LOS FRESNOS — Eighty minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime weren’t enough to decide the competitive Class 6A bi-district playoff game between Los Fresnos and Mission High.
The Los Fresnos Falcons took a 1-0 lead two minutes into the contest, but the Mission High Eagles responded and challenged the Falcons. Mission High tied things up in the second half on a penalty kick, but both teams struggled to execute on scoring chances throughout the night.
Los Fresnos didn’t stumble when it came down to a shootout. Jesus Ramirez, Marco Moreno, Thomas Sauceda and Jorge Hernandez — all seniors — came up big under pressure with goals to earn a 2-1 (4-2 in PKs) victory. The Falcons will face Laredo Alexander in the area round Monday or Tuesday.
“I’m proud of the boys for fighting through and finding a way to win. A shootout against anybody is tough, it’s such a mental game,” Falcons coach Michael Miller said. “I have 13 or 14 seniors and they wanted one more game, and they’ll want to go one more after that. I’m more relieved than anything right now, and excited that we get to come to practice tomorrow and get ready for another game.”
Kevin Zamora got Los Fresnos on the board quickly off a pass from Joe Garza. The duo was part of a wide range of Falcons who controlled the game’s tempo and possession early on. Sauceda, Hernandez and Adrian Longoria were key contributors for Los Fresnos throughout the night.
Mission High’s Emmanuel Escobedo, Saul Cruz and Eric Calderon led the charge that kept the Falcons from opening things up despite the early momentum. The Eagles used their speed to stick with Los Fresnos and were aggressive defensively.
Miller felt the Falcons had some trouble under the playoff lights, and as Los Fresnos had some miscues and couldn’t execute offensively, the Eagles started gaining confidence. Mission High played physical and fearless as the fourth-seed tried to pull off the upset over the two-time district champs.
“(Mission High) just wanted it really bad, they came out and won a lot of 50-50 balls against us and were a little quicker than the ball,” Miller said. “Sometimes when you’re the higher seed, you go in thinking it’s going to come easy. Coming in as the lower seed, you got to fight for it, and that’s what they did. Eventually we found a way to advance, and at this time of the year that’s what it’s about, survive and advance.”
Los Fresnos got increasingly frustrated with the officiating as the second half carried on. The Eagles tied the game after a successful penalty kick by Daniel Castillo with 32 minutes remaining in regulation.
Garza, Longoria, Zamora and Sauceda kept the Falcons pushing and getting chances to retake the lead, but offensively Los Fresnos didn’t seem to be on the same page at times. Mission High goalkeeper Joey Ortiz came up with saves when the Falcons did get a shot on goal.
Ivan Galvan, Jesus Ramirez and Isaac Richardson helped the Falcons dominate possession in overtime. But frustration took a toll and two different Falcons were issued yellow cards, which contributed to Mission High swinging momentum in its favor at times. Senior goalkeeper Frankie Melendez, Hernandez and Longoria did well to keep the Eagles off the board and force the shootout.
“I know who I can trust, and I had five seniors who went and our goalie is a senior. Step up and stay alive, that’s what they did,” Miller said.
The teams’ first kickers were successful, then Ortiz recorded the first save and Mission High took a 2-1 advantage after Escobedo made his kick. A save by Melendez against the third Eagles kicker and a kick sent off the crossbar by the fourth gave Los Fresnos the edge.
Hernandez converted on Los Fresnos’ fifth kick to send the crowd into a frenzy as he and Melendez were swarmed in celebration.
“My freshman year, we were in this same situation. Top of the world in district and we came to playoffs and lost in PKs. I couldn’t imagine that feeling again, so I did all I could for my team,” Melendez said. “You just have to be confident, you have to believe that you’re the best one in that situation. All I can do is prevent them from scoring, I can’t score myself, so it’s really about trust and I’m glad they pulled through. That feeling in that huddle, jumping around and screaming, was a great feeling and I hope we can keep doing it.”
