By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
For the second year in a row, Del Rio and San Antonio Southwest Legacy battled back and forth until the very end.
And for the second year in a row, it was a field goal that proved to be the difference.
Southwest Legacy junior Jesse Zapata, who earlier in the game missed a 38-yard field goal that would have put the Titans ahead late, made the most of his second chance as he split the uprights from 35-yards out as time expired to lift his team to a 17-14 win over the Rams Friday night at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium.
The loss drops the Rams to 1-3 on the season as they enter their bye week before beginning district play. Legacy ups its record to 3-1 overall.
Last season, the Titans beat the Rams 11-8 in overtime after Javier Lira kicked a 22-yard field goal.
Friday night’s game was a tale of two halves for the Rams.
Del Rio led 14-7 at halftime thanks to a pair of Zack Taylor touchdowns, but in the second half the Rams were held to just 37 yards of total offense.
Meanwhile, Southwest Legacy, which played most of the game without its best overall athlete Zezar Tovar who was injured in the first quarter, was able to rally behind backup quarterback Fabian Ramos, the running of bruising back Alex Garza and an inspired defense.
Southwest took the first lead of the game after their first drive of the game. After driving to the Rams’ 25-yard line, Tovar lofted a perfect pass to Javier Murillo, the Titans’ leading receiver, and Murillo outran the Rams defense to the right side of the end zone for an early 7-0 lead.
Del Rio tried to answer on its first drive, eventually working its way to the Southwest 42-yard line, but a pass attempt on fourth down was too high and the Rams turned the ball over.
The next drive was a game changer for the Titans.
On second-and-10, Del Rio’s defense forced Tovar to scramble to his left. As he tried to make his way up field, the Rams’ Jesus De Luna and Lonnie Green caught up with him and took him to the ground. Tovar landed awkwardly and seemed to favor his left arm as he tried to get back to his feet. Legacy trainers came out and helped Tovar off the field, but he would leave the game and not return. Following the game, Tovar was welcomed back to the field by his teammates, but his left arm was in a sling.
Once Ramos entered the game, the Titans focused their offense on their ground game. It limited the Titans for the remainder of the first half, and allowed the Rams to get back in the game.
After the teams exchanged possessions, Del Rio was finally able to put together a scoring drive. The Rams marched 64 yards on the strength of its rushing game. The drive stalled at the 10-yard line, and Julian Rivera was sent out for a 27-yard field goal try. But Rivera never got to try the kick as Elian De La Paz, who was sent out to hold the ball for Rivera, took the snap and picked up eight yards to set up first and goal at the Legacy two-yard line.
Taylor went in from there, racing to the goal line around the right side of the line, and Rivera’s kick tied the game at 7-7.
After forcing a Legacy punt, the Rams returned to the end zone. Buoyed by a 26-yard run by Taylor, Del Rio went 62 yards in a little over three minutes, capping the drive with a four-yard scoring run by Taylor. Rivera’s kick gave the Rams their first lead, 14-7, with just over two minutes left in the first half.
The 14-7 score stood to halftime and lasted until there was just over three minutes left in the third quarter.
Legacy took advantage of a punt that went out of bounds near midfield. A 22-yard run by Fernando Flores kicked the drive off with a bang. Five plays later, Garza rumbled 12 yards through the middle of the Rams defense and into the end zone nearly untouched to help tie the game at 14-14.
The Rams defense was able to keep the team in the game, stopping the Titans on fourth-and-four, but a Taylor fumble two plays set the Titans up at the Rams’ 33. Del Rio was again able to hold and Legacy sent out its field goal team. The kick went left and the Rams celebrated getting the ball back with 5:10 left to play.
But Del Rio lost four yards on their next two plays and then a pass to De La Paz was dropped and forced a Corbin Farrar punt. Del Rio would never get the ball again.
The Titans got the ball at the Rams 47-yard line. Garza had a 12-yard run and Flores had a 13-yard run to help move the Titans to the Rams’ 18. After a timeout, Zapata trotted out and drilled the kick, sending the Titans home with a win.
Del Rio will open district play Thursday, Sept. 30 against the Laredo LBJ Wolves at the Student Activity Complex at 7 p.m.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
