LA JOYA — Following a touchdown by La Joya Palmview running back AJ Chapa, the Donna High offense took the field with 2:41 left in regulation, trailing the Lobos by two.
The Redskins began the drive inside enemy territory, taking possession on the Lobos’ 45-yard line. Donna High quarterback Jake Garcia marched his team down to the Lobos’ 17 before a pair of false start penalties pushed the Redskins back 10 yards.
With time winding down, the Redskins sent kicker Eduardo Arvizu onto the field to attempt a 43-yard field goal for the win. The kick fell well short, as the Lobos held off the Redskins 22-20 on Thursday at La Joya ISD Stadium, earning their first district win of the year.
“I’m glad that we finally put something together,” La Joya Palmview head coach Margarito Requenez said. “I can’t ask anything more from them. I’m so proud of the way the team came back after what happened last week on both offense and defense. Our kids played fine today.”
The Lobos’ offense took the field trailing the Redskins by five with 9:08 left in regulation following a touchdown by Donna High running back Rey Urbina.
The Lobos methodically marched their way 63 yards down the field, leaning on playmakers Tony Villarreal and AJ Chapa, who combined for 56 yards on the ground during the drive.
Chapa rumbled in from 8 yards for the would-be game winning touchdown with 2:51 left in regulation to cap off a 13-play, six-minute drive, his second score of the night.
“We were just trying to run down the clock,” La Joya Palmview head coach Margarito Requenez said. “We were trying to make sure we were getting yards on every time. It just so happened that we got lucky right there.”
Chapa carried the ball 24 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while also hauling in a crucial 12-yard reception on a fourth-and-eight during the third quarter to extend a Lobos’ drive.
Both offenses struggled early on, with the Lobos unable to move the ball, scoring on only one of their seven first half possessions while mustering only 108 yards.
Meanwhile, the Redskins had problems of their own, turning the ball over four times during the opening period, while having a pair of touchdowns called back due to blindside block penalties.
La Joya Palmview defensive back Noel Olvera came up with two of the Lobos’ four turnovers, picking off Garcia on the Redskins’ second drive of the night, while coming up with a fumble recovery on Donna High’s next possession.
The offenses came to life after the break after a defensive struggle during the first half, which features the two teams scoring a combined 14 points on 13 possessions.
Garcia led the Redskins down the field on their opening drive of the second half, carrying the ball for 59 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown scamper to give Donna High its first lead.
Garcia finished the night with a game-high 271 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, while Urbina added 44 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.
The teams exchanged punches over the next few drives, with Lobos running back Eddie Peña finding the endzone on a six-yard run to give the Lobos the lead, followed by a five-yard touchdown run by Donna High’s Rey Urbina to put the Redskins back on top.
Still, the Lobos answered right back, chewing up the clock while marching down the field for the game winning score.
“I just told our guys to keep on playing,” Requenez said. “I knew if we kept on playing on both sides of the ball we were going to come up with the win.”
With that, the Lobos (2-2, 1-2) get a long week before hitting the road Saturday, Sept. 25, to take on the Brownsville Veterans Chargers (2-1, 2-0) at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.
Meanwhile, the Redskins (0-3, 0-3) return home Friday, Sept. 24, taking on the Brownsville Lopez Lobos (0-3, 0-3) at Bennie La Prade Stadium in Donna, eyeing their first win of the year.