Los Fresnos beat Weslaco in double OT

November 12,2005
By Roy Hess
The Brownsville Herald


 

WESLACO, November 12, 2005 — The Los Fresnos Falcons have a seemingly unlimitless supply of fantastic finishes this football season.

The latest thriller took place Friday night at Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey Stadium as the Falcons prevailed over the Weslaco Panthers 44-41 on Pablo Degollado’s 36-yard field goal in the second overtime.

The Class 5A Division II bi-district win gives the Falcons their first-ever playoff victory at the 5A level and advances them to the second round of the postseason against Laredo United. Details of next week’s Los Fresnos-United matchup were to be finalized this weekend.

Although their were many standouts on both teams throughout the night, Degollado, the Falcons’ kicker, emerged as the hero of the moment.

"I just want to thank my team for blocking for me," Degollado said. "I know we had some rough times during the game, but in the moment of truth, we came through.

"I’m just a kicker," he added. "Tell me to kick it and I’ll kick it."

Los Fresnos, now 9-2, scored on four of its first six possessions in the first half to take a 27-7 lead at intermission. But Weslaco, now 7-4, fought back with four straight second-half touchdowns to go up 34-27 on Alfonzo Narvaez’s third touchdown run on a 16-yard burst with 3:07 left in regulation.

Los Fresnos put together a nine-play, 70-yard game-tying drive and scored with 36 seconds showing in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard pass from Brandon Kretz to Billy Walsdorf. Degollado’s extra-point kick deadlocked the score at 34-34.

Los Fresnos went on offense first in the initial overtime period and scored on a 3-yard pass from Kretz to Justin Springer. Degollado’s kick made it 41-34.

Weslaco responded by scoring on Juan Villegas’ 10-yard run to make it 41-41 after Jose Cruz’s kick.

The Panthers went on offense first in the second OT and on their first play, Narvaez gained 8 yards up the middle before a jarring hit knocked the ball loose and Walsdorf recovered it for the Falcons.

Needing only a field goal, the Falcons played it safe on their second-OT offensive possession and ran the ball three times up the middle for six yards before Degollado came on to boot a 36-yarder on a low arc that seemed to clear the crossbar with no much elevation to spare. But the kick was good and the Falcons move on.

"We made a decision that we were either going to run it in (on the second OT) or let Pablo kick a field goal," Los Fresnos coach Scott Ford said. "Over the last two years, every big field goal that he’s had to make, he’s made it. He’s got that much confidence, so we decided to put it on his foot."

Luis Campos led the rushing attack for the Falcons by gaining 211 yards on 32 carries and scoring on runs of 34 and 40 yards in the second quarter.

Kretz completed 18 of 29 passes for 186 yards and three TDs. He also ran 18 yards for another score.

Weslaco was sparked by the running of Narvaez and Mishak Rivas, who gained 206 and 114 yards, respectively. Narvaez scored three times and Rivas twice, including a 71-yard scamper that was the first Weslaco TD to keep the Panthers from getting blown out of the contest when they were down 20-0 early in the second quarter.

"We had already been in the scenario of being down 27-7 against Edinburg earlier this season, so told our guys to keep fighting and never give up," Weslaco coach Tony Villarreal said. "We asked them to give everything they had and they did. Our seniors did a heck of a job. Our guys played their hearts out."

rhess@brownsvilleherald.com