Late-game rally lifts Los Fresnos

By ARMANDO GARZA
armandog@valleystar.com
956-421-9874

SAN BENITO - If the rest are like this, Bobby Morrow Stadium is going to be a very popular place.

Los Fresnos scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter against San Benito, overcoming three second-half fumbles to beat the Greyhounds 38-35 in the latest barnburner between the two.

With the win, Los Fresnos ups its record to 6-0 and 3-0 in District 32-5A and has grabbed a stranglehold of the top spot in the district. Only Weslaco remains on par with the Falcons in district play.

Los Fresnos head coach Scott Ford said he knew the Greyhounds would play tough, and the win shows that his team can get the hard wins.

"It's huge for a couple of different reasons. Number one, we're 3-0 in district," Ford said. "Number two, it shows we can come to a hostile place and buckle down and win a game."

After going up 24-14 at halftime, the Falcons lost three fumbles in the third quarter, two of them by tailback Luis Campos. The two fumbles helped San Benito (2-1, 4-2) get back in the game in the second half.

At the time, things looked grim for Los Fresnos, but Ford said he felt worse for his workhorse Campos, who would later make it up by totaling 167 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.

"I was more disappointed for Luis, because he was devastated," Ford said. "But he's our guy. We'll win with him, we'll lose with him. I wouldn't trade him for a million dollars."

In the third quarter, things got pretty interesting, to say the least.

After forcing the first Falcon punt of the game in the third, San Benito marched down the field and Jonathan Medrano scored on a 1-yard dive to close the gap to 24-21 with 6:44 left in the quarter.

On its next drive, Los Fresnos temporarily lost quarterback Jeremy Springer for one play to due to injury and it proved to be big. Backup quarterback Danny Silva lost the snap and the fumble gave it back to the 'Hounds in prime position to score.

San Benito took over at the Falcon 12, and two plays later cashed in the Los Fresnos miscue when Raymond De Los Santos hit Greg Castillo on a pretty corner pass from seven yards out. The Ricky Rodriguez PAT gave the 'Hounds the lead at 28-24 still in the third.

De Los Santos had a good game on the ground, rushing 16 times for 100 yards. Through the air, he finished 10-for-27 for 118 yards and three scores, each of them to Castillo.

The Falcons got it back, and after a productive 78-yard drive, Campos coughed the ball up at the 1-yard line and San Benito recovered in the end zone for the touchback.

After Campos' second fumble, the teams traded punts until San Benito put a stake through the hearts of the Falcons, albeit temporarily.

De Los Santos hit Castillo for his third TD of the game, this time on a nice, 25-yard pass and San Benito was in command at 35-24 with just over seven minutes remaining. Castillo finished with 82 yards on seven catches with the three scores.

But that's when the Falcons dug deep and showed why they're one of the area's elite teams.

On a big fourth-and-one on their own 49, Campos was clutch and took a handoff and zigzagged his way 51 yards for the much-needed score to close it to 35-30. A two-point conversion try failed and the score remained with 6:08 to go in the game.

An onsides kick by Los Fresnos was unsuccessful, but San Benito committed its biggest mistake shortly thereafter.

A fumble by Abel Aguirre gave the ball, and momentum, back to the Falcons and both coaches underlined the play's importance.

"We were struggling for most of the second half," Ford said. "That there, if I had to pick one play, the most pivotal play we had all night."

Peña said the miscue gave the Falcons second life that ultimately decided the game.

"It's like I told the kids, 'When you've got 'em down, you can't give them an opportunity (to get back in the game)'," he said.

On its first play from scrimmage, Springer hit Esia Rivera for 44 big yards to put Los Fresnos at the Greyhound six-yard line.

Meanwhile, Springer, who had 63 yards and two touchdowns on the night, took care of things on the very next play with the six-yard score to give the Falcons the lead back. Campos capped his performance with a two-point conversion for the final margin. Rivera had another monster outing, upping his district-leading total by catching seven passes for 134 yards.

For the evening, Springer was 16-of-31 passing for 249 yards.

"I think it shows what a great player he is, because he was under siege all night," Ford said of his signal-caller. "San Benito has an awesome defense and they put pressure on everybody they play."

Peña said the loss was tough to take, but he said his Greyhounds must press on in district.

"Our challenge now, is how we bounce back," Peña said. "We can play with anybody. But ultimately, we shot ourselves in the foot. We gotta run the table now."

Oct 14, 2006 - 01:01:43 CDT