Eagle Pass Winn Mavericks Roll Over San Antonio Lanier Voks 17-11 to Clinch 2020 5A, Division I Bi-District Football Championship
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
The thundering Eagle Pass Winn Mavericks rolled over the District 13-5A District Champions San Antonio Lanier Voks 17-11 to clinch the 2020 5A, Division I Bi-District Football Championship on Friday, December 11, 2020 at historic Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, Texas, improving their overall season record to 5-2 and advancing to the second round of Area Championship against the Victoria West Warriors on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 7 p.m. at the San Antonio Northeast Independent School District Comalander Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.
The Mavericks won the pre-game coin toss and deferred to receive the football in the second half, kicking off to the Lanier Voks to open the game.
In their first possession of the game, the Lanier Voks started at their own 40 yard line but the stampeding Mavericks defense made it tough to advance the football, forcing the Voks to punt the ball.
The Mavericks defense led by linebackers Noe Castillon, Lee Roy Alvarez, JP Ramos, and Jeremiah Robinson, defensive tackles Angel Rosales, Rey Flores, Domingo Fuentes, and Juan Estrada, defensive ends Alejandro Alferes and Victor Alonzo, cornerbacks Argenis Gonzalez and Angel De La Torre, and safeties Joey Aguilar and Ty Velasquez stifled the potent Lanier Voks offense during most of the game and rose to the occasion on many Voks’ possessions to seal the Bi-District Championship.
Both the Mavericks and the Lanier Voks’ defenses controlled the first four possessions of the game, but on the fifth possession of the game the Mavericks explosive offense led by standout quarterback Jose Padilla engineered a 60 yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 49 yard burst (run) up the middle of the Voks defense by wide receiver Abdiel Cardona into the red zone and on the ensuing play Padilla scampered for an 11 yard touchdown and place kicker Emanuel Oviedo split the uprights for the point after attempt to give the Mavericks an early 7-0 lead with 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Mavericks offense guided by quarterback Jose Padilla and anchored by offensive linemen Jimmy Joe Lopez, Jose Reyes, Jose Anzures, Alejandro Oviedo, and Raul Riza, and powered by running backs Ethan Cazares and Carlos Soto, wide receivers Michael Olivo, Eric Martinez, Abdiel Cardona, Joe Garza, Mario Olivo, and Edgardo Sanchez, and place kicker Emanuel Oviedo made the key plays when they counted in the game against the stingy Voks’ defense.
Late in the second quarter of the game, the Lanier Voks drove to the Mavericks seven yard line, but the stampeding Mavericks defense held the Voks to only a 24 yard field goal with 3:18 minutes remaining before halftime to narrow the score 7-3 in favor of the Mavericks.
On the ensuing possession, the Mavericks turned over the pigskin on a lateral pass fumble at their own 36 yard line with less than two minutes to play in the second quarter. The Voks sought to take advantage of the Mavericks turnover by attempting a long pass into the Mavericks end zone, but standout Mavericks defensive back Jose Aguilar intercepted the aerial bomb at the goal line to deny the Voks from scoring again immediately before halftime. The Mavericks took a slim 7-3 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Mavericks received the opening kick-off and started a drive at their own 43 yard line, marching to the Voks 12 yard line but a fumble and incomplete pass forced the Mavericks to settle for a 34 yard field goal by place kicker Emanuel Oviedo to extend their lead 10-3 in a defensive battle. The game was a hard-hitting affair between both teams.
Midway through the third-quarter, the Voks started their next possession at their own 20 yard line and were marching into Mavericks territory when Voks’ quarterback Javier Tellez was injured on a play followed by another injury to running back Miguel Monroy, forcing the Voks to bring in reserve quarterback Fabian Perez into the game. The Voks brain trust chose to go to the air against the stout Mavericks secondary when defensive back Joe Garza intercepted Fabian Perez’s first pass attempt and returned it for a 50 yard pick six touchdown return and place kicker Emanuel Oviedo’s extra point sailed through the middle of the goal post to extend the Mavericks lead to 17-3 with 2:36 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Voks fans were stunned.
The never say die Lanier Voks battled back on their next possession and engineered an impressive touchdown drive against the Mavericks, culminating on a five yard dash into the end zone by quarterback Fabian Perez and the Voks two-point conversion attempt was good to narrow the score to 17-11 with 11:09 minutes remaining in the third quarter. All of a sudden, the Voks were one touchdown away from tying the game and an extra point from taking the lead with momentum on their side.
The Voks attempted an onside kick seeking to catch the Mavericks by surprise, but the Mavericks kickoff team recovered the onside kick and started a drive at their own 41 yard line. The Mavericks drove to the Voks 28 yard line, but a holding penalty pushed them back and forced them to punt.
The Lanier Voks started their next possession deep in their own territory at the 10 yard line and steadily marched into Mavericks territory late in the fourth quarter threatening to potentially score a go ahead touchdown, but the stout Mavericks wrecking crew defense once again rose to the occasion in the game as standout linebacker Noe Castillon recovered a Voks fumble to stop the threat at the Mavericks 47 yard line with 4:20 minutes remaining in the game.
The Mavericks offense guided by quarterback Jose Padilla managed the game clock to perfection and gained several first downs to run out the clock to earn the hard-fought Bi-District Championship against the Lanier Voks.
The Eagle Pass Business Journal congratulates the Winn Mavericks on their Bi-District Championship and wishes them all the best in the Area Championship against the Victoria West Warriors.
Roll Mavericks Roll!
