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Coyotes lose pre-district finale


The Southwest Dragons went into the game Friday as heavy favorites to beat the Uvalde Coyotes.

They lived up to their pre-game billing as they recorded a 42-14 football victory over the Coyotes on a rainy night at Southwest Legacy High School’s Titans football stadium.

“We played a Southwest team that returned most of their players from team that had a run in the Class 6A playoffs last season. They are a mostly-senior bunch and currently are ranked among the top Class 5A Division I teams in the region this season,” said Uvalde High School head football coach R.T. Gonzales. “I was proud of the fight we showed.

“If a couple of things here and there had gone better for us, the final score would have been closer, but like our season opener against Eagle Pass, we gained a lot of experience and confidence going up against a bigger and talented opponent,” said Gonzales.

“We went into this game without the services of two of our starting offensive linemen, seniors Eric De La Rosa and Irwin Plata. But our kids who filled those spots played to the best of their ability and I couldn’t have asked for more,” said Gonzales.

“I wanted to see us eliminate mental mistakes and focus on playing a tough, physical game. For the most part, I think we did that,” said Gonzales.

The Dragons took advantage of a big size advantage up front to score three touchdowns in the first half of the game.

After being stopped on their first two offensive possessions by the Coyotes defense, the Dragons put together an eight-play, 48-yard drive starting early in the second period.

Using seven consecutive running plays, they moved the ball from the Uvalde 48 to the six-yard line.

On a first-and-goal play, running back Rosendo Olague scored.

Place kicker J.P. Flores added the extra-point kick to give Southwest a 7-0 lead with 7:36 left in the first half.

Southwest’s defense set up their next touchdown as defensive back Cade Stott intercepted a Coyote pass to give the Dragons great field position at the Uvalde 28-yard line.

Four plays later, Rosendo Olague scored his second touchdown of the game as he went into the end zone from one yard out.

J.P. Flores added the conversion kick.

Later in the period, the Dragons stopped a Uvalde drive on a fourth-down play near midfield.

Four plays later, the Coyotes regained control of the ball when linebacker Rodrigo Reyes covered a Southwest fumble at the Uvalde 22.

But in the closing minute of the half, the Dragons scored when quarterback Matthew Luna completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Damien Lopez.

J.P. Flores’ kick gave the Dragons a 21-0 half-time lead.

Southwest had the ball first in the second half and they began the half with a five-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 50-yard run by Rosendo Olague.

Trailing 28-0, the Coyotes came back to score on their first possession of the second half.

On a third-and-right play, Donovan Davila tossed a pass to wide receiver D’Andre Carroll, who caught the ball near the Southwest 30-yard line.

Carroll eluded a Southwest defender and ran the final 25 yards to complete the 59-yard touchdown-pass play.

Matthew Avila made the conversion kick as the Coyotes cut the scoring deficit to 28-7 with 7:36 left in the third period.

Early into the final period, the Dragons topped off an eight-play, 43-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run by running back Jesse Hernandez.

J.P. Flores made the conversion kick.

Four plays and a punt later, the Dragons began with the football at the Southwest 41-yard line.

From that spot, they fashioned an eight-play, 59-yard drive that ended on a 13-yard run by running back Johnathon Garcia.

J.P. Flores made it a perfect six-for-six night with his sixth conversion kick as the Dragons extended their lead to 42-7.

With less than four minutes remaining in the contest, the Coyotes put together an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

Running back Sotero Martinez carried the ball for runs of five, eight, and eight yards.

Juan Amaya caught a 10-yard pass and D’Andre Carroll caught a 33-yard pass.

Donovan Davila topped off the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Amaya with one minute left in the football game.

Matthew Avila’s successful extra-point kick cut Southwest’s final margin of victory to 28 points.

Southwest dominated the game statistics. The Dragons finished the game with 22 first downs and a total of 423 yards, including 248 yards on the ground.

The Coyotes managed only eight first downs and a total of 222 yards, most of it through the air.

Donovan Davila completed 12 of his 19 pass attempts, for 164 yards and two touchdowns. He had one pass intercepted.

D’Andre Carroll caught three passes for 95 yards and one touchdown, while Juan Amaya caught four passes for 22 yards and one touchdown.

Sotero Martinez led Uvalde’s rushing stats with 12 carries for 39 yards.

Defensively, Ryan De La Cruz and Rodrigo Reyes each covered a Southwest fumble, while Chris Embers recorded a quarterback sack.

A total of 13 different ball carries contributed to Southwest’s 248 yards rushing, but the highlight of their attack was the play of their mammoth offensive line that averaged about 275 pounds per lineman.

With the loss, the Coyotes now are 0-3 for the season.

The Coyotes will begin District 14-5A Division II play next Friday when they host the San Antonio Memorial Minutemen in the Honey Bowl.

“We have played three really good pre-district opponents,” said Coach Gonzales. “We have a better team than our record may indicate. I think we are ready for the start of district play.”

pete luna|Leader-NewsDefensive back Ryan De La Cruz (No. 7) triumphantly holds the football up into the air after coming up with a Southwest fumble. His fumble recovery came at the 4:54 mark of the first period as it stopped a Southwest drive at the Uvalde 23-yard line.

pete luna|Leader-NewsDefensive back Ryan De La Cruz (No. 7) triumphantly holds the football up into the air after coming up with a Southwest fumble. His fumble recovery came at the 4:54 mark of the first period as it stopped a Southwest drive at the Uvalde 23-yard line.

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