footballgal
09-12-2009, 02:02 PM
Blocked FG saves E-E win
September 12, 2009 12:13 AM
Armando Garza
RGVSports.com
http://images.onset.freedom.com/rgvsports/medium/kpueol-pitarponsveeyellowjackets5.jpg
Dina Arevalo | Valley Morning StarPort Isabel's Joe Vega is tackled by Edcouch-Elsa defender Santos Garza on Friday.
PORT ISABEL — The skies cleared and apparently so has the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets’ season.
The ’Jackets blocked a potential game-winning field goal as time expired to preserve a hard-fought 14-13 win over Port Isabel at a sloshy Tarpon Stadium on Friday night.
The win is E-E’s first of the year and the expression on head coach Joe Solis’ face afterward affirmed as much.
“I’ve got to take off my hat to our kids,” Solis said. “They knew we lost our quarterback and running back but they never gave up. They worked hard this week and they wanted to win real bad.”
On a night full of late-game heroics, La Maquina got a big play when it counted and it couldn’t have been more dramatic.
After getting the ball on their own 2-yard line with just over two minutes to go in the game, PI mounted a dramatic drive that was kept alive by a miraculous 44-yard shovel pass from Kyle DeMoss to Joe Vega to put the Tarpons at the E-E 31.
Three plays later, PI lined up for a 26-yard field goal that would have capped the comeback. But the ’Jackets broke through to stuff it and the celebration was on.
“We’d been practicing on that all week. We felt we could come in from the right side,” Solis said. “When they called timeout, we brought them over and I told the kids that we could still win the ballgame. Our only chance was to block it.”
PI falls to 1-2.
“We played hard,” Stumbaugh said. “I never underestimated them. They’re a very good football team. But I’m proud of our kids. They played their tails off.”
The Jackets (1-2) went up 14-0 at the half, thanks to a 61-yard TD run from D.J. Villalpando (17 carries, 151 yards) and a 15-yard romp by Xavier Perez.
“We finally scored,” Solis said of E-E’s first touchdowns of the young season. “But it’s great. I have a lot of respect for Coach Stumbaugh. It was a great ballgame. Both teams played a fair, tough ballgame and, unfortunately, someone had to lose.”
The Tarpons had some miscues in the first half, including a fumble that kept them off the scoreboard. But they finally got going in the second half on a lightning rod of a play.
DeMoss scrambled and, just before crossing the line of scrimmage, unleashed a bomb to a wide-open Blake Sapp, who sprinted in for a 75-yard touchdown. The extra point cut the deficit in half with 4:08 left in the third.
Later, Joe Vega’s 15-yard burst up the gut cut it to 14-13. The kick was short, preserving E-E’s lead.
For the next couple of possessions, the teams traded defensive stands and a cramped Tarpon Stadium crowd was on its feet.
“I feel great. We got the monkey off our backs and this is one of the better victories I’ve ever been a part of,” Solis said. “Now we’ve got a week off and we’re going to recuperate. We’ll be ready for district.”
http://www.rgvsports.com/articles/win-5057-1st-blocked.html
September 12, 2009 12:13 AM
Armando Garza
RGVSports.com
http://images.onset.freedom.com/rgvsports/medium/kpueol-pitarponsveeyellowjackets5.jpg
Dina Arevalo | Valley Morning StarPort Isabel's Joe Vega is tackled by Edcouch-Elsa defender Santos Garza on Friday.
PORT ISABEL — The skies cleared and apparently so has the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets’ season.
The ’Jackets blocked a potential game-winning field goal as time expired to preserve a hard-fought 14-13 win over Port Isabel at a sloshy Tarpon Stadium on Friday night.
The win is E-E’s first of the year and the expression on head coach Joe Solis’ face afterward affirmed as much.
“I’ve got to take off my hat to our kids,” Solis said. “They knew we lost our quarterback and running back but they never gave up. They worked hard this week and they wanted to win real bad.”
On a night full of late-game heroics, La Maquina got a big play when it counted and it couldn’t have been more dramatic.
After getting the ball on their own 2-yard line with just over two minutes to go in the game, PI mounted a dramatic drive that was kept alive by a miraculous 44-yard shovel pass from Kyle DeMoss to Joe Vega to put the Tarpons at the E-E 31.
Three plays later, PI lined up for a 26-yard field goal that would have capped the comeback. But the ’Jackets broke through to stuff it and the celebration was on.
“We’d been practicing on that all week. We felt we could come in from the right side,” Solis said. “When they called timeout, we brought them over and I told the kids that we could still win the ballgame. Our only chance was to block it.”
PI falls to 1-2.
“We played hard,” Stumbaugh said. “I never underestimated them. They’re a very good football team. But I’m proud of our kids. They played their tails off.”
The Jackets (1-2) went up 14-0 at the half, thanks to a 61-yard TD run from D.J. Villalpando (17 carries, 151 yards) and a 15-yard romp by Xavier Perez.
“We finally scored,” Solis said of E-E’s first touchdowns of the young season. “But it’s great. I have a lot of respect for Coach Stumbaugh. It was a great ballgame. Both teams played a fair, tough ballgame and, unfortunately, someone had to lose.”
The Tarpons had some miscues in the first half, including a fumble that kept them off the scoreboard. But they finally got going in the second half on a lightning rod of a play.
DeMoss scrambled and, just before crossing the line of scrimmage, unleashed a bomb to a wide-open Blake Sapp, who sprinted in for a 75-yard touchdown. The extra point cut the deficit in half with 4:08 left in the third.
Later, Joe Vega’s 15-yard burst up the gut cut it to 14-13. The kick was short, preserving E-E’s lead.
For the next couple of possessions, the teams traded defensive stands and a cramped Tarpon Stadium crowd was on its feet.
“I feel great. We got the monkey off our backs and this is one of the better victories I’ve ever been a part of,” Solis said. “Now we’ve got a week off and we’re going to recuperate. We’ll be ready for district.”
http://www.rgvsports.com/articles/win-5057-1st-blocked.html