Falcon ‘D’ charged with stopping Chapparals

November 29, 2006 — Old adages got that way because they’re usually true.

So rather than challenge conventional wisdom, the Los Fresnos Falcons will try and see if their defense can help win them a state championship.

Granted, that’s a lot to ask of a unit that’s given up 126 points in its last four games, and when its next task is stopping Austin Westlake — it borders on the impossible.

“It’s a tall order,” said Los Fresnos coach Scott Ford, whose team will face the Chaparrals in a Class 5A Division I regional quarterfinal playoff match-up 2 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Victoria. “They’re by far the best offensive football team we’ve played.”

The Chaparrals (9-2) are potent, spearheaded by quarterback Nick Foles, who’s thrown for more than 2,000 yards this year with 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions. His arm is complimented by a dual threat at running back with Bron Hager and Max Minor combining for 1,348 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season. But for the Falcons (12-0), a phenomenal defensive effort doesn’t mean they have to grind the Chaps’ offense to a halt. Simply slowing them down would do just fine.

“The object is not necessarily to go out there and expect (the defense) to shut them out,” Ford said. “The object is to find a way to win the game.”

The defense has played just well enough all season to keep Los Fresnos’ record unblemished. Although they’ve given up a hefty amount of points per game, the Falcons always manage to wind up in the win column. However, most of the thanks should likely go an offense that averages about 40 points per game.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t’ even look at the stat sheet,” said Los Fresnos defensive coordinator Jason Wheeler. “They’re going to move the ball on us, and we know that they’re going to score some points. We’ve just got to make some plays and get the ball to our offense as much as possible.”

One of the luxuries of having a great offense is being able to gamble, and Wheeler and the Falcons are at a point in the season where they can afford to throw all of their chips on the table.

“We’ve got one of the best offenses in the state,” Wheeler said. “That takes the pressure off us because we can be aggressive at times when maybe we shouldn’t because our offense can score some points…we’re going at them all guns blazing. We’re not going to hold anything back. We’re going down there to win the game.”

The Falcons have been mercurial on the defensive side of the ball all season and the same holds true through their first two playoff games. The defense opened the postseason with a disappointing effort against PSJA High, but the Falcons still managed to eke out a 45-38 win.

Last week was a little more encouraging for the coaching staff.

Despite giving up nearly 300 yards rushing, the Falcons made stops when they needed to and beat La Joya 55-28 in a game that was essentially over at halftime.

“Overall that’s the best we’ve played in a while,” Ford said. “I think any time you play well it builds momentum and breeds confidence. Our kids are ready to go.”

There are plenty of reasons for each defense to fired up in a game that will likely be headlined by two dominant offenses.

“They’re a well disciplined team and so are we, so we’re going to match up pretty well,” Los Fresnos defensive end John Rodriguez said. “It’s going to be a pretty intense game.”

Having been overshadowed most of the year by a talented offense, the Falcons feel like they’re ready to put together a complete performance. And they couldn’t have picked a better stage to do it on than playing against a traditional state powerhouse in the Chaparrals.

“We want a show that a lower Valley team can beat an upper-state team,” said linebacker Jacob Betancourt. “We just want to do our best and show everybody that we’re pretty good too.”

ccobb@brownsvilleherald.com