By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
LOS FRESNOS — To be the best, you have to beat the best.
For the second straight postseason, that will be the case for Los Fresnos.
The Falcons are already familiar with Lake Travis (Austin) after losing to the Cavaliers in the regional semifinal round of last year’s Class 6A Division I playoffs. Los Fresnos (9-3) gets another shot at the defending state champions when they play host to the state-ranked Cavaliers (10-2) in a Class 6A Division I regional semifinal at 1 p.m. Saturday at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.
The Falcons have now reached the third round of the postseason in consecutive seasons, a feat it has accomplished since 2007-2008 seasons. In fact, those were the last of three consecutive seasons in which Los Fresnos went three rounds deep. The Falcons also reached the third round in 2014 under Clint Finley.
Los Fresnos and head coach Patrick Brown are trying to build a program where deep playoff runs are the norm, not an exception.
“We’re trying to get to a point where every year, no matter who steps up, the expectation is going to be the same,” Brown said. “We’re trying to build around here from year-to-year so we don’t have a drop off. That’s the difference between having a program and just having a football team. All of our middle schools are on board … when you get a big game like this, those kids see that and they want to be (a part of that someday).”
It starts with the ability to host a postseason game like this.
“People in the Rio Grande Valley deserve to see great teams like Lake Travis come down here,” Brown said. “Our community is so excited as is our school body. Even people not in Los Fresnos are fired up … we’ve already sold a lot of tickets … it’s been a fantastic deal.”
This game will have a hint of familiarity after last year’s matchup, but the Falcons know they’re in for a tough game like they were in 2016. Los Fresnos failed to score until the fourth quarter of the two teams’ previous meeting, and Lake Travis cruised to a 54-7 victory.
“I don’t think there’s a fear (like last year),” Brown said. “I promise you (we’ll) come out and play hard on Saturday.”
Lake Travis coach Hank Carter agreed with the acquaintance, but only to an extent.
“I think it helps a bit having the film from a year ago,” he said via email. “We at least have an idea how Los Fresnos wanted to attack us a year ago. I’m sure there will be several changes but it’s a good starting point.”
Some of the faces have changed, but both sidelines have plenty of talent.
Los Fresnos has senior Charles Chapa, who is a dual-threat quarterback that can get it done through the air and on the ground. Chapa has thrown for 1,873 yards and 15 touchdowns and has added 841 rushing yards and 15 scores. His top target in the passing game is sophomore receiver Nico Valencia, who has 63 catches for 870 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“We’ve got to be happy with 3-, 4- and 5-yard gains and getting first downs,” Brown said of his offense that averages 29 points per game. “Keeping their offense off the field and moving the ball down the field … we have to keep the chains moving.”
Carter said his defense, which allows nearly 24 points per game, will have to contain both Chapa and junior running back Albert Banuelos.
“Their screen and draw game is as good as we’ve seen all season,” Carter said. “I’m impressed with (Chapa) and (Banuelos) as well … both are elusive. The wide receivers do a nice job catching the deep ball and block well on runs and screens.”
Lake Travis counters with a pass-heavy game from senior quarterback Matthew Baldwin, who has thrown for 3,198 yards and 38 touchdowns. He is also the team’s top rusher with 379 yards and seven scores. Baldwin has thrown to a variety of receivers this year, but junior Garret Wilson (72 catches for 1,370 yards and 20 touchdowns) and sophomore Hudson Card (50 catches for 960 yards and 12 TDs) have been his top targets for an offense that averages 46 points per game.
“We’ve got to try to prevent these big plays … we’ve seen several trick plays (on film),” Brown said. “Lake Travis dominates special teams … they are really trouble on special teams, especially (Wilson).”
For the Cavaliers, they will be tested in the trenches against a Los Fresnos defense that allows just 16 points per game.
“Defensively they run primarily a four down defense,” Carter said. “We haven’t seen much of that lately so it will be a good test for our kids up front to adapt.”
Both teams will look to get off to a quick start and that could be a key to which team comes out on top.
“Lake Travis is going to bring the physicality and playing them last year our kids understand that they’re going to hit us and we’re not going to blow up,” Brown said. “Our kids understand it’s a tall task, we’re still going to have to play out of our shoes to have a chance.”
Added Carter: “We need to take care of the football and tackle better. Those were things that hurt us early in the ball game last week.”
The Falcons know that playing at home in front of an enthusiastic crowd could help them jump out early, but it won’t be easy against Lake Travis, which has won 10 of 11 games after dropping its season opener. A year ago, the teams met on Lake Travis’ home field, and the Falcons had their troubles early as the Cavaliers took advantage and built a big lead by the half on its way to a lopsided victory. Los Fresnos hopes to utilize its homefield advantage to get going on both sides of the ball and hopefully get on the scoreboard early. The Falcons bring plenty of confidence into this game, especially on defense, but the Cavaliers can light up the scoreboard and the unit will get its toughest test of the season. Los Fresnos needs to take advantage of its opportunities on offense and avoid turnovers. The Falcons should face the challenge better than they did last season, but Lake Travis is the defending state champion for a reason and will be tough to knock out.
Prediction: Lake Travis 31, Los Fresnos 17
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.