DeeAndre Torres scored from 10 yards out on this drive to put the Border Birds up 7 to 0.
"They scored three consecutive touchdowns on us, two through the air and one on a wingback trap that we overplayed,” said Head Coach Tom Gonzalez.
The score was 20 to 7 until the Eagles drove the ball and matriculated it down the field to the :03 mark before a 37 yard field goal off the toe of Jose Riojas made the halftime score 20 to 10.
Gonzalez informed The Eagle Pass News Gram of just what was discussed in the locker room at halftime.
"We just talked about the fact that we had to play better," said Gonzalez. "We just weren't playing our game."
The pep talk worked because the Eagles definitely found their identity in what Gonzalez called War Eagle Offense and Land Shark ‘D’, putting a vice grip on the Alexander offense. They held the Bulldogs scoreless in the second half and held them to only one first down.
QB Richie Luna scored on a five-yard run in the third quarter to make it 20 to 17, then Jose Riojas caught a 15 yard pass from Luna to give the Eagles a lead they would never relinquish, 24 to 20 capping off two scores in their first two possessions of the first half.
The scoring halted with both defenses holding their own until 5:00 left in the game, when the Eagles drove the ball down the field and capped off the final scoring drive with a 25 yard blast up the middle by running back DeeAndre Torres to seal the deal for the home team.
Jose Riojas, who may be getting The News Gram Player Of The Week nod for his performance in this game, had an incredible 71 yard punt and had to chase a bad snap 20 yards to manage to get off another, pinning Alexander deep in their own territory, also had six catches for 95 yards, and a 37 yard field goal.
Torres had 175 yards rushing in this game, Luna had 168 yards passing and 27 yards rushing, and the offensive line did a magnificent job up front, according to Coach Gonzalez.
On the defensive side, standouts included Defensive End Mario Torres, Defensive End Boy Rocha who had three batted balls at the line of scrimmage, Middle Line Backer Haran Rodriguez had himself a solid game along with sophomore Cornerback Eric Heredia who came in for an injured Ryan Chisum, and Defensive Tackle Sebastian Hernandez who also turned in another great defensive performance.
"Alexander had good passing yards in the first half, but only one first down in the second, and offensively we moved the ball real well,” said Coach Gonzalez. “Our kids played with exceptional heart and attitude in the second half."
