By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
It was almost two years ago that Lopez last experienced the taste of victory after a football game.
The Lobos defeated Porter on Oct. 18, 2013, and that was the last time happiness followed one of their games until Thursday night, when Lopez ended its 17-game losing streak against Rivera.
Although soaking wet from a well-deserved sports drink bath, Lopez coach Jason Starkey reflected on the importance of the victory to his team’s season, instead of one particular evening.
“The 10-game season is not about one victory,” he said. “I think winning and losing are similar that they are both contagious. I hope that the mindset of these young men will change in regards to expecting to be successful, and when they experience success follow it with greater focus and execution.”
The Lobos have been working hard all season, confident that they would end their losing streak. Now that they’ve done that, Starkey felt his team finally could focus on the next game instead of the dark cloud that seemed to constantly hang over them.
A weight has been lifted off the Lobos’ shoulders, but Starkey said there is more work to be done to finish the season.
“When you’re chopping down a big tree, all you can do is keep chopping wood,” he said. “That’s all we’ve done and eventually that tree fell, and now we have to make some lumber out of it. We have to come out next week and get ready to get the sawmill going and get this next win.”
RUNNING GAME SPARK: Los Fresnos is unbeaten this season, and a lot of credit goes toward a balanced offense.
The Falcons have made it harder for opposing defenses to key on one specific offensive aspect. Los Fresnos has dealt with its share of injuries, but the emergence of Sammy Cruz has helped the ground attack catch up to the passing attack and take some of the pressure off quarterback Rene Ortega.
“We had to gain some experience in areas where we lost people (to injury),” Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley said. “Sammy’s done a wonderful job stepping in and taking on a role he’s never had to take over before. He does a little bit of everything. He’s just so valuable to our team.”
Cruz has played snaps at wide receiver, occasionally quarterback, and now fullback in the Falcons’ offense.
“He’s a very smart kid to take on those multiple roles, and he’s a big part of our offense,” Finley said. “I’m very proud of him.”
STILL BATTLING: Harlingen South is improving on a weekly basis.
The Hawks have won just once this year, but their opponents have a combined record of 24-6 on the season through Week 7.
Hawks coach Lanny Wilson has been impressed by the effort week in and out and feels that his team is a few plays away from having a better showing thus far.
“We have things we need to correct and get ready for next week,” he said after a loss to Los Fresnos. “Hopefully get us a win, we need to win games to get in the playoffs.”
The Hawks coach wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, just ready to focus on the next opponent.
“It’s a tough district, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Wilson said. “We have Rivera next, so that’s who our mind’s on.”
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.