BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
SPRING — Two weeks ago, Mission Veterans’ 7on7 team missed out on a golden opportunity to qualify for the state tournament.
The Patriots played host to a state-qualifying tournament at Patriot Field, Mission Veterans’ on-campus football field, and lost a 21-8 first half lead in the second half to Laredo Alexander in the championship game.
Mission Veterans punched their ticket into the quarterfinal round representing Pool C at Friday’s state-qualifying tournament at The Farm League Park in Spring. While the Patriots nursed a two-point lead late in the second half, referees awarded Katy Tompkins two extra downs of offense, allowing the Falcons to knock off the Patriots 38-34.
The Patriots’ 7on7 game was played on the same field as another quarterfinal game with the same timekeeper counting down the 20-minute halves of both games. Because of an injury on the other side of the field ruined the time flow of that game, officials decided it’d be best to simulate the same conditions for the Katy Tompkins-Mission Veterans game, resulting in two extra untimed downs for the Falcons.
Mission Veterans batted away Katy Tompkins’ first desperation throw for the end zone. Tompkins’ last pass was tipped by Mission Vets’ Andrew Alvarez but the ball ricocheted into the hands of a Tompkins receiver for the winning touchdown.
“They were putting different guys out there, so it was a little confusing,” Mission Veterans quarterback Landry Gilpin said of the game’s final moments. “But in the end, we came out and we got our work in.”
Mission Vets swept through Houston Sam Houston, Alief Taylor and The Woodlands John Cooper — three Greater Houston-area teams — in pool play.
“We buckled down defensively against John Cooper,” Mission Veterans 7on7 interim coach Art Flores said. “They made some adjustments but we were able to get stops. They may have the size but we had the heart.”
“Our playbook is pretty complicated with what we do, so one thing we learned is people still had trouble blocking and covering our routes even with the size differences,” Gilpin said. “Our offense proved that it could score on anybody and our defense can stop almost anybody.”
Midway through the first half, wide receiver Mikey Garcia hurt his left ankle in the quarterfinal game and he did not return. Garcia walked with a noticeable limp after the ankle was taped.
“I was also getting beat because my right groin had also been hurting me for awhile,” Garcia said. “Hurting the ankle killed any hope of me getting back out there. There’s not much I could do about that.”
The 7on7 season has benefitted the Patriots, especially wide receiver A.J. Gonzaque. He is working himself back into shape after tearing his left ACL two weeks before what would have been his first varsity game versus Harlingen High last August. The tear kept him out for the entire 2017 season.
“I feel a lot stronger now,” Gonzaque said. “I got to see how cornerbacks played (wide receiver) John (Aguilar) or how (quarterback) Landry (Gilpin) threw the ball for certain routes. This was something I wanted to do going into my sophomore year. I think it’s going to be a great year for John, Mikey, me and our whole core.”