RGVSPORTS.COM
Brownsville Lopez looked sharp on both sides of the ball against PSJA Memorial on Thursday and showed how much it has improved since last season.
The Lobos scored on four straight possessions in the first half and never looked back in the 44-0 shutout of the Wolverines at Sams Memorial Stadium.
The Lobos’ defense forced seven punts, getting three turnover on downs over the course of the game, and allowed just 142 yards of offense.
“They were lights out,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “I’m very proud of our defensive coordinator (Hugo Ramirez) and our entire defensive staff, they’ve really done an amazing job, it’s no secret we lost our DC (in the offseason). They rallied around these kids and have inspired them … I’m very proud of our defense getting a zero on the board.”
Lopez running back Ivan Olivo led the offensive surge with two rushing touchdowns — one in each half — and finished with 84 yards on 12 carries as Lopez racked up 414 yards of total offense, including 226 on the ground.
The Wolverines just didn’t get the chains moving and punted on four straight possessions in the first half.
“We’ve had a tough start, but the reality is we have to keep working and keep improving.” PSJA Memorial coach Mike Uribe said. “We have to keep building every single week, find out what type of character we have.”
The Wolverines get a bye before starting district play. Uribe said his team is hurting themselves at times.
“We knew it was going to be a tough task,” he said. “Lopez is a good football team, a well-coached team. This is something that hasn’t happened overnight (for them). We have to control things we can control. Obviously minimize our mistakes, a lot of our mistakes are costing us big.”
SHARYLAND PIONEER 42, LAREDO CIGARROA 0: At Laredo, the Diamondbacks forced five turnovers and earned the first shutout in program history to go to 1-0 in District 31-5A play.
Jacob Rosales threw for three touchdowns, and Alec Garcia (two TDs), Bobby Acosta (TD) and Christian Rivera (TD) also found the end zone. Defensively, outside linebacker Marco Serna collected two interceptions.
Pioneer (2-1) went up 14-0 early in the first quarter and never looked back.
“The main thing I was impressed with was us playing well so early in the game,” Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler said. “We went up early, lost some intensity, and they get in a position to score and we had a goal-line stand. I liked how we got that momentum back and then kept it in the second half.
“When you go on the road, you never know how your kids will respond, so this was a good learning experience and I’m happy we’re 1-0.”
The Diamondbacks enter next week’s bye with some history after one district game.
“We’ve had chances at (shutouts) before, but we’ve always played our (backups) so as to not get anyone hurt,” Wheeler said. “But our backups took some pride in closing out the shutout and getting the job done.”
LA JOYA HIGH 16, DONNA HIGH 0: At La Joya, Coyotes coach Reuben Farias picked up his first career win as La Joya High shut out Donna.
“It was a big relief,” Farias said. “I told them it’s a game I’ll never forget. I was very thankful and overjoyed for them giving me this opportunity to celebrate with them and having this win under my belt for them.”
Irving Garcia and Joseph Moreno scored the Coyotes’ two touchdowns on the ground.
The La Joya High defense, spearheaded by linebacker Rey Hernandez, forced four turnovers. Fernando De La Rosa and Carlos DeLeon had interceptions.
“We stopped the run, and they had one or two running backs who got hurt, and then they went to the passing game,” Farias said.
La Joya High and Donna High are both 1-2.