BY TONY VENEGAS | Odessa American

ODESSA — The up-tempo Los Fresnos offense was held to just 63 yards and three turnovers by the Odessa Permian defense as the Falcons lost 56-0 during their final non-district game Friday night at Ratliff Stadium.

Early on, it appeared Los Fresnos caught a break, thanks to its defense. With Permian driving and with nearly seven minutes off the clock, the defense forced a fumble that Isaiah Muniz recovered inside the Falcons’ 25 on the opening drive of the game. However, the offense was unable to take advantage, going three-and-out, and was forced to punt.

Permian took control on its next drive, going 60 yards in eight plays, capped off by a Peyton Powell 21-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hammond late in the first quarter.

Permian took the ball back two plays later as Rakeem Adeyemi picked off a Los Fresnos pass at the Falcons’ 29. Powell cashed in the turnover with a 3-yard touchdown run five plays later to make it 14-0 with 10:18 left in the first half.

The defense gave the offense some more life late in the half. After giving Permian the field on a short punt, Los Fresnos shut down Powell on fourth-and-1. However, the Los Fresnos offense only managed one first down during the first half and had to punt the ball back to the Panthers.

Permian took its last two drives of the half for scores — one on a 5-yard run by Ed Williams and another a 35-yard pass from Powell to Mason Sellers on fourth-and-15 with just more than one minute left in the half.

Williams finished with 137 yards on 22 carries and one score, and Powell finished with 265 total yards and three scores (two passing, one rushing). As a team, Permian finished with 316 yards rushing.

After Los Fresnos punted again on the first drive of the second half, Permian took the ball on another long, nine-play drive that was capped with a 3-yard score by Williams. Williams added his third touchdown of the game on a 17-yard run with 2:45 left in the third quarter on his final carry of the night.

Permian safety Chase Stell set up the final two scores of the game thanks to interceptions — one that set up a 1-yard score by Adam Martinez and another a 35-yard interception return for a score during the final seconds of the third quarter.

Los Fresnos only crossed midfield once during the fourth quarter, with a 12-play, 44-yard drive that stalled out on the Permian 31 with 6:28 left in the game.

RGVSports.com

Coming into Thursday’s matchup, the Edinburg Economedes Jaguars had a lot of things going their way: the familiarity with Thursday games, a shutout streak and, of course, home-field advantage at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Weslaco High Panthers came in lacking some depth after multiple injuries. The Panthers were without senior receiver Devin Dena, senior middle linebacker Marco Noriega and senior defensive back Roy Trevino.

Weslaco High erased all of that in the opening minutes of the game, as the defense forced a three-and-out. Then, the offense took possession, and junior quarterback Jacob Cavazos ripped off a 45-yard run. Cavazos finished the drive with a 1-yard TD run on third-and-goal.

Those trends continued as Weslaco High (5-0, 1-0) held the Jaguars (3-2, 0-1) to one first-half first down and went on to win 44-0.

The rushing touchdown was Cavazos’ first of three on the night. He also threw for three touchdowns — one each to senior tight end Isaac Villarreal, junior receiver Jaden Cavazos and junior receiver K-jay Jones.

To start the second half, Jaden Cavazos’ huge return gave the Panthers the ball at the Econ 43-yard line. The Panthers kept things rolling into the second half and never let the Jaguars gain any momentum.

Senior running back Jeremy Coronado returned from injury for the Panthers on Thursday and played a significant role in his first game of the year.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW 28, PSJA SOUTHWEST 27, OT: At La Joya, the Javelinas gave the Lobos all they could handle, but Palmview (3-2, 3-1) came away with the victory in overtime.

“Tonight was a must-win, if we wanted to secure a potential spot in the playoffs,” La Joya Palmview coach Margarito Requenez said. “It’s one of those games that will haunt you if you don’t get the ‘W.’ We made sure that we executed how we wanted to. They’re a very sound ballclub all the way around. They took away some of our running game, and we had some miscues on one side of the ball. Other than that, we played as a team. I can’t be any prouder of my guys.”

