DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — If Mission Veterans Memorial was going to do something it had failed to do in its two previous District 31-5A games, both defeats, it would have to happen in its biggest game of the season so far.
The Patriots had put themselves in a precarious position by not closing out games in the fourth quarter against Sharyland Pioneer (Week 6) and Laredo Nixon (Week 7). A strong finish would certainly have to be in the cards Friday night against Rio Grande City in a game with huge playoff implications for both teams.
And, indeed, Mission Vets dealed, instead of being dealt.
With the game tied at 20 heading into the final 12 minutes, Mission Vets outscored Rio Grande City by 17 to earn a 51-34 decision in an intense back-and-forth affair at Tom Landry Stadium.
The win put Mission Vets at 4-2 in District 31-5A with games against Sharyland High and Valley View looming. The loss dropped Rio Grande City to 4-3 with a bye next week and a date with Sharyland High in Week 11.
“One of our focuses was winning the fourth quarter,” Mission Vets coach David Gilpin said. “We were there late with Pioneer, and they beat us. We were right there with Nixon, and they beat us. Tonight, we were there and we won the game.
“I don’t know, man,” Gilpin gleefully added. “I’m just happy tonight.”
And the pride of that joy was the play of the run game and defense, two much-maligned aspects of the Patriots this season.
Mission Vets saw the return of lead back Johnny Martinez pay off in the fourth quarter with ball-control runs of 10, 8 and 37 yards, the last leading to quarterback Diego Hernandez’s 16-yard scramble that put Mission Vets up 44-34 with 1:33 left after Rio Grande City scored less than a minute earlier.
As for the defense, the Patriots recovered a fumble on a Rio Grande City kickoff return early in the fourth quarter deep in RGC territory that led to a Landry Gilpin TD reception. After Mission Vets’ Brayan Barrios had nailed a field goal 36 seconds earlier, that Gilpin score turned a tie game into a 30-20 Mission Vets lead 40 seconds into the final stanza.
And with the Rattlers threatening late, down 10 with about 90 seconds left, Jacob Garcia returned an interception 65 yards for the final score.
“We knew we had to win to control our own destiny, so we played desperate,” said Hernandez, who completed 36 of 47 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns while running for two more scores. “That’s what we did. We fought and played until the end. We held ourselves together.
“We won that fourth quarter tonight, and it was our best of the game.”
Rio Grande City started strong when Israel Lambert took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a score. The game was 14-13, in the Rattlers’ favor, at halftime.
But Rio Grande City couldn’t keep up. Injuries occurred along the defensive line, and the Rattlers’ two giveaways during the second half were big considering Mission Vets did not turn the ball over and scored on all five of its second-half possessions.
Hernandez was the key. He completed passes to five different receivers and picked his spots well. Rio Grande City was not able to get pressure on him, and the Rio Grande Valley’s most prolific passer took advantage.
“We were chipping way and taking what they gave us, and that was the short stuff all night to the outside receivers,” Hernandez said. “Our receivers got open, our O-line did an amazing job protecting and we played all-around great.”
Gilpin was the beneficiary of the offense’s brilliance, catching 16 passes for 186 yards and scoring on catches of 26, 4, 19 and 28 yards, respectively. With the Rattlers’ attention geared toward the Patriots’ and the district’s No. 1 wideout Jacob Guerrero, who still caught eight passes for 81 yards, Gilpin was free to roam.
“It’s like when people try and cover Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams is open,” Hernandez said. “It all works out.”
While the loss significantly hampered the Rattlers’ postseason hopes, it did not end them. Rio Grande City needs help. It needs Laredo Nixon to beat Sharyland High on Saturday, and Mission Vets to beat Sharyland High next week. If that happens, it sets up a showdown in two weeks between both Rattlers teams. If Rio Grande City wins, it is in and Sharyland High is out.
“Our boys showed a lot of character. Mission Vets is a good team,” Rio Grande City coach Aaron Garcia said. “We’re not out of it yet, not mathematically. There’s still hope that we have one more game for a playoff spot. We have to hang on to that.
“This season hasn’t gone how everyone thought it was going to go, no one even picked us to be in this position, so we have hopes that it will happen for us.”
As for the Patriots, they’re not securely in the playoffs, but went a long way in getting there with Friday’s result.
“We knew our playoff backs were against the wall,” Gilpin said. “We came out swinging and that was our mentality tonight. In our seven years as a coaching staff going into this season, we’d only missed the playoffs once. So we challenged our kids. How do you want to be remembered? Do they want to be the second bunch that misses the postseason?
“I think they gave us a resounding ‘no’ tonight. We’ve got ourselves in position now to get there.”