JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
LAREDO — Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. summed up the Gladiators’ evening in fitting fashion Thursday night at the Bill Johnson Student Activity Center in Laredo.
“It wasn’t a storybook ending,” Habecker said. “But that’s why it’s called a storybook.”
What was a record-breaking season for Roma’s football program, which made the postseason for the first time in the school’s 24-year history, came to a heart-breaking conclusion in a 28-24 Class 5A, Division II area round loss to Gregory-Portland.
“Our kids played good enough to win,” Habecker said. “We had the lead, we just made some mistakes, critical mistakes.”
The Gladiators faced a 21-17 deficit with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. On third down-and-five, senior quarterback Robert Garza found receiver Aldo Ramirez in the back of the end zone to put Roma up 24-17 with 1:46 left.
Roma, though celebratory, didn’t think the game was a gimme by any means.
“I thought we still had a lot of game left to go,” sophomore running back Ramon Espinoza said.
The ensuing kickoff was botched, however, giving the Gregory-Portland Wildcats the ball on their own 45-yard line.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Garza said. “I had faith the defense would come through.”
Garza’s wishful thinking, unfortunately, couldn’t translate to reality.
A Gladiators defensive unit that had been otherwise stout for much of the evening gave up yardage at the game’s most critical moment.
After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Roma gave the Wildcats a first down on the Gladiators’ 12 yard line, running back Eric White punched the ball in from five yards out for what would be the game-winning score.
There was a controversial moment on the Wildcats’ final drive when running back Steven Starcher fumbled the ball on the 30-yard line. Though a Gladiator crawled out from the bottom of the pile, the ball firmly in hand, the officials awarded Gregory-Portland possession.
“We had three bean bags on the ground,” Habecker said. “And one referee said it wasn’t our ball after three referees saw it was a fumble. I don’t know, man. We still shouldn’t have made those mistakes.”
Roma’s biggest lead occurred early in the third quarter after Garza connected with Ramirez on a 28-yard touchdown pass to go up 17-7. What looked like a blowout, however, became a sputtering offensive game.
The Wildcats defense honed in on Espinoza, shutting him out for zero yards gained on four carries. Espinoza led the team in rushing with 63 yards.
As Gregory-Portland fans filed out of the stadium after the game, Roma players and coaches lingered to say an emotional goodbye to a memorable year.
“It’s just sad knowing I’m not going to be able to put the pads on with my family,” Garza said. “We’ve been together since sophomore year, we have a bond that no one can break apart. We’ll always be brothers until we die.”
The Gladiators finished the season with an overall record of 6-5-1.