By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
With their playoff hopes fading, the Del Rio Rams will need a win in their regular season finale for a chance at the postseason.
Del Rio turned the ball over five times, and Laredo Alexander turned three of those miscues into scores as the Bulldogs remained unbeaten in 30-6A, defeating the Rams 28-7 to spoil Del Rio’s 2023 homecoming.
The loss drops the Rams to 2-7 on the season and 1-3 in district play. Eagle Pass’ win over Laredo United South Thursday night gives the Eagles two district wins with the chance to clinch the district’s third seed with a win over Del Rio Thursday night on Eagle Pass’ home field.
Laredo United and Alexander have each clinched a playoff spot headed into their rivalry game next week. The winner of that game will earn the district crown and the No. 1 seed in Division I. Laredo United South will need to beat LBJ in their rivalry game to have a shot at the final playoff spot. South gets in with a win over LBJ and a Del Rio loss. South also holds the advantage over Del Rio in terms of point differential – negative-31 to negative-53 – with one game remaining.
The Rams fell behind Alexander early after turning the ball over on their first drive and then watching the Bulldogs turn that miscue into points on a touchdown run by Laredo running back Gael Rodriguez that staked Alexander to a 7-0 lead.
After a Del Rio punt, Alexander went back on the offensive, moving the ball down the field on the strength of Rodriguez’s legs and the talents of quarterback Jeremy Gabrillo. Gabrillo found three different receivers on the drive and rushed twice for 28 yards before Rodriguez finished things off with an 11-yard run to help boost the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Things got worse for the Rams as they turned the ball over again and set the Bulldogs up deep inside Del Rio territory. The Rams defense tightened up and forced a turnover on downs with the Alexander version of the “Philly Special,” or a wide receiver pass back to Gabrillo, sailed out of bounds.
Del Rio didn’t let this chance get away from them. The Rams put together a methodical drive that featured Ethan Matherne gain 33 yards and Brian Natividad break off a pair of nine-yard runs before Zane Hughes capped things with a 10-yard scoring run. Rodrigo Tamez hit the point after try, and the Rams cut the Bulldogs lead to 14-7 with less than three minutes to play in the half.
The Rams defense then made its presence known when linebacker Richard Camposano recovered a Bulldogs fumble at the Rams’ 29-yard line to turn away another Laredo scoring opportunity.
Del Rio didn’t stay in the shadow of their end zone for long as Matherne took the handoff, found some a hole through the left side of the line and rumbled 38 yards to the Alexander 33-yard line. However, Del Rio went backwards from there, losing 13 yards on the next three plays including a sack of quarterback of Eliseo Ortiz that featured a facemask penalty against Alexander that wasn’t called. The Rams would eventually turn the ball over on downs.
Alexander used a 13-yard run and a nine-yard run by Rodriguez and a nine-yard pass to Jose “Pepe” Vazquez to get to the Rams’ 24-yard line before the first half came to a close.
The second half began the way Del Rio would have hoped with Alexander misfiring on third down and punting to the Rams. But on third down, Alexander blitzed quarterback Eliseo Ortiz as he tried to pitch the ball to Hughes. The ball came loose and Alexander’s Jose Esqueda scooped it up and returned it 45 yards for the touchdown and a 21-7 Bulldogs lead.
Even when penalties went Del Rio’s way the Rams couldn’t capitalize. The Rams’ ensuing drive was aided by a personal foul penalty and a pass interference penalty against Laredo, but much like Del Rio’s previous possession, Alexander derailed the Rams drive by blitzing Ortiz and forcing another fumble and recovering it at the Bulldogs 28-yard line.
Immediately the Bulldogs took advantage, moving into Del Rio’s territory on a 43-yard pass from Gabrillo to Ivan Pina. Six plays later, Jose Fernandez scored on an eight-yard run and Edgar Longoria added the extra point to give Alexander a 28-7 advantage in the third quarter.
Del Rio’s fifth turnover came on the Rams’ next possession as Ortiz tried to pass for a first down on third-and-23 only to see his pass get picked off by Alexander’s Dylan Ethridge. The Rams repaid the favor as Manuel Padilla bull rushed Gabrillo and forced a wild pass that ended up in the hands of Del Rio’s Domingo Sanchez. Sanchez returned the interception to the Bulldogs’ 40 to get the Rams offense back on the field.
The Rams’ ensuing drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down, but Del Rio’s defense forced a Bulldogs punt to give the Rams one more shot at a score. Del Rio put the ball in the hands of Fermin Rodriguez for six straight plays with the sophomore gaining 30 yards along the way, but the game ended before the Rams could reach the end zone again.
Del Rio heads to Eagle Pass for a Thursday game at 7 p.m. at the Cozel Foster-Veterans Memorial Stadium.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
