LOS FRESNOS — The Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets prevailed in an old-fashioned shootout with the Los Fresnos Falcons to capture their first victory of the season 41-28 on Friday night at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.
The E-E victory came on the night Los Fresnos celebrated homecoming.
The Yellowjackets improved to 1-2 with the non-district win. Los Fresnos fell to 1-2.
A 16-yard scoring run by Los Fresnos’ Chris Resendiz with 11:56 showing in the fourth quarter brought the Falcons to within 35-28 of the Yellowjackets’ lead.
E-E responded by going up 41-28 with 1:55 left when Shawn Alvarado burst 11 yards up the middle to the end zone.
The extra point failed but the Yellowjackets were still ahead by 13 points, and their fans began to start celebrating.
“This win feels amazing,” E-E quarterback Michael Rodriguez said. “We worked hard (in practice) all week long, and we deserved it. We’re going to keep going now. We’ll keep going until it’s all over, and we won’t stop.
“We made some mistakes here and there tonight, but our team kept going,” Rodriguez added. “We kept pushing (for the win). We all worked together and we got it.
“I’d just like to say that we’re back.”
There were five touchdowns scored during the opening quarter, and E-E was up 21-14 by the end of the period.
Alvarado scampered 45 yards to the end zone on a wingback reverse around left end on the sixth play of the game to make it 6-0 after a missed extra point.
Hector Muniz’s 84-yard return for a Los Fresnos touchdown on the ensuing kickoff gave the Falcons the lead, 7-6.
Alvarado’s 2-yard scoring run at the 4:26 mark of the first quarter restored the lead for E-E at 14-7 following a successful two-point conversion run.
The Yellowjackets went up 21-7 with 2:28 to go in the first period when Rodriguez threw a 13-yard scoring pass to Jesse Contreras.
Los Fresnos QB Matthew Padilla scrambled 51 yards for the Falcons’ second TD with 0:23 remaining on the scoreboard in the initial period to make it 21-14.
During the second quarter, Edward Cardoza’s 1-yard TD run upped the E-E lead to 28-14 with 8:14 to go before halftime. That’s the way the score stayed at the break.
Los Fresnos came close again, 28-21, at the 11:07 mark of the third quarter when Padilla tossed a 62-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Nico Valencia on a down-the-middle pattern.
Cardoza’s 5-yard TD run with 6:43 remaining in the third period put E-E ahead 35-21.
The Falcons again came within seven points, 35-28, thanks to Resendiz’s 16-yard scoring run on the first play of the fourth quarter, but the Yellowjackets were determined to win.
Alvarado’s sprint up the middle from 11 yards out with 1:55 left sealed the victory. It was Alvarado’s third TD of the night.
Los Fresnos was coming off last week’s 14-6 setback at home against Austin LBJ. E-E suffered a 45-35 loss last week at home against Weslaco High.
When the two teams played one year ago in Elsa, the Falcons prevailed 42-13.
Non-district action continues for each squad next week. Los Fresnos is at Edinburg Vela on Thursday, and E-E is at Edinburg North on Friday.
