BY MARK MOLINA | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
MERCEDES — It’s said that you should dance with the one that brung ya.
In a 17-17 tie with the Mercedes Tigers, Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers did just that as they put the ball in the hands of quarterback Gustavo Vasquez like they had all game long.
Vasquez broke the tie on 28-yard touchdown run, capping an eight-play, 74-yard drive with 1:04 to play.
That proved to be the game-winning score as the Chargers picked up a 24-17 District 32-5A win over the Tigers Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
Vasquez hit the turf on more than one occasion in exhaustion during the final quarter, but had no reservations about his workload, which amounted to 244 yards on 30 carries and three scores.
“It’s all about giving it your all for your team. They fight for me everyday and I fight for them everyday,” Vasquez said. “I was not planning on getting that many carries, but anything for the team. They call my name, I’m stepping to the plate.”
Charger head coach David Cantu was pleased with his quarterback’s performance, but said his success was due to winning in the trenches.
“Everyone in the stadium knew Gustavo Vasquez was going to have the ball at the end of the game,” Cantu said. “That was one of the best individual performances I’ve ever seen. He’s the ultimate competitor and an ultimate warrior that thrives in this situation and he’s got an excellent offensive line opening holes for him.
“It wasn’t just him, but he did put an explanation point on it.”
Mercedes was once again without senior linebacker Roger Adame III, who was held out as a precaution despite being cleared to play after suffering a broken arm.
Tigers head coach Roger Adame Jr. didn’t think that had any impact on the game and said that the Chargers were simply better upfront.
“Brownsville Veterans plays solid football up there and Gustavo (Vasquez) is a great runner and they have a good offensive line — credit to them,” Adame Jr. said. “We went out there, did what we could do, but overall, they did a good job and credit to them.
“We have to keep moving forward because District 32-5A is a tough district every week.”
Mercedes’ defense appeared ready to shutdown every Brownsville Veterans option except for Vasquez early on, but he answered the bell by carrying the ball on 13 times on 29 offensive plays that weren’t punts or penalties in the first half.
Vasquez ran for 93 of the Chargers’ 135 yards in the first half, including a 3-yard touchdown run that gave them a 7-3 in the early second quarter.
Mercedes, however, would go into the locker room with the lead after quarterback Mark Ledesma found receiver Leeroy Garcia for a 28-yard touchdown pass and a 10-7 lead with four minutes to play in the half.
The Chargers opened the third quarter with a seven-minute drive, but only managed to get a 19-yard field goal by Joey Zarate to tie the game at 10.
The Tigers answered with 12-play drive and 3-yard run by Ledesma to take a 17-10 lead early in the fourth.
Ledesma had a solid outing, passing for 205 yards and score on 16 of 27 passing. He also ran for 58 more yards and a score.
Both teams possessed the ball just three times in the second half, all of which lasted at least seven plays.
The Chargers put up points on all three of theirs, including the final two that ended in Gustavo Vasquez diving toward the pylon for touchdowns to ultimately decide the game.
The Tigers, moved the ball inside the Charger 30 on its final two possessions after that, but were turned over on downs.
“When your defensive coordinator is David Evans, you have confidence in your defense,’ Charger head coach David Cantu said of the team’s second half performance. “He’s seen it all and he’s one of the best in the state of Texas. The kids were doing their job.”