BY BRIAN ARGABRIGHT
THE 830 TIMES
Del Rio has found plenty of success with its passing game throughout this season, and Thursday showed greater evidence of that.
But a lackluster second half doomed Del Rio to its first district loss this season.
Quarterback Eliseo Ortiz threw a pair of first half touchdowns, both to Alan Dobbins, but the Rams managed just two second half points as Laredo United South picked up the 32-16 win. The loss drops the Rams to 2-5 on the season and 1-1 in District 30-6A.
Both of Del Rio’s touchdowns came at the end of the first and second quarters.
Del Rio’s defense came up big on United South’s first drive as Perry Mcintire stepped up and dropped South’s Roel Hernandez for no gain on third down, forcing a Panthers punt.
The punt pinned the Rams at their own 10-yard line, but Del Rio didn’t stay there long as Ortiz found Zane Hughes on a screen and a big block from Dobbins downfield sprung the speedy back for 22 yards and a first down. The Rams went on to pick up five first downs on the drive before finding their drive stalled at the Panthers’ 26-yard line thanks to a sack, a holding penalty against Del Rio and a pass for a loss.
As time wound down in the quarter, Ortiz took the snap and lofted a pass towards the left rear corner of the end zone where Dobbins showed off his leaping ability to snare the ball and score Del Rio’s first points of the game. Rodrigo Tamez would add the extra point to make it 7-0 Rams after one quarter of play.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to answer as they needed five plays and just over two minutes to find the end zone. Joaquin Montemayor capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown, but Arturo Gonzalez’s extra point was blocked and Del Rio maintained a 7-6 lead.
After the Rams’ next drive ended in a punt, South tried to put together another scoring drive. They got help from Del Rio’s defense early on as an offsides penalty on a third-and-5 and a pass interference penalty against Del Rio moved the Panthers out to near midfield.
A 22-yard pass from David Gonzalez to Eddie Gonzalez gave the Panthers a first down in Del Rio territory, and a 16-yard run by Carlo Segovia moved South into the red zone. Seven plays later, Segovia scored on a one-yard run and then added the two-point conversion to make the score 14-7 in favor of United South.
Del Rio got the ball back with 18 seconds left in the half and called on Ortiz’s arm to deliver something special. After his first two passes were incomplete, Ortiz rolled right and heaved the ball towards Dobbins on the right sideline. The athletic Dobbins was able to evade the first few defenders and then outran the rest for an 80-yard score as the first half ended. Tamez’s extra point tied the game at 14-14 as the teams went to their locker rooms.
The second half began the way Del Rio wanted with South going three and out, but on Del Rio’s second offensive play Hughes was hit and fumbled. South recovered the loose ball and got a first down at the Rams’ 46-yard line.
South didn’t let the good field position go to waste as Gonzalez flipped a screen pass to Segovia who then did the rest, tight roping the sideline and racing 46 yards for his second touchdown of the game. Arturo Gonzalez came on to attempt the point after try, but again it was blocked. This time, the Rams’ Jacob Ortiz scooped up the ball and returned it for two points for Del Rio, cutting the Panthers lead to 20-16.
Dobbins put a charge back in the Rams with a 25-yard kickoff return to midfield, but Del Rio managed to get just eight yards from there and Ethan Matherne was stopped a yard short on fourth down, giving the ball back to the Panthers.
David Gonzalez took control of the offense on South’s next drive. Back-to-back passes to Montemayor netted 43 yards. He then called his own number, rushing twice for 13 yards to the Del Rio three-yard line. Segovia netted his third touchdown, this time on a three-yard run, but a failed two-point try left United South on top, 26-16.
Del Rio turned to Hughes on its next offensive possession. He gained 50 yards on his first five carries of the drive, but on his sixth carry South hit him for a three-yard loss on third down. On fourth down, Ortiz tried to connect with Dobbins, but the pass was incomplete, and the Rams turned it over on downs.
The Rams defense helped derail South’s ensuing drive early as Luke Minor sacked Gonzalez for a seven-yard loss. That play helped lead to a South punt and gave the Rams another shot at cutting into the Panthers’ lead early in the fourth quarter. Del Rio couldn’t move the ball the way they’d have liked and were forced to punt.
After a 51-yard run by Segovia, the Panthers reached the end zone for the final time on an eight-yard run by Arturo Gonzalez. Again the Panthers went for two, but failed again and left the score at 32-16.
Del Rio’s last big offensive play was a 49-yard run by Hughes after an intentional grounding penalty against the Rams left them in a 2nd-and-32 scenario. But Del Rio managed negative-one yard on its next four plays, turning the ball over on downs for a final time where South knelt the ball twice to run out the clock and end the game.
Del Rio will host Laredo United Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
