Donna High’s 17-14 victory over Brownsville Lopez on Friday night was not just for the Redskins; it was for late coach Jason Garcia, who was on the team’s sidelines one last time two years ago.
“The last time we were here that we played Lopez, one of our coaches, Jason Garcia, it was his last game,” Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said. “He had a tragic accident the week afterward. So, it was a little emotional coming back and playing Lopez here. That was one of the things that got the kids motivated at halftime. It’s an emotional night.”
Donna High was down 7-3 at halftime but came back to score two touchdowns and win it. Down by one touchdown and with two minutes left in the game, the Lobos had a 65-yard punt return to the end zone called back on a holding penalty.
Lopez and Donna fought back and forth during the entirety of their District 16-5A showdown. Ultimately, the Redskins found a winning combination that allowed them to get past the aggressive Lobos defense.
Leal said the victory was a team win, which was a good way to remember Garcia.
“I think we went in at halftime and I said, ‘Listen, we need to comeback and we need to score,’” he said. “We needed to find ways to score. The last time we were here (this season) it was against Pace and we kicked three field goals. That wasn’t enough. We knew we had to come back and score TDs. We came back, tried to regroup, tried to see what else we can do and tried different things.”
Donna High’s offensive performance came at a price, though, as Redskins starting quarterback Ryan Espinoza took multiple hits from the Lobos defense, including four sacks. Espinoza went down late in the third quarter after a being pushed out of bounds by Lopez’s Luis Hernandez.
Fortunately for the Redskins, backup quarterback Avery Bowen was ready to rumble.
“We had a bad first half,” Espinoza said. “We just picked ourselves up and executed, and we came back out here and got the (W). … I knew I had to be a playmaker. They all blocked and we executed.
“I try my best to stay up and get more yards to turn into points. Avery, my backup, he finished it off for me as soon as I went down.”
Immediately after Espinoza went down, Bowen rushed for 7 yards for Donna High first touchdown of the game, giving the visiting team a 10-7 lead.
Bowen wasn’t done, though. The sophomore ran for 6 yards to make it a two-touchdown game. To set up that score, the Redskins’ Ivan Torres intercepted a pass from Lopez quarterback Jose Cruz, giving Donna High the ball on its own 20.
The Lobos earned redemption on their next possession with a 28-yard bomb from Cruz to Alex Rivera with 5:36 left in the game. Lopez forced a three-and-out on the following drive, leading to the nullified 65-yard punt return from the Lobos’ Leo Ramos.
The Lobos continued to fight, but a fumble by Christian Gamez sealed Lopez’s fate as captain Isaac Rangel recovered for the Redskins. Donna ran the clock out in three runs shortly afterward.
Lobos coach Armando Gutierrez appreciated the tough battle Donna High brought to Lopez, but said the team will put the loss behind it and move forward.
“The officiating was one of our concerns, as a matter of fact, coming in,” Gutierrez said. “We just let kids play. We don’t like it when the officials determine the games. Other than that, we made some mistakes as well. We kept them in the game and they have a good-coached team, so we can’t allow mental mistakes by our offense.
“Our defense kept us in pretty much the whole game. We just made some offensive mental mistakes as well. That kept them in the game and, ultimately, they won the game.”
Lopez captain Carlos Arellano was all over the field Saturday. Arellano finished the night with three sacks and one interception. Yet, the sophomore defensive back believes he could’ve done more for the team.
“I think we could’ve done better,” Arellano said. “We could’ve executed more and made better plays, but we made more mistakes than they did and, well, that was the ballgame.
“I just play for my team. I try my best for my team. The team always comes first. I know right now I’m putting my head down and I shouldn’t, but I’m disappointed in myself because I could’ve done better.”
The Lobos will have one week to regroup before they travel to Pharr to face the PSJA Southwest Javelinas.
As for the Redskins, they take on Mission Veterans Memorial on Oct. 12 on the road.
