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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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RAMS HEADED TO ALAMODOME
Published November 22, 2009
SAN ANTONIO — This year’s Del Rio Rams varsity football team continues to add to its legacy.
Trailing at two different times in the contest, the Rams rallied to score a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns and defeat the Edinburg Bobcats, 22-12, at San Antonio’s Alamo Stadium to advance to the Class 5A, Division I Region IV Semifinals against the Clark Cougars, who defeated Austin Bowie Friday night.
The semifinal game will be played Friday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Edinburg received the opening kickoff and proceeded to march down the field, using a potent passing game to put the Rams’ “Wrecking Crew” defense on its heels.
But after Cody Brooks broke up a pair of Bobcat passes, putting Edinburg in a 4th-and-11 situation at the Del Rio 29-yard line, Del Rio’s Esteven Hernandez picked off a Steven Guerrero pass to bring the Rams’ offense out on the field for the first time in the contest.
The Rams used their familiar “ground and pound” offense as Josh Washington carried the ball three consecutive times to the Rams’ 37-yard line. But on the next play, Edinburg’s Aaron Sifuentes picked off a Michael Wancho pass and returned it to the Del Rio 31.
A pair of pass from Guerrero to Jaime Sauceda and Deandric Maxwell moved the Bobcats to the Del Rio 3-yard line. Sauceda ran it in from there to put the Bobcats up 6-0. However, Marco Cantu’s extra point attempt was wide and the lead remained six.
The two teams traded punts on each of their next two possessions. The Bobcats regained possession after Del Rio’s third punt, and Edinburg looked to take advantage.
The Bobcats mixed up runs with passes and eventually moved inside the Del Rio 40-yard line. On 1st-and-10 from the Rams’ 36, Maxwell took the handoff and was almost immediately hit by Del Rio linebacker Cory James. The ball was jarred loose and scooped up by defensive end Johnny Sanders.
Sanders took off down the near sideline, sidestepping would-be tacklers and shrugging off tackle attempts before he reached the end zone for what appeared to be the tying touchdown. But the play was called back after Washington was flagged for an illegal block and the Rams were forced to start their next drive at their own 49, still down by six.
Del Rio still couldn’t get its offense moving, eventually losing 22 yards on penalties and a nine-yard loss by Wancho, so Ty Fondren was sent back out punt.
At that point the Bobcats had only be able to return one of Fondren’s punt, and returner Treviño signaled for another fair catch on Fondren’s next punt. But Treviño muffed the punt and after a mad scramble, Del Rio’s Rey Garza came up with the loose ball at the Edinburg nine-yard line.
Two plays later, Washington ran it in from one-yard out and the Rams tied the game at 6-6. Jesus Sanchez’s extra point try was good and Del Rio took its first lead, 7-6.
A rejuvenated Rams defense began applying pressure to Guerrero. After he completed a 13-yard pass to Noe Gonzalez, the Rams forced three consecutive incomplete passes and another punt by Isaac Escobar.
The Rams couldn’t take advantage of the stop and punted the ball back to Edinburg. Juan “Cowboy” Sanchez downed the ball, and the first half came to an end.
Del Rio took the opening kick of the second half and immediately began gashing Edinburg’s defense. Washington gained 12 yards on his first carry. On his second carry, he burst through the hole created by his offensive line and rumbled 15 yards before he lost control of the ball and fumbled it away. Edinburg’s Salvador Martinez picked the ball up on the bounce and returned it to the Del Rio 35.
Two plays later, Guerrero used play action to freeze the Rams defense and hit a wide open Treviño for a 30-yard touchdown pass and put the Bobcats back on top, 12-7. Edinburg tried to rush for the two-point conversion, but he was swallowed up by the Rams’ defense and the lead remained five.
Del Rio picked up a first down on its next drive when Wancho connected with Weston Morgan for 14 yards, but a sack of Wancho and an incomplete pass brought out Fondren again to punt, which was not returned.
Edinburg looked to ice the game as a 26-yard run by Aaron Gonzalez moved the Bobcats out to midfield. Two plays later, Guerrero hit Manny Menchaca for a 12-yard gain to move the Bobcats to Del Rio’s 38.
Brooks stepped up to drop Treviño for a three-yard loss. The defense then brought Guerrero down for a two-yard loss, and Sanders’ pursuit forced Guerrero to fire the ball out of bounds to bring up another Escobar punt.
As the third quarter came to an end, the Rams were moving the ball down the field.
Washington and John Steed alternated carries until Del Rio was at the Edinburg 40. On third down, Wancho dropped back to pass, but after he couldn’t find an open receiver he pulled the ball down and raced down the field for 18 yards and a first down.
Washington got the call on the next play. He first went left, was pursued across the field toward the right sideline, and the came back toward the near sideline, picking up blocks from D.W. Senney and Wancho and eventually gaining three yards.
Four plays later, Washington took the pitch and outraced the Bobcats defense to the left side of the end zone and put the Rams on top, 13-12. Del Rio went for two, and Wancho hit a leaping Jeff McDaniels for the two-point conversion to give the Rams a 15-12 lead with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.
Jesus Sanchez’s kickoff sailed into the end zone and Edinburg downed the ball to start its next drive at the 20-yard line. On Edinburg’s first play from scrimmage, Guerrero tried to hit Menchaca on the near sideline but Del Rio’s Kevin Pierre-Louis stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it at the Bobcats’ 28 yard line.
Del Rio nearly wasted the opportunity. After a three-yard gain by Washington on first down, he lost the handle on the ball on second down and had to make a diving catch to retain possession.
On third-and-15, Washington took the pitch and headed left, but he then stopped and heaved pass downfield toward Brooks. The throw was too strong and landed over Brooks’ head and out of bounds.
Facing fourth down at the Bobcats’ 34, Washington’s number was called again. Again he headed left and again he stopped, but this time he turned to his right and heaved a pass toward a wide-open Morgan. Morgan caught the pass at the five-yard line, picked up a block from Wancho, and scored. Sanchez’s kick made it 22-12 with 7:24 remaining.
Edinburg tried to answer as Guerrero found Gonzalez for a 20-yard gain to the Bobcats’ 46, but McDaniels made a leaping interception of a Guerrero pass and Del Rio’s offense came back on the field with just over six minutes remaining in the contest.
The Rams tried to milk the clock with its running game as Steed carried the ball five consecutive times, picking up 17 yards to midfield. But when the drive stalled, Fondren punted the ball back to Edinburg and watched it be downed at the Bobcats’ 19.
On first down Guerrero was sacked by Joey Guzman, Juan “Cowboy” Sanchez and a host of other Rams. On second down, Brooks chased Guerrero out of bounds for only a four-yard gain. On third down, Sanchez struck again, sacking Guerrero for a nine-yard loss and bringing Escobar out to punt.
Again Del Rio tried to run the clock out, but after each kneel attempt by Wancho, the Bobcats would call a timeout to stop the clock. The game was delayed further when the Rams were forced to have to clear ice off the field as a result of a premature Gatorade bath for head coach Steve Hoffman.
With eight seconds remaining Fondren punted the ball to the Bobcats. Guerrero was able to hit Menchaca for a 19-yard pass, but he was tackled at the 32-yard line as time expired.
Friday’s game between the Rams and Clark will be the first time the two teams will meet since Del Rio was moved out of District 27-5A after the 2007 season.
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