The Javelinas and Lobos entered the overtime period tied at 21. La Joya Palmview won the toss and immediately went in for six thanks to a rushing touchdown from running back Adrian Vasquez.

After the Lobos kicked the extra point to go up seven, the Javelinas countered with a touchdown of their own. Southwest (1-4, 1-3) went for a two-point conversion to win the game, but the attempt failed.

The Lobos kept pace for second place in the district standings with Brownsville Veterans, which defeated Rio Grande City on Thursday to improve to 3-1 in District 16-5A Division I, as well.

BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

Texas State University cross country runner Tina Sierra, a sophomore from La Feria, is wiser, stronger and faster compared to her outstanding freshman year in San Marcos.

Competing at the NCAA Division I level is difficult — as is climbing the steep hills of Texas State’s campus to make classes — but Sierra proved her worth in 2017 by helping the Bobcats win the Sun Belt Conference cross country title. The team was led by upperclassmen, but Sierra contributed and qualified to run in the NCAA regionals.

In 2018, the Bobcats were the preseason pick to repeat as conference champs based on Sierra and other returning letter winners’ potential. Through two meets this season, Sierra and her teammates have not disappointed. And last week at the Chile Pepper Festival at the University of Arkansas, Sierra recorded her fastest time ever in the 5K.

Sierra posted a personal record time of 18 minutes, 27.6 seconds for Texas State and passed up 13 runners in the last 1,500 meters of the race. The former three-time high school Class 4A state qualifier placed 48th among 424 runners at the big-time meet. She had the third-fastest time on the Bobcats’ team, which placed fourth among the dozens of schools in the field.

Sierra’s new best 5K time is an improvement of more than a half-minute compared to last year at the same race, where she ran an 18:59.9. Slashing another half-minute would have gotten her in the top 10.

Last season, Sierra ran a 19:06.4 in the Sun Belt Conference meet and placed 45th. Now, her new 2018 time might get her in the top 25 and back to the NCAA regionals. The conference meet is set for Oct. 27 in Mobile, Alabama.

JUAREZ-LINCOLN’S REYES SCORES IN BUNCHES AT JUCO

Twice this season, Gerardo Reyes has been named National Junior College Athletic Association Region V Player of the Week. The prolific goal-scoring forward from La Joya Juarez-Lincoln is kicking the hide right off the ball and has helped Western Texas College, in Snyder (in West Texas between Abilene and Lubbock), attain a No. 10 national NJCAA ranking.

Reyes has scored an eye-popping 10 goals and notched one assist in six games, tallying 21 points for the 5-1 Westerners. The freshman is ranked 14th nationally in goals scored, and he’s been very efficient. Reyes, a forward, has taken only 20 shots. His 21 points rank him 25th nationally. Juarez-Lincoln products Manuel Castrejon and Leonardo Pruneda are also on the Western Texas roster.

MCHI’S McGOWEN IMPROVING PLAY FOR LUMBERJACKS

Josh McGowen, McHi’s record rusher in 2015, is beginning to show Stephen F. Austin University fans the skill set that wowed Bulldogs backers when he earned recognition as The Monitor’s All-Area Offensive Player of the Year. McGowen redshirted in 2016 and saw limited action in nine games in 2017, picking up 129 rushing yards on 33 attempts. He also caught seven passes and returned seven kickoffs with a long of 71 yards last season.

This season, however, may be his breakout year. On Saturday in a 24-21 win over Southland Conference foe Abilene Christian, the 5-foot-10, 222-pound McGowen had his best game yet. He was SFA’s leading rusher with 55 yards on 10 carries, and he caught two passes for 26 yards. Through three games this year, the sophomore has 79 yards on 17 totes, and 88 yards and one touchdown receiving on seven catches for the Lumberjacks. He still has eight more games to play.

