HIDALGO — Mission High’s season came to a close Friday night as the Eagles lost to the Los Fresnos Falcons 56-14 in Region IV-6A Division I playoff action at Bill Pate Memorial Stadium.
The Falcons (7-3, 5-2) advance to the area round to face San Antonio Brennan (10-0, 8-0), while the Eagles finish the year 7-4 overall and 6-2 in district competition.
“It’s not the outcome we wanted, but at the end of the day, it’s one of those things where we have to handle adversity better,” Mission High first-year head coach Daniel Longoria said. “I think moving forward with our kids in the offseason, it’s a lesson to be learned that when you prepare for big games like this, you have to have a good mindset, be mentally prepared and be able to overcome adversity.”
The adversity Mission High faced was largely due to the play of Los Fresnos senior Hector Muniz.
A versatile offensive weapon, Muniz got the job done as a ball carrier and receiver for the Falcons and diced the Mission High defense for 196 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. He scored three during the first half to give Los Fresnos a 35-14 halftime lead.
“We just followed the game plan the coaches drew up for us. We knew Mission was going to be a tough team, so we stuck to the game plan,” Muniz said. “It feels good to provide that spark and help my team come out victorious.”
Mission High’s success came during the first quarter as senior quarterback Kevin Guerra connected with senior receiver Josiah Guzman for a pair of Eagles touchdowns. The first was a 7-yard slant, and was followed by an 89-yard catch-and-run by Guzman through the Los Fresnos secondary.
That was the only offensive success the Eagles had, however. The Falcons’ defense didn’t allow Mission High to pick up a first down during the second half until midway through the fourth quarter with the game already in hand. The Eagles finished with just 168 yards of total offense, while Los Fresnos racked up 365 yards of offense.
Los Fresnos’ Jonus Gonzalez added 49 rushing yards and one touchdown on 12 touches, and quarterback Matt Padilla tossed a pair of touchdowns to receivers Angel Arce and Eddson Picazo while running for another score on the ground. Padilla finished 5-of-7 for 65 passing yards and gained 75 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Mission High’s Guerra threw for 111 yards, 96 of which were brought in by Guzman. Senior defensive back Luis Briseño added an interception, his seventh of the season.
Longoria said the first-round loss is an opportunity for next year’s returners to grow.
“It’s a learning experience for the guys coming back. For our seniors, I’m super appreciative of overcoming so many obstacles,” Longoria said. “They’re a bunch that I’m always going to remember. They didn’t make excuses no matter the outcome.”
