By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
SAN ANTONIO — Los Fresnos wanted to prove that last year’s postseason run was no fluke, and for the second straight year, it went through Southwest (San Antonio) to do so.
Trailing 14-5 after the first quarter, the Falcons scored 35 unanswered points in the second quarter to erase their deficit and held on to defeat the Dragons 47-35 in a Class 6A, Division I area round game Saturday at Alamo Stadium.
With help from the defense — which forced seven turnovers on the day, including four interceptions by junior defensive back Isaiah Muniz — the Falcons’ offense took advantage of its opportunities to take the lead for good in the second quarter.
“I just tried to find a way to help the team out,” Muniz said with a cast covering his broken right hand that he’s had since Week 5. “It was important to keep fighting to the end of every play and every whistle.”
The Falcons (9-3) now move on to the third round of the postseason for the second straight season and once again ended the Dragons’ season in the area round. Southwest finished the year 9-3.
Los Fresnos scored on five straight drives in the second quarter. After an interception by Falcons senior linebacker Sebastian Gonzales, senior quarterback Charles Chapa connected with junior running back Albert Banuelos on a screen pass for a 23-yard touchdown as Los Fresnos pulled within 14-12 with 9:05 left in quarter.
Southwest fumbled on its ensuing kickoff return and Chapa gave the Falcons a 19-14 lead less than a minute later on a 24-yard scoring run. After the Dragons punted, Los Fresnos capped off its next drive with another run from Chapa, this one a 6-yarder, to put the Falcons ahead 26-14 with 3:50 left in the half.
After Southwest fumbled once again on the kickoff return, the Falcons needed one play to pad its lead. Using some trickery, Falcons senior receiver Robert Ramirez took a handoff from Chapa before throwing a 27-yard strike to sophomore receiver Nico Valencia for a touchdown and a 33-14 advantage.
After a Muniz interception, Chapa found Ramirez on an 18-yard pass for a score and a 40-14 cushion with less than 30 seconds left in the half. That margin held up going into halftime.
“The film we watched on Southwest, they come out like gangbusters … and they came out with some big plays,” Los Fresnos coach Patrick Brown said. “In (District) 32-6A, every game was a war, so our kids weren’t fazed.”
That was especially true for Muniz, who earned his picks playing man coverage against Southwest’s offense.
“There’s no help over the top … it’s an island,” Brown said. “Usually you get your picks from a zone defense with guys coming over the top, to get picks off a man look like that is unbelievable … Muniz sure had a big game.”
In the second half, Southwest tried to comeback. In the third quarter, junior running back Cade Stott ran for a 7-yard touchdown to pull within 40-21 with 9:30 to play. But turnovers would continue to plague the Dragons, as they saw possessions end on a pair of interceptions and a turnover on downs.
Los Fresnos took advantage as its lead swelled to 47-21 with 11:45 left in the fourth quarter after Chapa hit Valencia on fade route for a 10-yard score.
Chapa finished with 165 yards and three touchdowns through the air and 58 rushing yards and two TDs. Two of those scoring passes went to Valencia, who finished with nine catches for 111 yards.
Southwest got a pair of rushing touchdowns between an onside kick in the fourth, a 13-yarder from senior running back Martin Torres III and a 14-yarder from senior receiver Andres Arredondo. It wouldn’t be enough, however, as Muniz sealed the win for Los Fresnos with his fourth interception of the game with a little more than a minute to play.
“We got out of sorts in the second quarter and played the game they wanted us to play rather than the game we wanted to play,” Southwest coach Matt Elliott said. “We got back to our roots (in the second half) and started moving the ball.”
It was a different game early on. Los Fresnos got on the board first with a 31-yard field goal by junior kicker Adrian Torres for a 3-0 lead with 9:44 left in the first.
Southwest answered on its first drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Damian Lopez to sophomore receiver Makhi Johnson to take a 7-3 lead with 7:35 left in the quarter.
After the Falcons turned the ball over on downs inside the Dragons’ 2-yard line, the Los Fresnos’ defense forced a safety as Southwest’s punter stepped out the back of the end zone on a punt attempt to trim Southwest’s lead to 7-5 with 2:22 left in the first.
Los Fresnos fumbled on the first play of its ensuing offensive series and the Dragons took advantage as Stott ran for a 57-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 14-5 with 1:25 left in the first.
Southwest’s early momentum wouldn’t last, and the end result was disappointing for the Dragons, as they suffered the same fate as last season against the same team in the second round.
“The Falcons happened, that’s what happened … they have a good football team,” Elliott said. “Their coach does a tremendous job with those guys and hats off to them. Our kids were excited to play in this game, but maybe too much when it started.
“I could have probably done a better job (Saturday), but that’s why there’s a winner and a loser.”
Los Fresnos moves on, but has a tough task facing defending 6A Division I state champion Lake Travis again in the third round, but will do so on its home turf at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.
“I guarantee our kids will show up and play as hard as they can possibly play,” Brown said. “And we’ll see what happens.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.