MERCEDES — The Mission Veterans Patriots took possession of the ball with 2:17 left during regulation after forcing a quick three-and-out, giving their offense a chance to win the game.
Led by senior quarterback Ricky Reyna, the Patriots’ offense marched 71 yards down field, finding themselves 7 yards from the go-ahead touchdown.
Reyna dropped back to pass on third-and-goal, lobbing a pass to go-to wideout Dylan Velasquez with eight seconds remaining. Velasquez was met in the air by Mercedes’ defensive back Austin Davila, who came down with the game-sealing interception, as the Tigers held off the Patriots 21-20 in The Monitor’s Game of the Week on Friday at Tiger Stadium.
“We call him ‘Diggs’ because he has an interception almost every game,” Mercedes head coach Roger Adame said. “They’re always huge. He had two tonight. He’s always around the ball. He’s a special guy and a competitor. He raises everybody’s level of play.”
Davila, who has earned the nickname “Diggs” after Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, led the team defensively, recording his fifth and sixth interceptions of the season, while swarming to the ball all night.
The Tigers entered Friday’s contest with a bitter taste in their mouths, remembering the last time they took the field at Tiger Stadium, where they suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Sharyland High Rattlers.
The Tigers’ seniors carried that feeling with them, using it to drive them past the Patriots. Senior quarterback Michael Cisneros battled through cramps midway through the third quarter, returning to the field after a brief exit.
The cramps didn’t seem to faze the signal-caller, marching the offense twice for touchdowns in nine minutes, while scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 12-yard scamper with 7:06 left.
Cisneros carried the ball eight times for 73 yards and a touchdown on the Tigers’ two second-half scoring drives, finishing with 127 yards on 20 carries.
“Mike (Cisneros) is the heartbeat of this team,” Adame said. “He’s been playing since sophomore year. He’s played in a lot of big games.
“The cramp worried us a little bit because you never know how that can go. He fought through it. It wasn’t going to keep him off the field. He knew the impact of this game. With the magnitude of this game, he wasn’t going to be kept on the sidelines.”
Senior running back Miguel Jimenez complemented Cisneros in the backfield, bruising his way through defenders for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots went into the break with a 14-7 lead, scoring twice on fourth down, both times on touchdown passes from Reyna to Velasquez. Reyna finished 238 yards and three touchdowns through the air, connecting with sophomore Vincent Abrego late during the fourth quarter, with a chance to tie the game on the ensuing extra point.
The Tigers’ defense buckled down on the extra point, coming up with a block, with Davila coming off the edge and forcing the blocked extra point attempt following a Patriots touchdown, helping the Tigers hold on for the pivotal district win.
With that, the Tigers move into a three-way tie for first place in District 16-5A DII with the Patriots and Rattlers, each with one loss.
The Patriots (5-3, 5-1) have a quick turnaround, hitting the road Thursday to face off against the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks (5-3, 4-2) at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission. Meanwhile, the Tigers (8-1, 6-1) get a bye week before returning to action Friday, Nov. 5, for their regular season finale against the Diamondbacks at Richard Thompson Stadium.