PSJA MEMORIAL’S KRISTI GOMEZ THRIVING AT LAREDO CC

Kristi Gomez is still wearing the familiar No. 4 jersey from her days at PSJA Memorial, but her play at Laredo Community College is all grown up. The 5-foot-10 middle blocker is second on the team in kills with 159 in 16 matches. Gomez has also recorded 13 total blocks, 21 service aces and 146 digs for the Palominos.

Her efforts have paid off for Laredo. The Palominos are a stout 14-2 (2-0 in conference) on the year, although they are not yet ranked by the NJCAA. LCC competes in Region XIV against two-year colleges such as Blinn, Coastal Bend and Tyler. Gomez is a freshman and plays alongside her former PSJA Memorial teammate Deserey Gomez, who has seen action in nine matches.

RGVSports.com

Entering the year with sky-high expectations, the Mission Veterans Patriots checked in at No. 2 in the RGVSports.com preseason top 10.

A 24-12 loss to Mission High in Week 1 removed some of the luster from Mission Vets. The Patriots fell to No. 4 entering Week 2, then to No. 5 entering Week 3.

But after a 41-10 win against PSJA Memorial in Week 2 and a 45-24 victory against Brownsville Veterans in Week 3, Mission Vets moved up to No. 3 entering Week 4. And now, on the heels of their third straight win scoring 40 or more points, this time a 48-7 thumping of Rio Grande City on Thursday, Mission Vets has reclaimed its No. 2 ranking entering Week 5.

The nine voters are the writers and editors who cover RGV high school football for AIM Media’s three newspapers: The Monitor, Valley Morning Star, and Brownsville Herald.

Mission Vets still has a way to go to challenge for the No. 1 spot, as Edinburg Vela cemented its unanimous stranglehold on the top ranking by beating then-No. 6 Los Fresnos 34-13 on Friday to remain undefeated.

Brownsville Hanna is in at No. 3 after using a late comeback to beat Sharyland High 28-23 on Friday.

Weslaco High, which entered the year unranked, continued its steady climb up the poll, this week jumping from No. 7 to No. 4 after taking down Harlingen South 21-7 on Friday.

Last week’s No. 2, San Benito, slipped to No. 5 after a 23-10 loss to Laredo United on Friday.

Mission High was the other big riser this week, sliding from No. 8 to No. 6 despite being on a bye. The Eagles leapfrogged the Los Fresnos Falcons, who slipped one spot to No. 7 after the loss to Vela.

McAllen Memorial moved from No. 9 to No. 8 during an open week, and La Joya High entered the rankings at No. 10 despite also being idle in Week 4.

Brownsville Veterans moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 after beating PSJA Memorial 44-24 on Thursday.

Week 5 features just one matchup between top-10 teams, as Mission High will put its hot start to the test against traditional District 30-6A power McAllen Memorial.

The following are the teams in the RGVSports.com top 10 poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through 1 point for a 10th-place vote. The nine voters are the writers and editors who cover RGV high school football for AIM Media’s three newspapers: The Monitor, Valley Morning Star, and Brownsville Herald.

Team Record Points Previous

1. Edinburg Vela (9) 4-0 90 1

2. Mission Veterans 3-1 65 3

3. Brownsville Hanna 2-1 59 4

4. Weslaco High 4-0 54 7

5. San Benito 2-2 45 2

6. Mission High 3-0 43 8

7. Los Fresnos 2-2 39 6

8. McAllen Memorial 1-2 26 9

9. Brownsville Veterans 3-1 25 10

10. La Joya High 3-0 14 NR

Other teams receiving votes: Weslaco East (11); McAllen Rowe (5); Edinburg High (4); Harlingen High (4); La Feria (4); PSJA High (4); Grulla (1); Rio Hondo (1); Valley View (1)

By Jesus Sanchez | The Brownsville Herald

The 22nd installment of the Battle of Southmost was a fight to the finish that intensified in its last seconds until the Lopez Lobos halted the Porter Cowboys’ attack to win 21-14.

