By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Despite falling in its regular season finale, the Del Rio Rams football team is headed back to the playoffs for the third straight season.
The Rams dropped their final game of the regular season Friday night to the Eagle Pass Eagles, 35-15, falling to 2-8 on the season and 2-3 in District 30-6A. However, losses by Laredo United South and Laredo Alexander, and a favorable point differential, meant the Rams are the number three seed in the district for the playoffs.
Del Rio is scheduled to face the San Antonio Harlan Hawks Saturday, Nov. 12, at Dub Farris Stadium in San Antonio at 2 p.m. Ticket information will be made available to the public in the days to come.
Point differential, which is the amount of total points scored minus the total points allowed, played in Del Rio’s favor. In district play, the Rams scored 115 points but allowed just 103 for a plus-12 point differential. In contrast, United South scored 125 points in district, but allowed 136. Alexander was similar, scoring 119 points but allowing 130. That means both teams had a negative-11 point differential, but Alexander beat South head-to-head so the Bulldogs will take the number four seed.
Del Rio entered Friday night’s game against Eagle Pass controlling its own destiny. With United South losing to Laredo LBJ Thursday night, all the Rams had to do was beat Eagle Pass and Del Rio would be in the playoffs.
The Eagles, however, were playing for a share of the district championship and the number one seed in the district, and a win for the Eagles would guarantee that outcome.
On the Eagles’ first drive, wide receiver Jose Hernandez was able to get behind the Del Rio defense and hauled in a perfect pass from quarterback Andres Garcia for a 92-yard touchdown pass to help stake the Eagles to an early 7-0 lead.
The Eagles’ lead grew to 14-0 after Garcia connected with a wide-open Wilfredo Frausto for a 12-yard scoring strike. That score was set up by two runs from Garcia that netted Eagle Pass 56 yards before the junior signal caller capped the drive with the dart to Frausto.
Eagle Pass nearly made it a 21-0 game when running back Thomas Mares broke loose for a 64 yard touchdown run, but a holding penalty against the Eagles negated the big run and brought the team back to its own 26-yard line. But the Eagles marched down the field from there as Garcia’s arm and legs got Eagle Pass to the Del Rio two-yard line when Garcia found Frausto again.
Mares finished the job with the final two yards, and the Eagle Pass lead was 21-0.
The Rams were never able to get their offense going in the first half. Del Rio had the ball five times, punted three of those times, turned the ball over on downs on another and played to halftime for its final possession of the half. That final possession came to be after “Chili” Peralta made a leaping interception at the Rams’ 2-yard line.
Even when things seemed to go the Rams’ way, something would disrupt the momentum.
Zane Hughes jumpstarted the Rams and their fans with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to begin the second half of play, but the score was wiped away when Del Rio was called for an illegal block on the return and was forced to start its first drive of the second half at its own 8-yard line. The Rams would eventually punt.
The Rams defense came up big on the Eagles’ ensuing drive when Andrew Villarreal swatted away a Garcia pass on fourth-and-seven from the Del Rio 14-yard line to give the ball back to Del Rio.
After the Rams punted away for the second time in the half, Eagle Pass drove 58 yards to the end zone with Garcia adding the exclamation point on a four-yard touchdown run to up the Eagles’ lead to 28-0 late in the third quarter.
Del Rio avoided a shutout with its next drive as the Rams went 83 yards in nine plays. A 12-yard pass from Zack Taylor to Corbin Farrar put Del Rio into Eagles territory, and a nine-yard run by Hughes got the Rams into the red zone.
Three plays later, Taylor found a wide-open Alan Dobbins for a five-yard touchdown pass. Rodrigo Tamez’s kick made it a 28-7 Eagle Pass lead.
Eagle Pass was able to recover an attempted onside kick and start in Del Rio territory. Though a sack by Manuel Padilla and John Chaney pushed the Eagles back to their side of the field, back-to-back 16-yard gains by Mares put Eagle Pass inside Del Rio’s 20-yard line.
Marez would carry the ball five straight times including the final six yards of the drive for a touchdown that gave the Eagles a 35-7 lead.
Eagle Pass would be flagged for a penalty and would be forced to kickoff from its own 25-yard line. Hughes caught the ball at the Del Rio 16, and the sophomore speedster barreled through the Eagle Pass defenders. He stumbled just past midfield, but kept his feet and just picked up speed, sprinting to the end zone for an 84-yard touchdown. Taylor would then find Farrar for the two-point conversion, cutting the Eagle Pass lead to 35-15 with just over eight minutes left to play.
That was as close as the Rams would get, as the two teams would exchange punts before the Eagles’ Isaac Stanwick kneeled the ball on Eagle Pass’ final possession to end the game.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
