PHARR — The Roma Gladiators are playoff bound for the first time since 2015 and for just the third time since 1990 when the program began competing in varsity football.
Roma rolled to a 39-7 victory over PSJA Southwest on Thursday at PSJA Stadium to clinch the postseason berth. The Gladiators improved to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in District 16-5A DII, while the Javelinas dropped to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in district.
“This has been our goal year-in, year-out. Last year, we were close and that was the goal throughout the offseason,” Roma head coach Frank Villanueva said. “Kids have been working hard, coaches have been working hard and we have great support from our athletic director, school board, administration — finally, it all pays off.”
Senior defensive end Rey Gonzalez has been a force both offensively and defensively all season for the Gladiators. He said he was proud to finally check the playoff goal off their list.
“It’s crazy. It’s a big thing for us guys that have been on varsity for three years, been trying to get here for so long and we finally pushed through,” Gonzalez said. “It means something to me. To get there to the playoffs, it’s a big deal.”
Roma running back Isaac Lozano, the Rio Grande Valley’s leading rusher, scored four touchdowns to lead the Gladiators offense against the Javelinas. Quarterback RJ Morales ran for a touchdown and threw another on a 44-yard pass to David Galan just before the end of the first half.
“This is special. These guys are like brothers to me,” Lozano said. “We just had to lock in and think ‘playoffs’ every single play and we got it done.”
PSJA Southwest’s Diego Lopez scored the Javelinas’ lone touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Roma is slated to close the regular season against Mission Veterans (4-4, 1-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gladiator Arena in Roma.
“This one’s for everybody. We did this as a team,” Galan said. “It feels good to know that we accomplished everything we set out for. We worked hard for this and we’re going to try to go three rounds deep.”
Next for PSJA Southwest is Sharyland High (4-4, 3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.
