterback Liam Longoria throughout the night, forcing the senior signal-caller into three turnovers.
“Coach (David) Cantu does a great job (at Brownsville Veterans) and I have total respect for him, so I knew he was going to bring a good team,” Rio Grande City coach Leo Mireles said. “We did really well today, and one team had to do better. Tonight was our night. Our defense played lights out and gave us the ball back enough times to capitalize on it, and that’s what happened.”
The Rattlers recorded four sacks and forced three turnovers to keep the Chargers’ offense in check and out of rhythm, allowing just two scores on Longoria runs of 50 and 66 yards.
“Rio Grande City had a great plan, and they executed it,” Cantu said. “All the credit to them. Coach Mireles has come in, and the culture is different over there … kudos to them. At times during the game, our offense was able to get momentum, and then something would happen and we’d lose it pretty quick. When the turnover ratio is minus-three or minus-four, then you don’t give yourself a very good chance to win. We’re going to regroup and learn from this, and be a lot better for it.”
All the turnovers were the result of pressure, as Longoria was forced into two first-quarter interceptions in Rattlers territory, including one to defender Marc Perez at the RGC 8.
Longoria also fumbled on the RGC 25 during the fourth quarter after being swarmed by defenders following a scramble, but despite a rough night under center, Cantu said his confidence in his senior QB never wavered.
“I wouldn’t trade Liam Longoria for any quarterback in the state of Texas,” Cantu said. “That’s how I feel about Liam, but it wasn’t all him. There were protection issues and the pressure that Rio Grande City provided. (Longoria) knows that I trust him, and he knows I wouldn’t trade him for any quarterback in the whole state.”
The Chargers played well defensively early and made those early interceptions irrelevant, holding the Rattlers scoreless until QB Mario Garza notched a 2-yard score with 10 seconds to play in the first half.
“Our defense in the first half played extremely well,” Cantu said. “Rio Grande City is an explosive offense that has put up a lot of points on the board. That definitely provided us offensively with numerous opportunities.”
Garza added two more scores through the air and one more on the ground to lead a second-half charge in which the Rattlers outscored the Chargers 29-13.
Backup QB Kevin Guerra also got in on the action with a 76-yard touchdown pass to Allan Garcia midway through the fourth.
“Our offense played awesome tonight,” Mireles said. “We started off slow in the first half, but we got it going in the second half. We were able to put points on the board, and put pressure on (the Chargers’) offense and force them to become one-dimensional.”