DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — With his team trailing by 2 at halftime of Friday’s District 31-5A showdown against Roma, Mission Veterans Memorial coach David Gilpin issued a challenge to his defense.
The Patriots had heard all season about concerns those outside the program had about a defense with just one returning starter and seemingly a lot to prove.
“I asked them, at what point do they get tired of the media saying that the only way we’ll win is if our defense steps up?” Gilpin said. “I asked them, at what point do they not take that challenge personally and step up?”
The Patriots answered. Resoundingly.
Mission Vets held Roma scoreless during the second half and pulled away with a 20-16 win at Tom Landry Stadium. The Patriots won their third straight game and improved to 2-0 in 31-5A, while the preseason district favorite Gladiators dropped to 0-2 in district.
After surrendering 250 yards, 161 on the ground, in the first half, Mission Vets (3-1) held Roma (2-2) to 100 in the second. The run-oriented Gladiators averaged 5.8 yards per carry in building a 16-14 halftime lead, but averaged 4.5 per rush in the second half.
“Coach talked about our defense at halftime and it got to us,” senior inside linebacker Juan Barradas said. “He kept emphasizing that we need to do something about what people were saying about our defense. I feel we shut a lot of people up.”
The Patriots only needed Jacob Guerrero’s 9-yard touchdown reception with 21 seconds left in the third quarter to win the game. The score capitalized on a turnover, Roma’s only giveaway of the night.
Roma’s five second-half possessions read: lost fumble, punt, punt, punt, turnover on downs.
In the first half, Roma scored on three of five possessions.
“We just came out with an intensity we didn’t have in the first half,” said Mission Vets senior Roman De Leon, who played receiver, safety and returned kicks. “It was all heart. There were no adjustments or schemes. We executed better than we did in the first half. We just all played harder and played as one and got the job done.”
Roma moved the ball well offensively all night. But a couple of penalties killed opportunities in the red zone. However, its one mistake, a fumble by running back Brian Garcia on Mission Vets’ 7-yard line, eventually led to Guerrero’s score.
“We had opportunities,” Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. said. “We hurt ourselves during key drives with penalties during the second half and right before halftime. We just can’t make mistakes. We had one turnover and it cost us the game.”
Roma was successful sustaining clock-chewing drives in the first half. It wasn’t in the second half, and that was the difference.
With 1:44 left on its own 20-yard line and trailing 20-16, Roma had one last chance to put together a game-winning drive. But quarterback Andy Marroquin threw four consecutive incompletions and Mission Vets walked away a winner.
“Adjustments? There was nothing to adjust to,” Gilpin said. “From the first snap, our coaches did a good job putting our kids in good position. However, their kids ran over our kids in the first half. We had kids in position to make plays in the first half that they didn’t make. We had to make tackles.
“Our defensive kids got off the field in the second half. It’s as simple as that. We just had to finish, make tackles and not get knocked off the ball.”
Damian Villarreal had 104 yards on 13 carries to lead Roma, but only five of those yards came after halftime. Garcia finished with 89 yards on 22 carries, and Marroquin had 46 yards on 10 carries and was responsible for Roma’s only two touchdowns.
All of the Patriots’ scores came via the arm of senior Diego Hernandez. Hernandez completed 24 of 39 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to Buda Gonzalez, who hauled in seven passes for 148 yards.
But Friday was the defense’s night.
Since falling at Harlingen High in Week 1, the Patriots have wins over Mission High, Laredo Martin and now Roma. And in a crucial game of its district season, Mission Vets rode its much-maligned defense, not its electric offense, to a win.
“There’s no excuses anymore,” Gilpin said. “I don’t care about youth, inexperience or having just one starter back. We’ve played four football games, two district games. We’ve played the then-No. 1 team in the Valley, the preseason favorite in our district, we’ve played a rivalry game. We’ve taken it from all different angles right now and we’re OK with it.”