“First and foremost, that’s a great team,” Lopez head coach Armando Gutierrez said. “They’re up and coming; they gave us a ballgame but at the same time, we made mistakes to keep them in the ballgame.

“When it came down to the clutch, our defense locked it down in that last possession. We’re really blessed that we were able to do that but our defense kept us in this game.”

Lopez dominated the first half shutting out Porter and scoring on its first two drives.

Lobo quarterback Jose M. Cruz ran for 22 yards to put Lopez up on the board first.

In the Lobos’ next possession, Cruz found wide receiver Andrew Flores on a 59-yard pass in the end zone to put Lopez up by two touchdowns with 5:09 in the first quarter.

The series that followed saw the Lopez defense shut down Porter’s offense, not allowing the Cowboys to get more than 69 yards in the first half.

At halftime, Porter quarterback Kevin Garcia said he had a talk with the Cowboys to help motivate them to come out stronger in the second half.

Porter head coach Carlos Uresti said despite the loss, the Cowboys showed they have heart and should not be taken lightly.

“Heck of a game; that’s kind of what you expect from the Battle of Southmost, a tight battle,” he said. “Records go out the window in this because we came in with the same record. All credit to the coaches and the players; they did a good job executing. We started off a little slow in the first half, regrouped, made some adjustments and executed a little better.”

The Cowboys were first to hit paydirt in their first possession of the second half on an 11-yard pass from Garcia to Matthew Sandoval.

Porter followed up with a strong defensive performance of its own, stopping Lopez twice and only giving up 27 yards.

The Cowboys ate up most of the clock in the third with a consistent ground attack until Garcia found the end zone again in the last quarter on a 9-yard run, tying the game 14-14.

Afterward, the Lobos and Cowboys fought neck and neck to see who would take the lead.

“We were confident in the game,” Cruz said. “We should have kept moving the ball. They couldn’t stop our running. I was concerned on our fumbles but I kept that off. As a team, we grew, we grew and we grew; we stayed confident in ourselves, but as a team, as a family, we all came together to get that win.”

Ultimately, the Lobos’ defense put a stop to Porter’s last-minute flurry that allowed Lopez’ Christian Gamez to score on a 1-yard rush, giving the visiting team the lead with 29 seconds left in the game.

After two rekicks and multiple pass interference penalties from Lopez, Porter gave it one last shot with a deep pass from Garcia intended for Christopher Cardenas that was swatted away by Lobo Luis Hernandez.

“We had two straight games where the game is there,” Uresti said. “At least, you know, that’s all we can ask for from the kids. Being in the games at the end and we’ve been in the games at the end in the last two games, we just have to be ready to execute and finish the game off right.”

The Lopez coach said he knows the Lobos were in a fight Saturday night, but the team’s mentality going forward will remain the same, taking it one game at a time.

“We tell these kids, we’re going to get adversity from everyone because this is a tough district,” Gutierrez said. “Week in and week out, we have to take those challenges as they come and move forward like we did tonight.”

As for Porter, Garcia warned the upcoming competition to be ready and not sleep on the Cowboys.

“Right now, our goal is to get back to practice Monday and get ready for whoever we’re playing next,” the sophomore quarterback said. “Whomever we’re playing next, get ready. We’re getting better and better.

“We’re not going to come easy and we don’t care who it is, we don’t care who they are, we’re Porter, we’re Southmost, we’re carrying pride and we’re coming for you.”

STAFF REPORTS

Don’t look now, but the Pace Vikings have opened District 16-5A Division I play 3-0 after defeating the PSJA Southwest Javelinas 19-7 on the road Friday night.

The Vikings held the Javelinas to 109 yards of total offense, with all of it coming on the ground.

