Adam Kujawski, Staff Writer
The Rivera Raiders earned their first win of the season Friday night, a 24-9 victory over the Lopez Lobos at Sams Memorial Stadium.
An uncharacteristically strong Raiders rushing attack that compiled over 200 yards made the difference in this contest. Lopez had multiple opportunities to answer Rivera scores throughout the night, but failed to do so.
Draining the clock was a key contributor to defeating the Lobos.
“It was very important (to get the running game going),” Raiders coach Tom Chavez said.
The Raiders (1-5, 1-2) set the stage early with a 12-play, seven-minute touchdown drive that covered 75 yards. It was capped by a 13-yard strike by Danny Elizondo to Edward Rubio and gave Rivera a 7-0 lead.
Lopez (0-6, 0-3) got on the board next, but not until the second quarter. The Lobos took advantage of a fumble recovery deep in Rivera territory when Mike Vasquez found J.J. Mercado alone in the end zone. Lopez trimmed the deficit to one point after it failed to punch the ball in for the two-point conversion.
This was the only time the Lobos took advantage of a red zone opportunity, an area in which Lopez coach Jason Starkey understands needs improvement.
“We moved the ball, we just didn’t do a good enough job in scoring position,” he said.
A 26-yard field goal by Chelin Martinez and an 8-yard reception by Rubio from Elizondo for their second connection of the night closed out the half to put Rivera ahead 17-6.
The third quarter was relatively uneventful. Lopez scored on a 42-yard field goal by Julio De La Garza to trim the Raiders’ lead by three.
“We played hard enough to win, but Lopez is playing well, too,” Chavez said. “I think they’re going to win some games down the road.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. We still have four games left. There’s a lot of scenarios left for us and a lot of scenarios for everyone else, we’ve just got to keep working hard.”
Rivera didn’t let the Lobos get closer. Elizondo hit Sammy Orive from 23 yards out for a touchdown, and when Lopez tried to answer on the following drive the Raiders forced a turnover on downs and proceeded to wind the clock down with a series of first downs via the run.
Though his team remains winless, Starkey preferred to focus on the silver linings.
“I’m proud of the way my kids compete,” he said. “They competed at a very high level tonight. (The game) didn’t go our way, but I’m proud of the character that’s developed in these kids. I’m proud of the direction this program’s going, and I’m encouraged about the future of Lopez. It’s not going to be the same old place, and I’m excited about that for these young men.”
Next week, Rivera will play the Harlingen South Hawks at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Harlingen. Lopez takes on the Hanna Golden Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.