"It doesn't get better than this," said Coss, "I think that both teams have come to the position where we can both be obviously successful. You can't leave anything out. Obviously after this game, it'll be anyone who runs the table after that."

     When asked about the competition level of the district, Coach Coss added, "Pound for pound, 30-6A is one of the strongest districts, I can tell you that much. We've faced playoff contenders."

     The US coach closed out with his impressions of the Eagle Pass Eagles, "They're really good. That's all that you need to know."

The football coach for the fightin' Eagle Pass Eagles retorted, "These guys (His team) earned it. They put themselves in this situation, and now it's time to show what we can do."

     Two Eagle alumns, former News Gram employee and son of EPISD employee Jesus Carrillo and JV Villaseñor coaching for the Panthers, definitely a subject we will touch upon in the near future, the numerous Eagle Pass players who are coaching across the state.

When asked what we know about South, Gonzalez added, "They're in the same boat we are. We know they're good, they're fast and they play hard, but I think we're the better team and we're gonna go out there and prove it tonight."

The Panthers established a quick lead with a 12 yard touchdown pass from Luis Cisneros to Javier Rodríguez, then Brandon Benavides scored on a seven-yard TD run to put the Gateway City boys up 13-0 early.

But Sir Isaac Stanwick would bring the home team back with the first of three passing touchdowns, a 12 yard strike to none other than former News Gram Player Of The Week Dakota Kypuros, but Benavides would score again from seven yards out to make the score 20-7.

     The thing about this game was the fact that South never took the pedal off the metal and they exemplified this with another Benavides touchdown run from 58 yards away to put the Panthers up big 26-7. 

     Then another News Gram Player Of The Week, Willie Frausto caught Stanwick's second scoring delivery, a 29 yard TD pass to begin creeping up on the US lead after the Alan Losoya PAT, 26-20.

But Cisneros, a 6'0" quarterback with good height, vision, touch and range throwing from the pocket created by 315 pound guard Daymeonn Vercher, 265 pound Anthony Arredondo, 215 pound tackle Emmanuel Alcaraz and manchild Joel Madrigal, all 415 pounds of him up front protecting the QB. Cisneros dropped a 43 yard dime to Rodriguez to extend the lead 33-20.

Sir Isaac scored again on a tough hard-fought four-yard blast to make it 33-27.

Cisneros hit Rodríguez On another touchdown pass from 25 yards right in front of us to extend the lead to 39-27.

While Cisneros was dropping dimes, Stanwick was sticking the ball in between multiple Panther defenders like on the seven yard pass to yet another News Gram Player Of The Week, Kyle Gloria to get the Eagles within five, 39-34.

Then it was up to Special Teams Coordinator Coca Ruiz to run Ambush, the way the New Orleans Saints did in the Super Bowl to get the ball back and end this thing in dramatic fashion, but it was not to be. The Eagles simply ran out of time.

Kudos to Offensive Coordinator Javier Cardenas for calling one heck of a football game.