Pace racked up 314 yards of offense, including 239 yards on the ground.

Quarterback Jose Banda rushed for 132 yards and two scores, and was 5 of 12 through the air for 75 more yards.

Dylan Barron rushed for 65 yards on 18 carries.

The teams continue district play next week as Pace visits PSJA Memorial and PSJA Southwest travels to la Joya Palmview. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday night.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 43, RIVERA 14

The Rivera Raiders are still searching for their first win after losing on the road to the Diamondbacks.

Rivera posted 231 yards of offense, including 157 on the ground.

Elian Hernandez and Ariel Gonzalez each caught touchdown passes of 25 and 9 yards, respectively.

Ivan Rivas led the Raiders on the ground with 68 yards on 19 carries.

Rivera’s 14 points were the most it has put up this season.

Pioneer quarterback Jacob Rosales passed for 172 yards on 6 of 15 passing and two scores. He also rushed for 90 yards and one score.

Rivera and Sharyland Pioneer will be back in action at 7:30 p.m. Friday night. Rivera plays host to La Feria and Pioneer opens District 16-5A Division II play hosting Mercedes.

STAFF REPORT

The Weslaco High Panthers jumped out to an early lead and put away the Harlingen South Hawks 21-7 to remain unbeaten on the season Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.

Junior quarterback Jacob Cavazos put the Panthers (4-0) ahead when he connected on a screen pass to junior receiver Jaden Cavazos, who ran 46 yards for the score. Then, Jacob Cavazos connected with junior receiver K-jay Jones on a red zone touchdown pass before the half to put the Panthers ahead 14-7. Jaden Cavazos came back and finished off the night with a 20-yard rushing TD.

The Weslaco High defense pitched a shutout as the Hawks’ only TD came on a scoop-and-score by their defense.

VALLEY VIEW 59, DONNA NORTH 7: At Donna, Valley View’s offense exploded thanks to four rushing touchdowns from running back Brandon Gonzalez and two more on the ground from quarterback Simon Fernandez.

“We’re getting better every week,” Valley View coach Elifonzo Esquivel said. “The seniors are leading us. It’s just one of those years where we feel like we’re putting it together.”

SHARYLAND PIONEER 43, BROWNSVILLE RIVERA 14: At Mission, the Diamondbacks bounced back with a comfortable win after a four-point loss at Mission High last week.

Sharyland Pioneer (2-2, 0-0) starts district play on Oct. 5 when its hosts Mercedes at Richard Thompson Stadium. Brownsville Rivera dropped to 0-4.

SANTA ROSA 21, PROGRESO 0: At Santa Rosa, Progreso falls to 1-3, while the Warriors climb to 2-2.

RIO HONDO 56, HIDALGO 0: At Hidalgo, the Bobcats (4-0) rolled past the Pirates (0-4) to remain undefeated on the season.

LA VILLA 20, MONTE ALTO 0: At Monte Alto, the Cardinals (1-3) got their first win of the year against a team one classification above them in Monte Alto (1-3).

STAFF REPORT

The Mission Veterans Patriots were a walking wounded entering Thursday’s game at Rio Grande City. Four starters, including outside linebacker Jazz Vallejo and safety Elias Delgado, did not play against the Rattlers. But the injuries didn’t end there.

Junior wide receiver Mikey Garcia, the Patriots’ leading receiver through three weeks, missed the game because he pulled a hamstring during pregame warmups. The Patriots also lost starting defensive lineman Jose Ortiz because of an MCL sprain by halftime, but still beat Rio Grande City soundly 48-7.

“Last year, when we came down to Rio (Grande City), we lost Aaron (Fernandez) and Gio(vanni Grimaldo) from our secondary,” Mission Veterans coach David Gilpin said. “Rio played a physical ball game with us, because they’re a physical team. We gave as good we got, don’t get me wrong. We didn’t have any season-ending injuries at the moment. We’ve got (Brownsville) Porter next week and a bye after that, so we’re hoping we can heal up and get ready for the stretch run.”

