By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
The season of almosts continues for the Del Rio Rams football team.
On Oct. 16, the Rams almost knocked off San Antonio Southwest Legacy, missing a potential game-winning field goal by less than a foot in the closing seconds of a 15-13 loss.
A week later, the almosts continued.
Playing before a homecoming crowd Friday, Oct. 23, Del Rio rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to tie Laredo Alexander, only to watch the Bulldogs score in the fourth quarter and escape with a 21-14 District 30-6A victory.
For Rams head coach Daniel Infante and his staff, the close losses are reminders that rebuilding a football program doesn’t happen overnight.
“It’s gonna take some time for everything to fall into place. But yeah, I mean, ‘almost’ is a good word, I guess, to kind of put it in layman’s terms,” Infante said.
“We just have to continue to get better and develop this program to the direction where it needs to be.”
Making Friday’s loss even more difficult to swallow was a potentially game-changing play just before halftime.
Del Rio’s Elvis Gonzalez intercepted an Alexander pass and returned it for an apparent touchdown, but the score was wiped out by a clipping penalty.
Alexander jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, threatening to turn homecoming into a long evening for the Del Rio faithful.
But when the Rams started the second quarter, it was almost as if a different team had taken the field.
From that point forward, Del Rio went toe-to-toe with the district-leading Bulldogs, showing flashes of the football program Infante is trying to build.
Unfortunately, penalties and turnovers repeatedly stalled promising drives. On one possession, Del Rio found itself facing third-and-32.
Injuries only complicate matters more.
Two of the Rams’ offensive and defensive leaders watched from the sidelines on crutches. By the second quarter, Friday night’s starting quarterback had joined them on the sideline, although without the crutches.
Still, the Rams refused to go away.
There were glimpses of Infante’s high-octane offense, with occasional long runs and completed passes giving fans reasons to forget the penalties, turnovers and injuries.
Del Rio scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to erase Alexander’s halftime advantage and tie the game.
But Alexander answered with a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Del Rio couldn’t respond.
Junior quarterback Brandon Dominguez completed eight of 15 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a score.
Junior Santiago Ortiz led Del Rio’s receivers with eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, while senior Raul De Luna carried 14 times for 66 yards, according to MaxPreps.
For Alexander, Javier Trejo rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Santiago Vazquez passed for 133 yards and a score. Defensively, Emil Cardenas recorded 17 tackles and four sacks, according to MaxPreps.
The loss dropped Del Rio to 1-7 overall and 0-5 in District 30-6A. Alexander improved to 6-2 overall and remained unbeaten in district play at 5-0.
Despite another frustrating defeat, Infante said the coaching staff continues working to keep the players together and focused on the program’s future.
“We just kind of keep them mentally locked in, mentally focused, and making sure that they’re not, you know, bickering at each other and all that type of stuff. We’re trying to keep them united and making sure that we’re all on the same page,” Infante said.
For now, the Rams continue searching for the consistency needed to turn competitive performances into victories.
Del Rio’s next chance comes Friday, Oct. 30, when the Rams host Laredo United at 7:30 p.m.
