By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
CORPUS CHRISTI — The Corpus Christi Miller Buccaneers were too much to handle, as they defeated the La Feria Lions 70-7 in a Class 4A Division I bi-district game Friday at Cabaniss Stadium.
The Lions trailed 49-7 at halftime and struggled to contain the high-powered Buccaneers offense, which was led by star senior quarterback Andrew Body. La Feria played well in spurts on both sides of the ball but couldn’t string together big plays on offense to keep momentum on its side and cut into the lead against the menacing Miller defense.
Despite a large deficit, the Lions never stopped fighting, and they forced some turnovers and stops during the second half. Senior running back Dereck Perez said he was proud of his team for not giving up and thankful for the years he got to represent La Feria on the football field.
“It’s rough, but I couldn’t ask for a better team than this,” Perez said. “I rolled with them for six years, and I couldn’t be more proud of my teammates. They played their hearts out, and I couldn’t ask for more than that. We just love the sport and wanted to show each other love, especially the seniors.”
Body and a trio of impressive running backs did most of the scoring throughout the game. Body rushed for two touchdowns, including the first score of the night, on 9-yard and 6-yard carries in the first half. He also threw two passing touchdowns, the first a 70-yard strike to sophomore receiver Lonnie Adkism and the second a 40-yard toss to junior running back McCullion Williams.
Williams also rushed for a 2-yard touchdown and contributed defensively for the Buccaneers.
La Feria senior quarterback Dario Sanchez connected with sophomore receiver Esteban Gonzalez for a 10-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to make it a 14-7 game after a PAT by senior kicker Richard Hernandez. Sanchez, freshman running back Angel Camarillo and junior receiver Aaron Trevino played well offensively, but the Miller defensive line dominated the Lions up front and kept them off the board after the early strike.
Miller senior receiver Adraean Lloyd spun his way out of tackles on a 26-yard touchdown run, and sophomore running back Ethan Greenwood bulldozed for a 3-yard score to contribute to the first-half onslaught. Greenwood scored again in the second half on a 2-yard carry and displayed his powerful running style throughout the night to keep the Buccaneers moving downfield.
La Feria sophomore Eric Gonzalez recovered a muffed punt return by Miller early in the second half. Trevino and Sanchez carried the Lions down to a first-and-goal situation, but they couldn’t hit paydirt. Senior linebacker Matthew Morales forced a fumble and sophomore linebacker Noah Vento recovered late in the third to give the Lions another short field, but Miller’s defensive front overpowered the offensive line and a big loss on a sack ended the scoring threat.
Freshman backup quarterback Jaedyn Brown took the reins late in the fourth quarter and tacked on the final score of the night on an 11-yard run. Brown was one of a plethora of offensive playmakers Miller used in the dominant victory.
Trevino and sophomore receiver Julian Torres made good catches and Camarillo ran hard throughout the game to try to cut into the lead. But Miller’s defense was just as deep as its offense, and offensive penalties didn’t help La Feria find a rhythm. Senior linebacker Albert Levingston was a defensive standout for Miller.
Lions senior linebacker Justice Azua, senior nose tackle Michael Elizondo, junior safety Elijah Vela and Trevino were top contributors for La Feria’s defense.