The Patriots (3-1, 3-0) were terrors on the ground, led by running back Danny Cantu. After scoring his first touchdown on the ground last week against Brownsville Veterans, Cantu ran for three scores at Joe R. Sanchez Stadium.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 17, ROMA 0: At Edinburg, the Jaguars got their offense rolling in the second half, and the defense shut the door on Roma at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

The Jaguars, who have become accustomed to Thursday night games over the last few weeks, improved to 3-1 on the year. The Gladiators slipped to 1-3 to start the season.

“The way the defense is playing, it gives me the confidence to do a lot of things on offense,” Econ coach Gabe Peña said. “There was no panic at halftime. We were confident as ever. We knew we just needed to make the adjustments the coaches were seeing up top. We came out and executed on that first drive and got rolling.”

On that drive, Econ utilized big first-down runs from senior Abel Moreno, who also plays on defense, and junior PJ Soto on back-to-back plays. That put the Jags at the 2-yard line, where senior quarterback Albert Guerra Jr. punched the ball in to give his team a 7-0 advantage.

With time getting low in the fourth quarter, Econ junior kicker Ramiro Gonzalez drilled a 35-yard field goal to push Econ’s lead to 10.

Roma got the ball at its 25 with less than two minutes to play, but quarterback Jonathan Rios’ pass to senior running back Felix Gomez was intercepted by Economedes senior linebacker Marco Plata, who ran the ball back for a touchdown, sealing the Jaguars’ third shutout win of the year.

“(The shutouts) just light everyone up,” Pena said. “It motivates the whole team. The offense is cheering for the defense, and the defense is pulling for the offensive guys.”

STAFF REPORT

La Joya Palmview and Donna High are worlds apart from the programs they were 10 years ago.

La Joya ISD split La Joya High into three high schools in 2008, forming the original Coyotes, the La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies and the La Joya Palmview Lobos. The 2008 season was La Joya Palmview’s first as its own entity. It ended in an 0-10 campaign in the ultracompetitive District 30-5A.

During that season, District 30-5A was made up of district champion McAllen Memorial and perennial playoff teams like McAllen High and Sharyland High. Donna High, which would not be subject to a school split of its own until 2014, went 6-5 as 30-5A’s fourth playoff team.

La Joya Palmview and Donna spent six years together in 30-5A, with Donna dominating all six meetings by an average of 26.5 points per game.

La Joya Palmview’s transition to Class 6A in 2014 and Donna continuing in 5A had different effects on each team. La Joya ISD hired coach Margarito Requenez to guide the Lobos into District 30-6A, and he led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances. Donna made the playoffs in 2014 and went a perfect 7-0 in District 32-5A the next season but has not qualified for the postseason since.

This year’s UIL realignment put these two teams in the same district for the first time in five years.

Donna High breezed through its first two games of the season, beating Donna North in Week 1 and PSJA Southwest in the team’s Week 2 district opener. Donna held a 9-3 halftime lead last week but couldn’t close the deal in its first road test of the season at Brownsville Pace.

Senior running back Robert Guerra, who entered Week 3 as Donna High’s top rusher and receiver, had only 16 rushing yards last Thursday night. The Vikings defense also held Guerra without a catch in their 17-9 victory. Donna High (2-1, 1-1) ran for 475 yards through the first two weeks of the season.

Three weeks into the 2018 season, the Lobos (2-1, 2-0) stand as the team that gave the 3-0 La Joya High Coyotes their biggest test. La Joya Palmview scored 19 points against the Coyotes in the season opener for both teams. Since Week 1, the Coyotes have allowed a combined seven points in games versus Roma and District 16-5A DII favorite Sharyland High.

