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Coyotes host Dragons tomorrow


The Uvalde Coyotes will go up against the defending District 14-5A Division I football champion Southwest Dragons tomorrow night in the Honey Bowl.

Kick-off time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Coyotes will celebrate First Responders Night as Uvalde law enforcement, firemen, EMS, and others will be honored for their work.

“It is extremely important to honor and celebrate first responders. They are an important part of society, especially in the community of Uvalde,” said Uvalde High School head football coach R.T. Gonzales.

coyotes vs. Southwest in the Honey Bowl tomorrow. Kick-off time is 7:30 p.m.

PRE-SALE TICKETS cost $7 for adult general admission, $4 for student general admission, and $8 for a reserved seat. Tickets sold at the game tomorrow cost $8.

the coyotes are favored to beat Southwest. The Padilla Poll favors the Coyotes by 15 points, while the Harris Ratings favor the Coyotes by 14 points.

“They often put their lives on the line for others. It is a stressful job, however they continue to sacrifice for the better of their community,” said Gonzales. “Celebrating them is a a small token of appreciation on behalf of the football program. We acknowledge and are thankful for what they do.”

Coach Matt Elliott’s Southwest Dragons are off to a 0-2 start this season following back-to-back losses to the San Antonio Roosevelt Roughriders and the Eagle Pass Eagles.

“Don’t be fooled by their 0-2 season record. The Dragons have a much better ball club than their record might seem to indicate. They have played two good teams in Roosevelt and Eagle Pass,” said Gonzales.

“Southwest has a very talented and well-coached ball club,” said Gonzales. “The Dragons will enter the game Friday hungry for a victory.”

Last season, the Dragons posted a 10-2 season record. They captured the District 14-5A Division I football title as they went 6-0 in district competition.

The Dragons defeated the San Antonio Brackenridge Eagles, 49-27, in bi-district play, before losing to the Flour Bluff Hornets, 35-21, in the second round of the playoffs.

Southwest is a pre-season pick to defend their district title.

Topping the list of offensive personnel for the Dragons are quarterback Matthew Luna, fullbacks Victor Torres and Jake Friesenhahn, running backs Andre Mitchell and Jose Hernandez, wide receiver Makhi Johnson, tight ends Jayme Quintero and Juan Miranda; and linemen Zach Griffin, Roman Ramirez, Clark Griffin, Angel Nevarez, and Jaidyn Birts.

“Southwest has a huge offensive line. They come right at you,” said Coach Gonzales. “Their quarterback does a good job of directing the offense, their backs run hard, and their receivers are quick and are sure-handed at catching the football.”

In action against Eagle Pass last Friday, Jesse Hernandez scored on a 51-yard touchdown run.

The other Southwest touchdown came on a one-yard pass from Matthew Luna to fullback Jake Friesenhahn.

Makhi Johnson caught four passes for 82 yards.

Running back Andre Mitchell carried the ball seven times and caught one pass.

Against Roosevelt, Mitchell carried the ball 18 times for 47 yards. He also caught one pass.

Matthew Luna tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joseph Garza, while running back Damian Castillo scored on a one-yard run.

Defensively, the Dragons are led up front by Clark Griffin, Roman Rodriguez, and Chris Smith.

The linebackers include Victor Torres, Jesse Hernandez, Jaime Quintero, and Juan Miranda, while the secondary features Angel Carrillo, Makhi Johnson, Trey Cano, and Damian Castillo.

Southwest’s defensive unit intercepted a pass against Eagle Pass and they forced a fumble against Roosevelt.

“The Dragons fly to the ball,” said Gonzales. “They play a hard-hitting style on defense.”

Coach Gonzales’s Coyotes, 2-0 for the season, racked up a 17-0 shut-out victory over the Eagle Pass Winn Mavericks in action last week.

The Coyotes held Winn to only five first downs and 98 total yards.

“Our guys did a tremendous job on defense against Winn,” said Coach Gonzales. “I was pleased by their performance.”

Up 3-0 at halftime, the Coyotes scored in the third period on a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Donovan Davila to wide receiver Tanner Bowman and in the fourth period on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Davila to wide receiver D’Andre Carroll.

Place kicker Miller Carnes kicked a 27-yard field goal in the second period and connected on a pair of point-after-touchdown kicks.

“We got off to a slow start in the first half, but we finished strong,” said Coach Gonzales. “We made some mistakes early on. We did not play our kind of game. But we did a better job as the game went on.”

Gonzales said that the Coyotes have been working to try to fix some of the problem areas.

“Our game against Winn was not pretty. We were a little concerned going into the game, because we did not have as good a week of practice as we did the week before last,” said Gonzales. “Fortunately we won the game. I think our guys learned something important through the process. They know we have to prepare hard for each opponent.”

Except for a few bumps and bruises, the Coyotes came out of the game in good physical shape.

No major lineup changes are anticipated for the game tomorrow.

“We anticipate another physical, hard-hitting game Friday,” said Gonzales. “Our first two opponents have played very physical football. Southwest is another team that is sound fundamentally and plays physical football.”

pete luna|:eader-NewsQuarterback Donovan Davila prepares to throw the ball before an Eagle Pass Winn defender can tackle him. The play took place during the first half of the Uvalde-Winn football game last Friday night in the Honey Bowl. Davila completed 12 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked only twice by Winn’s defense.

pete luna|:eader-NewsQuarterback Donovan Davila prepares to throw the ball before an Eagle Pass Winn defender can tackle him. The play took place during the first half of the Uvalde-Winn football game last Friday night in the Honey Bowl. Davila completed 12 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked only twice by Winn’s defense.

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