Eagle Pass Winn Mavericks Fall to Laredo Nixon Mustangs 31-7 in District Opener
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2022
The Eagle Pass Winn High School Mavericks fell to the Laredo Nixon High School Mustangs 31-7 in their District 13-5A, Division I football home opener on Friday, September 16, 2022, at the Eagle Pass Independent School District Cozel Foster-Veterans Memorial Stadium in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Pre-game ceremonies celebrated Parents Night for all Winn Mavericks football players, sports medicine trainers, and team managers.
The Nixon Mustangs took the opening kickoff and engineered an 70 yard touchdown drive using a balanced ground and air attack against the Mavericks defense, capping the drive with a two yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rey Gonzalez to tight end Carlos Jimenez and the point after attempt was good to give the Mustangs an early 7-0 lead with 6:52 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
On their first offensive possession, the Mavericks offense went three plays and out as the Mustangs defense clamped on the potent Mavs offense, forcing a punt.
A short Mavericks punt gave the Mustangs excellent field position on their second possession at their own 47 yard line. The Mustangs orchestrated a quick 53 yard touchdown drive culminating with a 22 yard aerial strike from quarterback Rey Gonzalez to wide receiver Alexis Aldana and the extra point sailed through the uprights, extending the Mustangs lead 14-0 with 3:14 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Mustangs stingy defense focused on Mavericks running back Jeremiah Robinson the whole game and on the Mavericks second possession forced another three plays and punt.
Another short Mavericks punt gave the Mustangs a short field at their own 48 yard line on their third possession. The Mustangs utilized a ground attack to punch the pigskin into the Mavericks end zone resulting in a three yard end around by wide receiver Thomas Limon and the point after attempt was good, increasing the Mustangs lead 21-0 with 10:44 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
On their third possession, the Mavericks offense started at their own 38 yard line, but on the third play the Mustangs intercepted a pass from Mavericks quarterback Abiel Cardona at the Mustangs 29 yard line. Turnovers proved to be costly against the Mavericks in the game as they committed three overall, stalling three key drives.
The Mavericks defense held the Mustangs on their fourth possession, forcing them to punt.
The Mavericks offense came to life on their fourth possession as it engineered a long 82 yard touchdown drive on the legs of quarterback Abiel Cardona, culminating on one yard plunge into the Mustangs end zone by Cardona and the point after attempt was good, narrowing the score 21-7 in favor of the Mustangs with 3:28 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Mustangs responded with a 69 yard touchdown drive combining short runs and passes, culminating on a 14 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rey Gonzalez to wide receiver Alexis Aldana and the extra point was good, enlarging the Mustangs lead 28-7 with 13 seconds remaining in the first half. The Mustangs took a 28-7 halftime lead into the locker room.
In the third quarter, the Mavericks defense buckled down and stopped the explosive Mustangs offense while the Mavericks offense gained traction and moved the pigskin down the field, but only to have turnovers kill their long drives and keeping them from scoring and making a comeback.
The Mustangs only score in the second half was a 32 yard field goal by place kicker Alexis Aldana with 6:31 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, extending their lead 31-7.
The Mavericks 31-7 loss to the Mustangs drop their District 13-5A, Division I record to 0-1 and 0-3 overall in the season. The Mavericks fought valiantly, but turnovers and penalties kept them off the scoreboard.
The Mavericks will regroup and prepare to battle the San Antonio Southwest High School Dragons in a key District 13-5A game on Friday, September 23, 2022 at 7 pm at Southwest Independent School District Football Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. Go Mavericks!
