By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — A Snakeskin Classic? Perhaps next year.
For now, the inaugural version of this inner-city rivalry seems very much in the hands of Sharyland High, especially after picking apart Sharyland Pioneer in a 58-6 victory Friday at Richard Thompson Stadium.
The biggest takeaway?
Sharyland (7-1 overall, 4-0 District 31-5A) punched in its postseason ticket, winning its fourth consecutive game and 30th in 31 regular-season games dating back to 2011.
“It feels great,” Sharyland High’s Loredo Guerra said. “Clinching a playoff berth is always good, but that’s not where we want to stop. We want to keep going. Go deep in the playoffs, make a big run.”
The Rattlers scored in the air, on the ground and everywhere in between, including on a pair of interceptions.
Sean Landez returned a laser pass from Pioneer quarterback Alejandro Ramirez for a 25-yard score. Later, defensive end Beto Ruiz picked off another Ramirez attempt for a 35-yard TD.
Then in the fourth quarter, the Rattlers recovered a Pioneer fumble following a fourth-down punt. Four plays later, Robbie Gonzalez found the end zone on a 9-yard run for the final margin.
“We just got that momentum and kept it on our side,” Sharyland coach Ron Adame.
The Rattlers churned out 490 yards of offense, 291 coming with their ground game. Mauricio Martinez rushed for 95 yards on six carries, scoring twice. Gonzalez ran 11 times for 57 yards. And Lance Madden, who completed 5 of 7 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 95 on six plays.
“Running-wise, we did pretty good,” Martinez said. “We didn’t expect this, but it was good.”
By halftime, Sharyland had accumulated 190 rushing yards, 177 passing, leading to a 37-6 lead at the break. Momentum swung in the Rattlers favor following the first Pioneer interception, when Cole took a short pass from Madden early in the second quarter and zipped by the Diamondbacks defense for an 80-yard TD and 20-0 lead.
Guerra scored twice — first on a 1-yard plunge to break a scoreless tie, then on a 15-yarder from Madden. Guerra finished with 77 yards of total offense on seven plays.
ROUGH NIGHT
Pioneer (3-6, 1-4) had 13 offensive possesions Friday, and only five of those were extended beyond four plays. Ramirez threw two interceptions and the Diamondbacks coughed up the ball on a fumbled punt return late.
The offense struggled, to say the least, producing 70 rushing yards on 32 carries. Its aerial attack fared slightly better outside of the two interceptions. Between Ramirez and backup Alec Garcia, the Diamondbacks completed 10 of 24 passes for 84 yards.
“I think the turning point was the (first) interception,” Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler said. “They got a quick score off that. They had the momentum going (after Cole scored) and then it snowballed.
“But we’ll be alright. The kids fought hard and we didn’t hang our heads.”
UP NEXT
Pioneer will now turn its attention over to Roma (3-4-1, 1-3) in Week 10. The winner will likely wind up with the fourth and final playoff spot in District 31-5A, as Pioneer has a bye in Week 11 and Roma will close against Valley View.
“We just got to rally,” Wheeler said. “We understand that we still have a chance to make the playoffs. We just have to see who’s healthy, who’s not and play well against Roma. It’s basically a playoff game, in my opinion. And if we win, we get to play another game.”
“We still have a lot to play for and not a lot of teams do,” Wheeler added. “So we’re going to regroup and circle the wagon.”
Roma takes a three-game skid and bye heading into that Friday night matchup, having lost to Edinburg Vela, Mission Veterans Memorial and Sharyland, respectively.
INJURED
Diamondbacks fullback Gabriel Benavides went down with 2:09 to play in the opening half. The junior, who ran for no gain on that one attempt, was carted off the field after a 12-minute break in action.
Benavides sustained what is believed to be an arm injury. There’s no timetable set for his return.