KEVIN LU | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — The Edinburg Bobcats turned a blocked-punt safety into a 2-0 win over the Mission Eagles on Friday night at Cats Stadium.
The Bobcats’ defense forced a turnover on downs on all five Eagles possessions in the second half. The closest Mission High got to scoring was when it reached the Edinburg 15-yard line in the fourth quarter.
On a 4th-and-4, the Eagles opted to not go for a potential go-ahead 32-yard field goal. Several Bobcats stuffed Mission ballcarrier David Flores in the backfield. Flores had a game-high 92 rushing yards.
“We talked about it at halftime, I don’t care what the score is, just go lay it out there on the line,” Bobcats coach Joaquin Escobar said. “Whatever happens, happens.”
The lone score of the game came early in the contest. Mission High had to punt the ball away from its own 16-yard line. Edinburg High linebacker Armando Palacios ran through and knocked the ball out behind the end zone.
“We went for it, and got it,” Escobar said of the blocked punt. “We told the kids, we’re going to take chances … Palacios made a great play.”
The Bobcats failed an onside kick attempt on the second half kickoff. The gamble came after both teams combined for minus-7 yards rushing in the first half. Edinburg High won the turnover battle, four to one.
The Bobcats forced a pair of fumble takeaways to go with a pair of interceptions from defensive back Robert Sanchez.
Edinburg High had a chance to add to the lead in the second quarter, but the Eagles defense blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt. Eagles senior Allan Martinez ran in from the left side and laid out on the block.
Nathan Marez was the workhorse for the Bobcats offense. He carried the ball 19 times for a team-high 67 yards.