By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
LA JOYA — Whatever questions one might have had for Rio Grande City coach Carlos Longoria following his team’s 35-34 overtime win over La Joya Palmview always came back to one word: resiliency.
Whether it was an interception that gave Palmview its first lead of the game in the fourth quarter or a fumble recovery for a touchdown shortly thereafter that was called back, the Rattlers stayed the course Saturday, despite one missed opportunity after another.
Even after a two-point conversion, which would’ve given the Rattlers a one-point edge inside of a minute to play, was wiped away, Rio Grande City drilled the point-after attempt, from 10 yards back after a penalty, to force overtime.
“Every time they hit us with something, we answered back,” Longoria said.
The Rattlers opened the extra session with a 25-yard scoring run by Casimiro Olivarez — the last of his 22 carries for 196 yards and three touchdowns — as the team finished with 320 yards of offense. Then, after Palmview scored on a 12-yard reception, the Rattlers stuffed offensive lineman Arturo Gutierrez on his two-point attempt, just one yard shy of the end zone, effectively ending the game.
“Our kids rose to the occasion,” Longoria said. “They were very resilient. It was a tremendous job.
“Physically, (the Lobos) were much bigger than we were, but again, it goes back to the resiliency. They played with pride.”
The win helped Rio Grande City atone for last week’s 13-6 loss to Port Isabel, which was also marred by a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty. Just three weeks into the season, the Rattlers (2-1) have already matched last year’s win total.
“It’s a very big win because it shows we have the ability to beat a playoff team,” Olivarez said. “We just shocked the Valley.”
The game was filled with plenty of twists and turns, such as a bad RGC snap on fourth-and-11 from the 49-yard line, which allowed Palmview to take over at the opposing 23 and score on the first snap. The Rattlers countered immediately after the gaffe, when Jesus Oviedo scored on a 99-yard kickoff return with 4:44 to play in the second quarter, taking a 21-6 lead.
Even though it allowed 435 yards, including 220 and three TDs to Joel Pine, the RGC defense came up with big stops. It stopped Palmview’s first two point-after attempts — a run that came up yards short, and a kick that was tipped. The biggest block of all, however, came at the tail end of regulation.
With a minute to play, Palmview marched 55 yards on seven plays, setting up Jorge Garcia’s 37-yard field goal with 6.8 seconds remaining. Victor Martinez then split the offensive line and tipped the ensuing attempt, preserving a 28-all tie that led to overtime.
“We should’ve had the game,” said Palmview coach Margarito Requenez, whose team dropped to 2-1. “We didn’t take care of the ball at the end and it showed. There’s no excuse. Our kids played their best. I’ll take the blame for this one.
“It’s only one loss. It’s not the end of the season. They just have to regroup, and we’ll be back next weekend.”