WESLACO — The Weslaco High Panthers possessed the ball for just 2:39 during the second half, all of it coming in the fourth quarter.
Their first possession came eight seconds into the final period, lasting just six plays and 41 seconds before a punt. Their next drive didn’t come until 2:38 left, with the Panthers taking over on their own 7 while facing a four-point deficit.
Cool and collected, the Panthers marched down the field in less than two minutes, with junior quarterback Andres Sepulveda connecting with senior wideout Mekhi Jones for the go-ahead score, and the Panthers defeated the Los Fresnos Falcons 21-17 in the RGVSports.com Game of the Week on Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.
“They didn’t give up. Anybody with less than 40 seconds of possession and having to drive the ball more than 80 yards would have quit,” Weslaco High head coach Roy Stroman said. “That just shows true grit. It shows that there is no quit in this football team. … We saw that they were playing backside man-to-man on him, so we ran an out-and-up. It came down to a best we got vs. a best they got. Fortunately for us, Mekhi got up and made that play.”
Following Jones’ touchdown, the defense left its stamp on the contest, with defensive back Evan Zamora picking off Los Fresnos freshman Robert Pineda to seal the comeback.
The turnover marked the second forced by the Panthers during the second half, with Devin Fuentes forcing a fumble on Pineda on a fourth-and-goal run to start the final period.
“Big-time players come out in big-time games,” Stroman said. “That is what it was tonight. This win tonight is going to bond us. I’m going to let these guys enjoy this one for 24 hours, then we’re going to worry about Brownsville Rivera.”
Trailing the Panthers by two touchdowns, Pineda led the Falcons’ offense down the field late during the second, cutting the deficit to one score on a 9-yard touchdown pass to freshman Lucky Perales with 23 seconds left in the first half.
The touchdown shifted momentum to the Falcons, chewing up nearly six minutes to start the third en route to a 23-yard field goal by JJ Contreras to make it 14-10.
Los Fresnos took it first lead of the game with 6:45 left, with Pineda finding a wide-open Thomas Sandoval for the 23-yard score to cap a 17-0 run by Los Fresnos.
The lead was short-lived however, with the Panthers roaring back for the go-ahead score to pick up their first district win of the year.
“Coach Stroman told us we needed to step it up,” Sepulveda said. “We knew we were better than this. We felt we were the better team. We just needed to prove it and execute, and that is what we did.”
Sepulveda finished 14-of-23 for 224 yards and three touchdowns, each going to different receivers. Jones led all wideouts with four catches for 67 yards and a score. Dohnny Lincoln and Ryan Salazar each hauled in scores for the Panthers.
Pineda went 13-of-23 for 149 yards and two touchdowns, adding 44 yards on the ground. Junior running back Gael Palestina added a game-high 91 yards on 19 carries.
The Panthers (5-2, 1-1) face a quick turnaround, hitting the road Thursday for a game against Brownsville Rivera (2-5, 0-2) at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville. The Falcons (5-2, 1-1) return home for a matchup against Brownsville Hanna (1-6, 0-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.
