A.D. Ibarra
-Cozel Foster Veterans Memorial Stadium
Ty Chisum, Mark Venegas and DeShawn Franklin had big plays in Eagle Pass' 27-7 victory over the CC Winn Mavericks Friday night at Cozel Foster Veterans Memorial Stadium as they move to 3-0 on the young season.
CC Winn QB Juan Elizondo and the Maverick offensive line had a good first half leading the Mavericks deep into Eagle territory in the first quarter after solid runs by Deion Alonso and Chris Aranda which included a shovel pass to Alonso for a significant gain but Dante Valdez' 45 yard field goal attempt was wide even though it had plenty of leg to keep the game scoreless after the Maverick defense held their own against Chisum and the Eagles.
The Eagle offense mounted a drive that included first down passes to Rich Gonzalez and Joseph Barrientos ended in a Ty Chisum touchdown to go up 7-0 on the Gonzalo Martinez extra point.
Mark Venegas showed why he is Eagle Pass' premier back as he broke off a 73 yard run for pay dirt on the first play of the next Eagle possession to put EP up 14-0 at the half as he celebrated with the 3,000+ Eagle fans in attendance who braves the elements to witness this showcase of Eagle Pass talent which featured outstanding plays on both sides of the ball in a game which could have been closer than the score indicates save two turnovers, one for each team, and some critical penalties.
Alonso had two breakaway runs in the game and Eagle Pass Sports Central's Coki Perez hit the nail on the head at halftime saying that the stats were the same for both teams after two quarters, "The only difference was the score," said Morris Libson, Jr.
Ryan Pike and the Maverick defense performed well and gave the Mavericks opportunities to score as in the 3rd quarter Elizondo found Brandon Sanchez on a first down pass play then Aranda broke loose on a first down run with 4:00 left in the quarter. Then Julio Ruiz, who showed promise on special teams with a quality 30 yard kickoff return and exceptional punting ability, made his presence felt on the field once more with an eight yard reception for a first down and Ramiro Valdez' catch for nine yards looked promising but Mike Montalvo was there to make the key stop. Things looked promising yet again for the Mavs, but a low snap and a holding call forced Winn to punt it away.
Chisum and the Eagles mounted yet another scoring drive to put Eagle Pass up 21-0
The Mav defense forced another Eagle punt then Elizondo got a first down to the 44 and Deion Alonso took the rock to the Eagle 11 on a spectacular individual effort. Aranda got to the one yard line setting up a one yard plunge into the endzone for the lone Maverick TD.
Pike recovered an Eagle fumble with plenty of time left on the game clock and Winn got as close as the 16, but an intentional grounding call put them out of scoring range.
The Eagles added another score with 5:00 remaining in the game on a 33 yard run by DeShawn Franklin who broke several tackles on his way to the endzone and even RJ Valdez got in on the action on offense with a big gainer on a reverse. The Eagle offensive line looked stout and will enjoy success this season. Martinez' PAT was blocked and the final score was EP 27, Winn 7.
Overall it was a well played game on both sides as both defenses played to win and it serves to remind us that this is a game played by student athletes who are excelling at the amateur level and if professionals make mistakes, so can they. Both teams showed that they can compete, take each other's shots and fire back shots of their own and we can be proud of both teams that these gentlemen are putting on the field.
It's time to support both the Burnt Orange and White as well as the Silver and Black for the rest of this season as district play begins and as our boys seek to make history in having two Eagle Pass football teams in the state playoffs and we'll be there when it happens.