The Brownsville Lopez Lobos did it!
The last time the Lobos tasted victory was Oct. 23, 2020. Brownsville Lopez defeated PSJA Memorial 14-8 that day.
Tonight, the Lobos (1-7, 1-3) defeated the Donna North Chiefs 28-14.
“I am proud of the kids,” Brownsville Lopez head coach Shaun Tarantola said. “I am thankful to be in this school and community that has a ton of support, our parents support and administrative support. They have been more than supportive through the tough times. I am hoping they enjoy this with us, we really needed it.”
Tarantola said the Lobos were hit the flu bug. Rober Lopez, a linebacker, was repurposed as an offensive lineman for the game. Tarantola said he was proud of Lopez and other players who took up different roles this week.
Senior Jacob Cortinas had a standout performance with three passing touchdowns, two to Gabriel Rios and the other to Pablo Lopez. Cortinas also had a 97-yard rushing touchdown.
DISTRICT 16-5A DI
Weslaco East 22, Donna High 14: Weslaco East has now won three district games in a row. The win moves the Wildcats to 4-4 and 3-1 in district.
Diego Ortiz punched in two rushing touchdowns. Ashton Guajardo and Alex Martinez also powered the run gave for an old school Weslaco East victory, Wildcats head coach Mike Burget said.
“The good thing is that we are off next week,” Burget said. “I can not tell you how big this bye week is going to be for us. We got Pace at home and then Donna North away. We still want to win a district title. We are in the driver’s seat to make something happen.”
“I think the kids are excited, especially when people like I said were doubting us in the beginning the year, saying ‘East football is down’, they stepped up to the plate, the coaches stepped up to the plate. We are just meshing at the right time,” Burget added.
DISTRICT 15-5A DI
Edinburg Vela 59, McAllen High 7: At McAllen, the SaberCats’ passing attack was on point against the Bulldogs as quarterback Bobby Garcia threw four first half touchdowns — two to Justin Navarro and two to Jaxson Shupe.
Navarro finished with four total touchdowns as he added two rushing scores. Shupe also added a 50-yard touchdown run during the second half.
Edinburg Vela improves to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in district. McAllen High falls to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in district.
DISTRICT 16-5A DII
Sharyland Pioneer 43, Roma 35: At Mission, the Diamondbacks survived a double overtime thriller against the Gladiators to improve to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in district. Roma dropped to 3-4 and 0-2 in district.
Quarterback Julian Valdez threw four touchdown passes and ran for another to lead Sharyland Pioneer. Joseph Graham Jr. caught one touchdown, punched in a touchdown on the ground and scored a two-point conversion during double overtime. Antonio Carrizales had three touchdown receptions including the eventual game-winner in double overtime.
Roma’s Isaac Lozano rushed for four touchdowns and quarterback RJ Morales scored the Gladiators’ touchdown during the first overtime.
Mission Veterans 35, PSJA Southwest 7: At Mission, the Patriots (4-3, 1-1) bounced back from last week’s loss against Sharyland Pioneer with a big win at home against the Javelinas (1-6, 1-1).
Patriots’ quarterback Vince Abrego threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Braden Luedeker during the first quarter and ran in another score during the fourth. Mission Veterans running back Jose Garcia scored on touchdown runs from 15 and 7 yards. Luedeker also threw a touchdown pass to Obed Marin.
Angel Hernandez scored Southwest’s only touchdown on a 2-yard run during the first quarter.
District 32-6A
Harlingen High 41, Brownsville Hanna 0: At Brownsville, the Cardinals pitched their second shutout of the season to improve to 7-0.
Defensive backs Ray Castillo and Christopher Rodriguez each had an interception, with Rodriguez taking his back 20 yards for a score.
Junior quarterback Randy Morales threw for two touchdown passes, connecting with Justin Sosa and Paul Price for scores. Running back Izaiah Bell and do-it-all athlete Aiden Sandoval each found the endzone on the ground.
The Cardinals (7-0, 2-0) turn their attention to a marquee matchup against San Benito (7-0, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at J. Lewis Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.
San Benito 49, Brownsville Rivera 3: At San Benito, Aaron Garza rushed for three touchdowns, scoring on runs of 2, 1 and 2 yards to keep the Greyhounds perfect on the season.
Fabian Garcia added two touchdown runs of his own, while Aaron Corona punched one in from 6 yards.
Defensive back Homer Quiroz got the special teams in on the scoring, running back a punt 54-yards for the score.
The Greyhounds (7-0, 2-0) turn their attention to the Battle of Arroyo against Harlingen High (7-0, 2-0) on Friday at J. Lewis Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.