By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
For the first time in 27 years, Del Rio’s football team will end its season winless.
Del Rio’s 2025-26 season came to an end Friday night with a 41-0 loss to the rival Eagle Pass Eagles. It was the Eagles’ ninth consecutive win over the Rams in a rivalry that spans more than 100 games and 105 years.
While the Eagles, who finished third in District 30-6A, face a first round playoff game next, the Rams program will be left to wonder what’s next for its future. The last time Del Rio went 0-10 in a season was 1998 and it was the tail end of a three-year stretch under then-head coach Joe George that saw the Rams go 1-29. The team they beat to end that streak … Eagle Pass, and it ended a 24-game losing streak.
Del Rio is currently on an 11-game losing streak dating back to last season.
The Rams had the game’s first big play when Matthew Abrego picked off an Eagle Pass in the end zone and returned it to the Eagles’ 27-yard line early in the first quarter. Del Rio turned around on offense with a bit of a wrinkle as the usual quarterback, Jayden Mendoza, lined up at running back and picked up seven yards on his first three carries.
Del Rio initially lined up for a 37-yard field goal, but the team called its third timeout of the quarter and decided instead to go for it. The resulting play was a tackle for a loss and Eagle Pass took over on offense. Running back Luis Flores capped the ensuing drive with an 11-yard burst up the middle and into the end zone for a 7-0 Eagles lead.
Eagle Pass’ next drive started at the Rams’ 18 after recovering a fumble by quarterback Ivan Ramirez. On the next play, Eagles quarterback Xavier Barrera threw a quick bubble screen to Sebastian Velasquez who evaded defenders and raced down the far sideline for the score and a 14-0 Eagle Pass lead.
The Eagles made it a 21-0 game late in the second quarter when Barrera called his own number, juking, dodging and outrunning defenders to the nearside pylon for a nine-yard touchdown.
Eagle Pass started using its reserve players in the third quarter, and the new squad picked up right where the starters had ended. Sophomore running back Avery Embry took the handoff, sidestepped towards the right and turned on the jets, eventually plowing through a Rams defender and into the end zone for 17-yard touchdown. However, Eagle Pass’ attempt at the point after clanged off the left goalpost and then the right before falling into the end zone, leaving the score at 27-0.
A few seconds later, Eagle Pass scooped up a Del Rio fumble and rumbled 19 yards to the end zone to push the lead to 34-0. Later in the fourth quarter, Eagle Pass hit on a three-yard scoring strike that gave the Eagles a 41-0 lead.
Mendoza would eventually resume quarterbacking duties for Del Rio, but the offense kept the ball on the ground, opting for what appeared to be a safer approach and to avoid any further turnovers.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Del Rio/Eagle Pass game without some extracurricular activities. In recent years, the Rams and Eagles came to blows in the handshake line following the game’s conclusion. This year, Eagle Pass punted the ball to Del Rio with about three minutes left to play and Del Rio’s Alexander Hernandez and the Eagles’ Alex Ruiz took their blocking assignments from the field to the all-weather track to right in front of the Rams fans. Mendoza took exception to Ruiz’s treatment of Hernandez and forcibly shoved the sophomore hard enough to send his helmet flying.
That move sparked a quick confrontation between Ruiz and the rest of the Rams team, but things were quickly broken up by game officials and players and coaches from both teams before anyone could get seriously injured. Both players were assessed unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and play resumed. The Rams kept the ball on the ground and ran out the clock, bringing an end to the season.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
