GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
La Joya Palmview claimed the first playoff win in program history in the team’s first chance, upsetting Laredo LBJ 21-17 on Saturday in Laredo.
The Lobos advance to face Weslaco East in the area round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at La Joya ISD Stadium.
“We’re very happy right now,” Palmview coach Margarito Reqeuenez said. “The kids are very emotional. They’re proud to be in the spot that they’re in. We came in as the underdogs, and the kids played with heart tonight.”
The win means that Palmview’s historic season will continue at least one more week. A program that was 17-43 all time and had never had a winning season before this year now sits at 7-3-1. Saturday’s playoff win is the first for any La Joya school since the district split following the 2007 season.
Palmview fell behind 14-0 about midway through the first quarter, a daunting deficit for a team that relies on ball control and averaged just 17.9 points per game during the regular season.
Requenez said mistakes and misalignments put the Lobos in an early hole.
“I just told them that we needed to regroup,” Requenez said. “We needed just to focus. They were kind of shell shocked. Once they settled down, we controlled the tempo of the game. It just came down to going back to the fundamentals and keeping the ball away from them.”
Palmview started to find some success in the run game, with Jose Bernal scoring late in the first half. The Lobos drew even about a minute later on quarterback Andrew Puente’s pass to Rogelio Cantu. The touchdown pass was only the second of the season for Palmview.
Abel Torres gave the Lobos the lead with a touchdown run in the third quarter. Requenez said Torres and Freddy Villarreal were the team’s two leading rushers, as Bernal’s touches were limited due to injury.
“I rotated multiple backs, and it paid off,” Requenez said.