By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio’s quest to advance past the first round of the playoffs continues.
The Rams trailed 28-0 at halftime and went on to lose to the San Antonio Harlan Hawks, 42-3, Saturday afternoon in a Class 6A, Region IV, Division II meeting between the two teams.
The loss brings an end to the Rams season and drops Del Rio’s overall record to 2-9. Harlan advances to the Area round 9-2 and with a seven-game winning streak.
Despite the Rams reaching the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, Del Rio has not advanced past the first round since 2016.
Both teams showed off their defenses early on in the game. The Rams forced a punt on Harlan’s first possession thanks in part to a tackle for a loss by senior Braden Ludemann on Payton Matthews. After the Rams punted on their first possession, Del Rio was able to force a turnover on downs when Harlan’s Noah Farris’ pass on fourth down missed.
After another Rams punt, Harlan reached the end zone in two plays as Farris hit Miky Duesing for a 27-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made it a 7-0 game late in the first quarter.
One of Del Rio’s best drives of the game came afterwards as the Rams were able to get to the Hawks’ 25 yard-line. The drive got going with a 22-yard pass from Zack Taylor to Alan Dobbins that moved Del Rio into Harlan’s side of the field. A 10-yard pass to Matherne followed and put the Rams at the Hawks’ 31.
After a sack, a pass to Matherne and a nine-yard run by Taylor, the Rams faced a fourth and four from the Harlan 25. Del Rio went for it, but the pass from Taylor was off target and the Rams turned the ball over.
Harlan took advantage, putting together a seven-play drive that culminated with a 13-yard touchdown run by Jacob Gonzales that helped the Hawks take a 14-0 lead.
Gonzales had a big day for the Hawks. He carried the ball 20 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns, increasing his season total to 20. He did not play much of the second half once Harlan had what it viewed as an insurmountable lead.
After another Del Rio punt, the Rams defense came up big when Ludemann stripped Izayah Manchester of the ball and recovered it for Del Rio at the Harlan 28-yardline.
Unfortunately Del Rio couldn’t take advantage of the break and punted the ball back to Harlan. The Hawks nearly ruined their ensuing drive as two penalties left the team with a 3rd and 18 from their own 41-yard line, but Farris dropped a pass into the hands of Manchester for a 59-yard touchdown and a 21-0 Harlan lead.
The lead climbed to 28-0 on Harlan’s final possession of the first half when Gonzales scored his second touchdown of the game, this one on a 16-yard run.
Things went from bad to worse for the Rams early on in the second half as Harlan’s Kendrick Allen picked off a Taylor pass and returned it 43 yards for the score and a 35-0 Hawks lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Harlan used a pooch kick to catch the Rams off guard. Del Rio tried to grab the short ball, but a scrum soon followed and Harlan came away with the ball. Five plays later, the Hawks used a flea flicker to freeze the Rams defense and deliver a 24-yard touchdown pass from Farris to Matthews for a 42-0 lead with more than eight minutes left in the third quarter.
Del Rio’s only points came on a drive that started near the end of the third quarter and carried into the fourth quarter. Starting at their own 2-yard line, the Rams slowly and methodically marched down the field.
The Rams picked up seven first downs on the drive, more than all of their previous drives combined. Del Rio eventually reached the Hawks’ 12-yard line before Rodrigo Tamez was sent out to attempt a 29-yard field goal. The kick was good, and Del Rio was on the board, trailing 42-3 with 5:41 left to play.
That would be the final score, bringing an end to the Rams’ season. The loss also finished off the teams from District 30-6A as all four teams were knocked out of the playoffs in the first weekend.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
