By BRIAN ARGABRIGHT
THE 830 TIMES
A controversial call, and an even bigger no call, ruined what could have been a season-ending rally for the Del Rio Rams Thursday night.
Down 28-21 with less than two minutes to play, the Rams (0-5, 0-1) thought they caught a break when LBJ (5-0, 1-0) attempted a jet sweep only for the ball to come loose and Del Rio’s Leonardo De Luna pounced on it to give what appeared to be new hope the Rams.
However, the game officials conferred and ruled the play was an incomplete forward pass and LBJ retained possession. On the next play, LBJ quarterback Vicente Robles carried the ball around the left end of the line.
As he reached the line of scrimmage, LBJ offensive lineman Jacob Moncivais grabbed a hold of the jersey and pads of Rams defensive lineman Carlos Juarez and prohibited him from not only making the tackle, but from disengaging to try and make the stop. Robles ran for a first down to seal with win for the Wolves.
It’s just the third win ever for LBJ over Del Rio and the first since a 6-0 victory in 2018.
LBJ took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Robles hit Jose Luis Pacheco for a 59-yard touchdown pass.
Del Rio caught a break when Jose Manuel Garcia leveled the LBJ ball carrier, forcing a fumble, and teammate Matthew Abrego recovered. But just a few plays later, Rams quarterback Jayden Mendoza was sacked and stripped of the ball by Tito Trevino while teammate Jahaziel Ramos recovered it.
LBJ made it 14-0 when a facemask penalty against Del Rio set the Wolves up at the Rams’ 5-yard line. On third and goal, Robles punched it in from a yard out to increase the Wolves’ lead to 14-0.
Del Rio got a spark from its special teams when Aaron Smith returned the ensuing kickoff to the LBJ 44. A big pass from Mendoza to Caleb Villa set the Rams up at the Wolves’ 14-yard line.
Four plays later, Mendoza and Villa connected again, this time for a three-yard touchdown pass that helped cut the LBJ lead to 14-7 with 3:41 left in the first half.
LBJ had a chance to score just as the first half ended. Robles took the snap, rolled right and barreled towards the end zone, but the Rams’ Abrego led the defense to stuff Robles at the one-yard line and keep the Rams down by just one score.
The second half began with the teams exchanging punts before LBJ’s offense got back to work. The Wolves got to the Rams’ 20-yard line but faced a fourth down and one. The Rams couldn’t make the stop as Del Rio was flagged for being offsides and LBJ had a new set of downs.
Three plays later, Robles found Ivan Gonzalez for a nine-yard score and a 21-7 lead.
After another Rams punt, LBJ looked to add to its lead. The 10-play drive, which began in the third quarter and rolled into the fourth, culminated with Robles calling his own number and nimbly evading Del Rio defenders en route to a 27-yard touchdown to give his team a 28-7 lead with 8:25 left in the game.
The Rams weren’t ready to roll over and give up. Runs by Mendoza and Nathan Mojica moved Del Rio to the Rams 39. A facemask penalty pushed Del Rio into LBJ territory.
After a short run by Mojica, Mendoza scrambled and hit Santiago Ortiz for a 33-yard gain to the LBJ 12. Mendoza then capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run that made the score 28-14 with 5:42 to play.
With everything in the playbook available, Rams head coach Fiacro Ramirez rolled the dice and called for an onside kick. Fermin Rodriguez’s kick hit the turf and then sailed like a missile at LBJ. It rolled up and over an LBJ player and was recovered by Del Rio’s Garcia at the LBJ 29-yard line.
Del Rio went backwards a bit after a holding call, but the Rams dug themselves out of that hole with a 12-yard pass to Smith and then a 19-yard pass to Smith to get a first down and set up at the LBJ 5-yard line. Mendoza then pushed his way into the end zone from the one-yard line to make it a one-score game, 28-21, with 1:57 left to play.
The Rams tried another onside kick, but the ball went straight to LBJ’s Gonzalez who swallowed it up and set his team up at their own 42.
Two plays later came the jet sweep intended for Gonzalez and the call that initially went Del Rio’s way but was overturned. Then came the non-holding call, and LBJ kneeled the ball to run out the clock for the win.
Del Rio will look to pick up its first win of the season Friday, Oct. 3, when they host the Laredo Alexander Bulldogs at 7 p.m. at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
