MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer faced two fourth-down scenarios on its second possession of the RGVSports.com Game of the Week against Mission Veterans. The Diamondbacks rolled the dice and converted both to set the tone and swing momentum in their favor early.
Pioneer went on to take down Mission Veterans 38-14 to win its District 16-5A DII opener Friday at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.
Pioneer improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in district, while the Patriots fell to 3-3 and 0-1 in 16-5A DII.
“Mission Veterans will put up points in a hurry on you, and sometimes you got to gamble and take chances if you want to beat a quality football team like that,” Pioneer head coach Eddie Galindo said. “They play hard, my kids play hard and you got to take chances and that’s life. No risk, no reward. We came in here to win a game, and we have to do whatever we can to be successful. I’m proud of these guys. They executed the gameplan.”
Sharyland Pioneer quarterback Julian Valdez was effective with his arm and legs as he threw for 187 yards, ran for 128 more and scored three total touchdowns. He hung tough in the pocket and delivered big throws in the face of pressure when his team needed it most.
“It feels good out there knowing coaches can trust me. I’m just trying to get the ball to my playmakers,” Valdez said.
Pioneer receiver Joseph Graham Jr. ran for two scores and Antonio Carrizales was on the receiving end of Valdez’s touchdown throw for a 3-yard catch and run. Leo Espinoza led the Diamondbacks in receiving with five catches for 84 yards.
“They played hard tonight. Special teams played well, offense played well and defense did some great things tonight. All I asked my team is to come out disciplined and play hard and compete. Fortunately, we came out with the ‘W’. That’s a well-coached ball club, and these kids came out and played hard and I’m proud of them.”
Mission Veterans struggled to find its rhythm during the first quarter, but junior quarterback Braden Luedeker provided a spark with two rushing touchdowns and accurate passes downfield.
It wasn’t enough, however, as Pioneer’s defensive line led by Cole Woydziak made operating the offense difficult for Mission Veterans. Defensive backs Austin Saenz and Dylan Salinas came away with key interceptions to end two Patriots’ drives during the second half.
“It’s just working hard. We’re trying to get better every day, put pressure on them so that our offense can get the ball and score for us,” Woydziak said.
“All credit to Pioneer. They came out and were the more physical team,” Mission Veterans head coach David Gilpin said. “They did a better job of executing and being consistent. We got to tackle better and do some of the fundamentals of football better. It’s not the way we wanted to start district, but at the end of the night, Pioneer earned that one. Our guys hung in and battled, and I was happier with our effort and mentality in the second half.”
Mission Veterans is slated to face PSJA Southwest (1-5, 1-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tom Landry Stadium in Mission. Sharyland Pioneer is back at home for a 16-5A DII matchup against Roma (3-3, 0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.
