FREDDY GONZALEZ | Valley Morning Star
The UIL state football playoffs are upon us and while a couple of Valley sub-5A teams did pass their first-round test, five of the seven teams in our area that qualified for the postseason were eliminated.
After finishing the regular season with a solid 9-1 record, the Raymondville Bearkats fell to the Sinton Pirates 49-28 on Friday. The Bearkats managed 147 rushing yards and 78 passing yards. In his final performance of his high school career, senior quarterback Daniel Gutierrez threw for 78 yards and rushed for another 75 yards.
Offensively, the Pirates humbled the Bearkats’ defense with a staggering 445 total yards of offensive output. Sinton rushed for only 48 yards, but threw for more than 395 yards.
Meanwhile, In Class 3A, the 9-1 Goliad Tigers shut out the Santa Rosa Warriors 49-0 on their way to their ninth consecutive victory. As a reward, the Tigers will face third-ranked Hallettsville. Santa Rosa finished the season at 5-6.
In 2A action, the Santa Maria Cougars finished the season with a 5-6 mark. After defeating Freer 50-19 to reach the postseason for the first time in five years, the Cougars made a quick exit after losing to the Shiner Comanches 61-0 on Friday. The Comanches will face second-ranked Mason (11-0) in the area round.
Sticking in Class 2A, La Villa also made a quick exit from the playoffs. The Cardinals finished the season with a record of 4-7 after falling 51-14 to the 7-4 Yorktown Wildcats. As a result, Yorktown will take on the Thrall Tigers (9-2) in the area round of the playoffs.
THE DOMINANT TWO: Rio Hondo continued to flex its offensive and defensive muscle with its first bi-district playoff victory since 2011. The Bobcats defeated Aransas Pass 42-13 on Friday to improve to 9-1 on the season and will now play the eight-ranked Geronimo Navarro (10-1) on Friday in Calallen at 7 p.m.
Lyford also continued it winning ways with a 44-8 beat down of Jourdanton. The Bulldogs (8-3) head to the area round of the playoffs where they will take on Edna (7-4) at Cabaniss Field on Friday at 7 p.m.