La Joya Palmview’s running game drives its offense. Led by senior Mario Chapa, the Lobos had four rushers with 100 yards or more entering their Week 3 game against Brownsville Porter. After running for three touchdowns at Rio Grande City in Week 2, Chapa ran for 208 yards and three more touchdowns in his team’s 35-27 win over the Cowboys last Saturday.

The Lobos are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2014 after failing to win a district matchup last season. La Joya Palmview began the 2014 district season 4-0. Donna High didn’t capture its first district win of the 2017 season until a 52-14 blowout of Brownsville Porter last Oct. 19.

By Jesus Sanchez | The Brownsville Herald

On a damp Saturday night, Rio Grande City and Lopez were locked in a back-and-forth battle that ultimately saw the Rattlers triumph 26-21 over the Lobos at Sams Memorial Stadium.

“I’m really proud of our team,” Rio Grande City head coach Aaron Garcia said after the game. “It wasn’t a really pretty win, but we needed to get a win and that was the objective coming over here.

“Quite honestly, you know, we’ve lost some close games based on some of our mistakes. Tonight, we didn’t play a mistake-free ball game, but we made less.”

Rio Grande City kicked things off with an 11-yard run by running back Johnathan Huerta to give the Rattlers a 6-0 lead.

Lopez responded with a successful 55-yard drive that culminated with wide receiver Rafael Campos rushing for 2 yards and scoring the first touchdown for the Lobos.

From there, both teams kicked it up a notch.

After Lopez and Rio Grande City traded three turnovers each, it was a 14-yard pass from Rattler quarterback Mario Garza to fellow running back Angel Galvan that put the visiting team on top in the second quarter.

The Lobos responded with a 10-yard pass from quarterback Jose Cruz to wide receiver Jesus Galvan to make it 14-13.

With 27 seconds left in the first half, Angel Galvan rushed for 1 yard to give the Rattlers a 20-14 edge against the Lobos.

“Our offense did good,” Angel Galvan said. “Our line, of course, I have to give them credit; they really did good and blocked for me. I just need to keep on moving, keep motivating myself to get more yards, more touchdowns. My coaches always tell me to keep my head up and keep moving forward.”

The second half saw both teams’ aggressiveness increase as they each traded one touchdown; Lopez scored on a 96-yard drive and the Rattlers went 59 yards in five plays.

Campos, who finished the game with 13 carries and 101 yards, said he knows the team made several mistakes in the second half, but the Lobos will be ready to move forward despite the loss.

“We just have to get back to work next week and we’re just going to have to work hard again,” he said. “Focus on Porter next week. That’s it.

“I know what we’re capable of. I know we can go back to the playoffs just like we did last year. We’re trying to go back deeper than round one and I know we can do it.”

When it seemed the like the Lobos were going to secure a win on a quarterback keeper, the Rattlers forced and recovered a fumble on their own 8-yard line.

The Rattlers coach said he thought the Lobos were going to find the end zone in the last 15 seconds of the game, but he is happy and proud the Rio Grande City defense was able to stop them.

Garcia said the team will cherish the win tonight and rest Sunday, but come Monday, the Rattlers will focus on their next matchup.

“We got Mission Vets (next), but we’ll take it one day at a time,” he said. “We’re playing to win. (Tonight) was a hard-fought win. It’s really special when you come on the road and get a win like this.”

In the last seconds of the game, Lopez, with no timeouts remaining, was only able to rush for 16 yards and ran out of time before it could spike the ball to stop the clock.

“It was a tough one, tough one for everybody, but when you turn the ball over and make critical mistakes, that’s kind of what happens,” Lobos head coach Armando Gutierrez said. “We (won’t) give up on each other and we (won’t) give up on plays.

“Regardless of the situation, we can overcome obstacles. That’s part of what football teaches us in life. Our boys have that mentality at heart and we’re going to bounce back so I’m not worried about that.

“Whenever you’re out of a ball game, like I told the boys, at the end of the day, it’s who you are to overcome these obstacles, but these boys never quit.”