By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Experience and maturity carried the Brownsville Porter Cowboys to a 44-12 win over Brownsville Lopez in the latest installment of the Battle of Southmost on Thursday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
A competitive first half featured big plays from both teams, but the Cowboys (3-0, 2-0) dominated the second half to remain undefeated and get one step closer to the top spot in the District 16-5A Division I East Zone.
“It’s the Battle of Southmost, records go out the window. People called it a trap game and it could’ve been, but at the end of the day our kids were focused,” Porter coach Carlos Uresti said. “I’m relieved, to say the least. (Being) 3-0 doesn’t happen very often, so we’re happy. We talk about being 1-0 every week, and we are this week and 3-0 overall, and on to Weslaco East.”
It was a slow-starting first quarter, but when Porter scored the first touchdown the floodgates opened. The teams then swapped scores before the Cowboys pulled away late in the second quarter.
Porter senior quarterback Kevin Garcia took a 2-yard keeper to the end zone, but the PAT was blocked by Lopez’s Isaias Lucio.
One minute later, Lopez sophomore quarterback Jacob Cortinas found senior receiver Jesus Serrata for a 77-yard touchdown pass to tie the game after Porter blocked the PAT. Cortinas was being pressured by blitzing junior defensive back Isai Hernandez on the play, but the young quarterback kept his composure and hit Serrata in stride.
Porter changed the pace from its ground-and-pound style to jump back on top. Garcia delivered a strike into traffic, hitting senior receiver Brandon Reta for a 27-yard touchdown, and senior kicker Isaac Acevedo made the PAT.
The Lobos again answered in one minute on the Cortinas-to-Serrata connection. The receiver got open midfield and showed his speed to race to the end zone for a 75-yard score. Porter held a 13-12 lead after blocking another PAT.
The Cowboys pulled away during the final five minutes of the first half despite a strong defensive effort by Lopez. Senior receiver Gabriel Gonzalez rushed down to the 1-yard-line, then Lopez stuffed a leaping Garcia. The quarterback rushed again on fourth-and-goal for the score.
Lopez turned to the pass on the ensuing drive, and Porter brought pressure. Gonzalez sacked Cortinas for a big loss to force a punt, and Gonzalez set the Cowboys up with good field position after the return.
On fourth-and-10, Garcia delivered a pass low, and sophomore receiver Gunnar Williams picked it off the ground for a new set of downs in the red zone. Garcia hit Gonzalez for an 18-yard touchdown pass, and another successful Acevedo PAT made it 27-12 with 19 seconds remaining in the half.
“We had two big mistakes in coverage in the first half and they made us pay for it, so credit to them,” Uresti said. “We tightened things up in the second half and took care of business. Defense stepped up, offense kept rolling and we put the game away. It shows the maturity and experience, how we can talk to the kids and they run with it. It’s easy for us to adjust on the fly, and it helps a lot.”
The third quarter was all Cowboys. Garcia tossed two touchdown passes, the first a 52-yarder to Reta and then a 14-yarder to Williams. Garcia had to pick the snap off the ground on the Williams score, and the receiver showed good awareness in the end zone to get his feet in along the sideline. Acevedo added a 32-yard field goal to open the lead to 44-12 heading to the final quarter.
Porter’s defense, led by Hernandez, kept the Lobos’ offense contained during the second half. Junior defensive lineman Arath De La Torre and junior defensive back Sabas Pena were disruptive for the Cowboys. Pena notched an interception as the Lobos looked deep on the final play of the first half.
Juniors Brock Williams and Kyle Aguirre shared reps at quarterback during the fourth quarter. Senior running back Brian Franco ran well throughout the night to help the Cowboys move the ball.
Senior linebacker Adan Villa, junior defensive back Jose Paz, junior safety Juan de Leon and junior defensive tackle Omar Cervantes carried a Lopez defense that competed hard against the deep arsenal of Porter’s offense. Senior Mario Vargas ran hard to help the Lobos offense.
“We had about three or four injuries, major injuries, so a lot of our key players went down and we’re only carrying 30, so a lot of fatigue set in,” Lobos coach Armando Gutierrez said. “It was competitive, we just kind of fell off at the end. To stay toe-to-toe with that team, them being undefeated and having those kids for the last three years, I just saw fight from my guys. Even in the second half when they took a big lead, we were still encouraging each other. It’s that growth and that maturity. It’s going to take time, but it’s coming.”