By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Friday’s game at East Central couldn’t have started any worse for Del Rio.
The Hornets scored quickly in their first drive, and then returned a Rams fumble for a touchdown, leaving the Rams in a 14-0 hole before fans could even get comfortable in their seats.
That rough start led to a 27-0 loss for the Rams as Del Rio dropped to 1-3 on the season with one game left before the start of district play.
The 14-0 deficit became 17-0 when kicker Bienvenue Byishimo hit a 42-yard field goal.
While East Central was able to move the ball well, Del Rio’s offense sputtered. The Rams went three-and-out on their next possession and punted the ball right back to the Hornets.
East Central quickly moved the ball down the field on back-to-back passes from Isaiah Mackey to Zechariah Jones that chewed up 45 yards and got the Hornets to the Rams 20 yard-line. But Del Rio’s defense stiffened there, allowing just six more yards after that, and Byishimo was sent out to try a 32-yard field goal. The ball struck the left upright and caromed between the goal posts to put East Central up 20-0 just second into the second quarter.
The good news for Rams fans is that the 20-0 score would hold until halftime as Del Rio’s defense began to pressure Mackey repeatedly. The duo of George Avalos and Manuel Padilla combined for a pair of sacks and Daniel Rubio chased Mackey out of bounds for another sack as the Hornets’ final three drives of the half ended with a missed field goal and a pair of punts.
Week two call up Fermin Rodriguez, who has assumed fullback duties and allowed Ethan Matherne to transition more to defense, made an impact for the Rams in the second quarter. He gained 23 yards on the Rams’ final drive of the first half.
Del Rio got the ball to start the second half but after driving near midfield, Zane Hughes was hit and stripped of the ball. East Central recovered at the Rams 40. Five plays later Mackey threw a laser to Joseph Kelly in the end zone for a 26-yard scoring strike. The point after try was successful, and the Hornets built their lead to 27-0.
Rodriguez heard his number called a lot on the next drive for the Rams, carrying the ball six straight times for 34 yards to open the drive. The Rams would drive to the East Central 37 before facing a 4th and 2. Quarterback Eliseo Ortiz took the snap and looked to hand off to Hughes, but some miscommunication between the two players led to Ortiz having to carry the ball himself and losing two yards to turn the ball over on downs.
The teams exchanged punts before the Hornets inserted their reserves. The new batch of East Central players found some success running the ball, but their drive ended when Avalos hit new quarterback Aden Willis and forced a fumble out of bounds on fourth down to put the ball back in Del Rio’s hands.
Del Rio’s final drive had another big run by Rodriguez but ended in a short punt by Rodrigo Tamez. East Central then ran out the clock to end the game.
The Rams will close out non-district play Friday, Sept. 22, with a game at Midland Christian at 7 p.m. at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
