By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
Despite four first-half turnovers and a double-digit halftime deficit, the Porter Cowboys had the La Joya Palmview Lobos on the brink of overtime.
But it just wasn’t Porter’s night.
After finding Brandon Reta for a 33-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone, Porter quarterback Kevin Garcia bobbled the snap on the extra-point attempt, forcing him to roll to his right and find a receiver.
Garcia found a man and launched a floater to the end zone but it was intercepted, securing a 27-26 District 16-5A Division I win for the Lobos on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“(The snap) rolled on the floor, and I felt a defender coming up,” Garcia said. “I didn’t have time to put it down so I called our signature rollout play, but it was a pick. There’s nothing we can do about it. We just have to go back and fix it. On that last drive, I was thinking, ‘Do or die.’ We have to score. So I went out there and I told the team if they believed in me, I believed in them. We came out and struck out, but we do what we have to do.”
The Cowboys (1-2, 0-2) trailed 13-0 at halftime but then outscored the Lobos (1-2, 1-1) 26-14, led by Garcia, who finished the night with 119 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns on 17 carries to go with 158 yards passing and another score.
“I saw a lot of fight on the last drive,” Porter coach Carlos Uresti said. “Down 13 points at the half and down in the fourth, these kids never gave up. That just shows you how much heart these kids have. The last play was a bad snap, but mistakes happen. It is what it is.”
La Joya Palmview had a big night on the ground, rushing for 304 yards and four scores, including three from running back Adrian Vasquez.
“We all played really well, and our running backs gave us all the yards,” Vasquez said. “I had the touchdowns, but it was all (our backs and our offensive line blocked) really well.”
Both teams struggled during the first quarter, combining for four turnovers (one on downs), a punt and a missed field goal on the game’s first six drives.
La Joya Palmview eventually got something going after Porter’s missed 31-yard field goal, mounting a 79-yard, 10-play drive that culminated in a 1-yard score by running back Adrian Vasquez to make it 7-0 early in the second quarter.
Porter’s struggles continued on the ensuing possession with its third turnover of the half, a Kyle Aguirre fumble. That set up a 33-yard run by Lobos running back Carlos Pena, making it 13-0 after a PAT.
Pena recorded 78 yards on 14 carries, and A.J. Chapa rushed for 63 yards.
Porter will take on Lopez next week to continue district play. La Joya Palmview will play host to Donna High.