Eagle Pass Eagles edged by Medina Valley Panthers 22-20 in Football Season Opener
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016
The mighty Eagle Pass High School Eagles rally in the Fourth Quarter against the visiting Medina Valley High School Panthers fell short on an interception by Panther defensive back Andrew Hitzfelder at the Panthers 21 yard line with 1:39 minutes left in the game with the score board 22-20 in favor of the Panthers, stopping the potential winning drive of the Eagles, on Friday, August 26, 2016, in the opening game of the 2016 Texas High School Football Season.
The Eagles received the opening kickoff of the game and drove deep into Panthers territory, but were stopped on a fourth and 16 yards play at the Panthers 27 yard line, turning the ball over on downs.
The Panthers took only two plays to strike the first touchdown of the game on a 14 yards pass from Quarterback Ethan Dowell to wide receiver Tritstan Stivors and the point after attempt by Panthers place kicker Ethan Hassinger was good, taking an early 7-0 lead with 7:09 minutes left in the first period.
The Eagles offense led by Quarterback Ricky Medina and running back Mark Venegas drove deep again into Panthers territory on the second Eagles possession, but once again the Panthers defense stifled the Eagles offense from scoring.
The Eagles defense stopped the Panthers offense on their next possession, forcing the Panthers to punt but the Eagles punt returner fumbled the football and the Panthers pounced on the pigskin at the Eagles 15 yard line. The Panthers scored again on a 32 yard field goal by Panther place kicker Ethan Hassinger, taking a 10-0 lead after the first quarter.
The Eagles offense engineered a long drive and scored their first touchdown of the 2016 season and game on a three yard scamper by Eagles Quarterback Ricky Medina, but the point after attempt sailed wide left to make it a 10-6 game with 7:32 left in the second quarter. This score stood until the third quarter.
In the third quarter, the Eagles coughed up the football to the Panthers on a bad snap from center on a fourth down punt, giving the Panthers possession at the Eagles 21 yard line. The Panthers capitalized on the Eagles turnover and scored a touchdown on a 17 yard pass from Quarterback Ethan Dowell to his wide receiver in the end zone, but the extra point was partially blocked by Eagles defensive back Alan Morales to keep the score 16-6 with 5:16 left in the third stanza.
The Eagles capitalized on a Panther turnover on a bad snap on a punt attempt and recovered the football at the Panthers nine yard line with 3:36 left in the third quarter. Eagles Quarterback Ricky Medina muscled through the Panthers defense to score on a nine yard touchdown keeper and the point after attempt by Eagles place kicker Jose Riojas was good to narrow the score 16-13 with 1:11 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Eagles aficionados sensed momentum shifting in the game, but the Panthers managed to add another touchdown after both teams exchanged possessions on interceptions with a 14 yard sweep to pay dirt by Panthers running back Adrian Sustaita and the two point attempt failed, giving the Panthers a 22-13 lead with 5:37 minutes left in the game.
The Eagles quickly scored on a 54 yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Ricky Medina to wide receiver Ricky Reyes and the point after attempt by Eagle place kicker Jose Riojas was good, closing the score at 22-20 with 4:26 minutes left in the game.
The Eagles defense led by nose tackle Jesus Fernandez, linebackers Alex Alvarez and David Ramos, defensive end Caleb Garcia, and defensive backs Alan Morales and Dee Andre Torres stomped the Panthers offense on their next possession, forcing them to punt to the Eagles.
The Eagles received the football at their own 43 yard line with 2:42 minutes left in the game and marched deep into Panthers territory for the potential game winning drive, but Panther defensive back Andrew Hitzfelder intercepted an errant pass by Eagles Quarterback Ricky Medina to stop the Eagles final drive of the game with 1:39 minutes left and seal the victory for the visiting Panthers, 22-20.
The Eagles fought valiantly to rally in the fourth quarter and give themselves the opportunity to win the game on their last possession of the game, but in the end their turnovers precluded them from winning the game. The Eagles will learn valuable lessons from this game after viewing the game film and will prepare for their next game.
Eagles Head Coach Tom Gonzalez will regroup his players and make the necessary adjustments to prepare the Eagles for their next opponent.
The Eagles fall to 0-1 in the young football season and will now face the Laredo Cigarroa High School Toros next Friday, September 2, 2016, at Shirley Field in Laredo, Texas. Go Eagles!
