Falcons finish regular season undefeated, claim 32-5A crown

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

WESLACO - Los Fresnos quarterback Jeremy Springer was indeed a man on a mission Friday night.

Whether it was running, passing or leading his team down the field, the goal was the District 32-5A championship.

Mission accomplished.

Springer combined for 339 yards and four touchdowns as Los Fresnos topped Weslaco 42-39 in a barnburner at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

"I had to step up," Springer said. "I can run the ball."

The Falcons (7-0 district, 10-0 overall) will face PSJA High in bi-district next week, with date and site to be determined this morning.

"He had to step up because we lost both of our tailbacks (to injury)," Los Fresnos coach Scott Ford said. "He stepped up and made plays."

The title is the second for Ford, who guided them to a perfect season and title at the 4A level in 2002.

"It feels good. It was everything it was stacked up to be," Ford said. "These kids reached down deep and they accomplished it. They'll have this the rest of their lives."

Weslaco (6-1, 8-2) will face Harlingen in the next round at Bobby Lackey Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

"Well, you gotta look for the good things in a loss," Weslaco coach Tony Villarreal said. "That's a good football team over there. We moved the ball on 'em, and we knew whoever had the ball last would win."

As expected, the game was a back-and-forth affair from the start.

The Panthers took the opening possession and gave Los Fresnos a steady dose of its outstanding ground game. Mishak Rivas, who finished with 271 yards and five touchdowns, punched in his first on a 31-yard scamper. Jose Cruz's point-after made it 7-0 Weslaco.

"We knew going in he (Rivas) was going to get his yards," Ford said. "He's just that good and they (Weslaco) have that good of an offense."

For the night, Weslaco piled up 424 yards on the ground.

But Los Fresnos answered right away and reached into the bag for its first score when Esia Rivera scored on a 65-yard reverse to tie the game after Pablo Degollado nailed the first of six extra points.

Rivas then got the flashbulbs working again, racing 63 yards to paydirt. The extra point was blocked by Los Fresnos' Justin Springer, and Trinidad Garza returned it for a would-be two points, however it was negated by penalty to keep it 13-7 Panthers at the 8:20 mark in the first.

After the Falcons' Luis Campos traded scores with Rivas, there was no score again until the second quarter, when Springer took it upon himself and darted 26 yards for a score. Degollado's point-after made it 21-19 with 1:54 left in the first half.

With no timeouts, the Panthers drove down the field and Rivas' 7-yard run gave Weslaco a 27-21 lead they took into the intermission. A two-point conversion run by Dylan DeLeon gave them the cushion.

Then the second half came.

Jorge Mata got it started with a nice 38-yard reception from Springer to race to paydirt. Mata was sensational, catching six passes for 147 yards with two TDs.

However, the drive proved costly, as Luis Campos sprained an ankle and would not return.

The Los Fresnos defense, which gave up 303 total yards in the first half, buckled down with a couple of key stops.

They forced the Panthers to turn it over on downs on the next possession, and later turned the trick again on Weslaco's next drive.

"Overall, I'm pleased with the defense because they played their best football in the fourth quarter," Ford said of his defense.

The two stops sandwiched Springer's second touchdown, a two-yarder which made it 35-27 Los Fresnos with 5:40 left in the third.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, they too turned it over on downs despite Siriboto Rareba stepping in for Campos in a big way. Rareba ran swiftly, finishing with 78 yards on eight carries.

Rivas then proved why he's perhaps the most electrifying back in the Valley. He took a handoff, ran around end and galloped 25 yards for the score to close the gap to 35-33 with 6:30 left in the game.

An onside kick was recovered by Los Fresnos, and Mata made it count with a nice circus catch for 33 yards. The Degollado PAT pushed it to 42-33.

Four plays, later, DeLeon took to the skies and found his deep target, Pepe Cabrera, for a 40-yard bomb to close the gap to 42-39 with 3:51 to go.

A two-point attempt to Cabrera was no good and the Falcons ran out the clock thereafter and the celebration began.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Esia Rivera, the Falcon receiver who upped his league-leading reception total to 42. "This is what we worked for all year and you can't beat a band of brothers."

Nov 11, 2006 - 01:19:21 CST