By BRIAN ARGABRIGHT
THE 830 TIMES
In football, teams that win the turnover battle usually find themselves in the win column.
Friday night, the Del Rio Rams forced and recovered two fumbles against Laredo Alexander, but they could not capitalize and dropped their sixth game of the season, and second district game, 21-7.
Del Rio’s defense stood tall early on, forcing Alexander to punt on its first possession, but after the Rams were forced to punt as well, Alexander was able to get its offense going, capping their second drive with a 44-yard catch and go touchdown pass from Santiago Vazquez to Luis Blanco for a 7-0 lead.
While the Rams did find some success with their running game and short passes from quarterback Jayden Mendoza, Mendoza was under duress for most of the game. He was sacked six times in the contest despite his best efforts to turn broken plays into positive gains.
Alexander’s next scoring drive was aided by a pass interference penalty against the Rams that set the Bulldogs up in a first and goal from the Del Rio 10-yard line. On second and goal, running back Gael Rubio burst through the line and rushed up the middle nine yards to the end zone for the score and a 14-0 Alexander lead.
Del Rio’s defense returned to its staunch ways after that. The Rams ended Alexander’s next drive when Jacob Ortiz hit Jayden Gonzalez and forced a fumble that Ortiz recovered to give the Rams a first and 10 at the Del Rio 43.
The Rams went three-and-out and punted, but again the defense stepped up, blocking a 46-yard field goal attempt after Giovanni Rubio shot into the backfield and laid out to swat the ball.
Even when things went right for the Rams, the momentum didn’t seem to last. Two plays into their next drive, Mendoza’s pass over the middle wound up in the hands of Alexander’s Michael Vigil to turn away Del Rio’s hopes of a score.
Alexander used the combo of Vazquez to Joel Mancia to chew up yards and move to the Rams’ 26. A holding penalty pushed the Bulldogs back, then an incomplete pass put Alexander into third down. Vazquez hit Rubio, but Del Rio’s Juan Hernandez snuffed the play with a solid tackle for a four-yard loss. On fourth down, Del Rio’s Humberto Figueroa didn’t give Vazquez time to set his feet as the hulking defensive lineman crashed down on Vazquez and forced an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
Del Rio found the end zone on its ensuing possession. After a three-yard pass to Santiago Ortiz, Mendoza took the snap, rolled out to his right and surged towards the line. He got past the defensive line, evaded the linebackers and kept his feet in bounds as he sprinted down the field. He picked up one last big block downfield before reaching the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown run. Joel Renteria’s point after try was good and the Alexander lead was trimmed to 14-7 with 21 seconds before halftime.
The Rams got the ball to start the second half, but a sack on Mendoza derailed the drive and forced another Fermin Rodriguez punt. It wouldn’t be long before the Rams got the ball back, though, as Rubio couldn’t handle a direct snap and the Rams recovered the loose ball at the Bulldogs’ 48-yard line.
Del Rio gained one yard on its ensuing drive and Rodriguez came out to punt again. Alexander’s Hector Benavides collected it at the Bulldogs’ six-yard line. After outmaneuvering the first wave of defenders, Benavides found some running room down the sideline and never looked back, sprinting 94 yards to the end zone for the score to help Alexander to a 21-7 lead.
The touchdown would be the final trip to the end zone for either team. Del Rio would get as close as the Alexander 13-yard line, thanks to a 38-yard pass to Caleb Villa and an 11-yard line by Nathan Mojica, but a two-yard loss on a run, an incomplete pass and a dropped pass on fourth down sank the Rams’ chances to score.
Del Rio will look to move into the win column Saturday, Oct. 11, when they take on Laredo United at the Student Activity Complex in Laredo at 7 p.m.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
