By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Ramon Espinoza didn’t mind shouldering a big load Friday — carrying the ball 30 times for 132 yards — only to see his Roma teammate, Andy Marroquin, finish off drives with short-yardage scores.
“If that’s what we have to do to get the ‘W,” Espinoza said, “let’s do it.”
The Gladiators did more than use that tactic to beat Sharyland Pioneer 21-10 in The Monitor’s Game of the Week. They secured their second consecutive postseason berth, with Espinoza appearing very much like the district’s leading rusher in his return from a forearm injury.
Espinoza joined Damian Villarreal, who played most of the season at wide receiver, in the backfield, helping Roma (7-2 overall, 3-2 in district) generate 177 of the team’s 227 offensive yards at Richard Thompson Stadium.
The two helped set up drives in which Marroquin finished with 1-, 1- and 2-yard keepers, respectively, on his first three touches of the game.
“Ramon did a tremendous job. Damian did a great job. Our quarterback did a great job,” coach Max Habecker Jr. said. “But it all starts up front. Offensive line, tight end, fullback, our wing backs. Those guys are selfless. They give up their bodies everyday in practice and in the games for the betterment of our program, and there’s nothing better than that.”
Since injuring his forearm in late September, Espinoza has been scoreless. His last two games he rushed for a combined 26 yards on 15 carries, after averaging 268.8 yards on 34 attempts per contest.
The Gladiators elected to rest Espinoza in Week 8, even with their playoff hopes on the line. Yet, they beat Sharyland High without him, using the ensuing bye to get him back on the field.
In developing Villarreal at running back during that stretch, Habecker said his team found “two legit horses” that could help Roma’s ground game moving forward. They split 15 of their team’s 16 plays on their first scoring drive, before Marroquin’s 1-yarder gave them a 7-3 lead with 10:14 left in the second quarter.
Then, with 3:48 left before halftime, Espinoza ran on seven of eight plays, for 35 yards, before Marroquin put the finishing touches.
Espinoza could’ve used the touchdowns to regain his spot atop the district’s scoring list. Up until last week, Espinoza stood in first place with 17 TDs before Edinburg Vela’s Robert Guerra scored three times to move up to 18.
“In my view, though, it’s not about me,” Espinoza said. “It’s about the team.”
CLOCK MANAGEMENT
Roma is accustomed to long, methodical drives. But Friday’s outing, particularly in the opening half, might rank among its best effort of the season.
The Gladiators chewed up 13 minutes, 32 seconds between two drives, taking a 14-3 advantage going into halftime. The first drive spanned 8:20, with 16 plays, 80 yards and five first downs, as they went up 7-3.
Then, they had a seven-play drive milk 5:12 off the clock.
“They controlled the ball, and we couldn’t get into a rhythm,” Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler said.
OUT OF THE MIX
In losing their fourth straight game, the Diamondbacks (6-4, 2-4) fell out of the playoff hunt.
They started the season 6-0 before losing to Edinburg Vela, Mission Veterans Memorial, Sharyland High and Roma, playing mostly with backup quarterbacks after Alejandro Ramirez (torn ACL, MCL) went down for the year.
“I’m proud of the kids,” said Wheeler, whose team went 3-7 overall and 1-5 in its inaugural season in 2014. “I felt like we had a good year. We set goals high around here. We’re going to keep plugging away. If we could improve as much as we did in the second year, great things will come our way.”
UP NEXT
Roma will close out the regular season against Valley View (0-9, 0-5) next Friday. Pioneer will be on a bye.