La Joya races past Edinburg North, 48–34, behind ground game and timely takeaways

La Joya powered past Edinburg North 48–34 on Thursday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium, using a balanced ground attack and a steady defensive effort to climb back to .500 on the season. The Coyotes improved to 4–4 overall and 1–2 in district play, while the Cougars dropped to 1–7 and 0–3.

La Joya struck first on its opening possession, capping a sustained drive with a short touchdown pitch from quarterback Owen Benoit to Alex Garza, followed by a Jared Ozuna extra point for a 7–0 lead. Edinburg North responded with a scoring pass from Jorge Trevino to Kiandre Estrada, tying the game at seven. A 38-yard field goal by Ozuna pushed the Coyotes back in front 10–7, and La Joya never trailed again.

Benoit credited the team’s preparation for its sharp start. “You know, practice hard — I mean you’ve got to practice how you’re going to play, and we did that this week and it showed tonight,” he said.

From there, La Joya’s ground game took over. Running backs Ramiro Olivarez and Mauricio Mendoza combined for several first downs, and Olivarez powered in a short touchdown run to make it 17–7. Edinburg North answered with a run by Brian Morado, but La Joya responded quickly. Luis Arjona turned a pitch into a touchdown, and later broke free down the sideline for another big score to give the Coyotes a 28–20 halftime lead.

“All the great plays go back to my teammates,” Benoit said. “We’re motivated and we want to get into the playoffs, and every play counts.”

The Coyotes extended their lead in the third quarter when Mendoza found a crease for a touchdown run and Dante Perez hauled in a short scoring pass from Benoit. The Cougars stayed within reach behind another Trevino-to-Estrada connection and a strong run from Jaden Rodriguez, but La Joya answered again. Arjona caught a screen pass from Benoit and turned it upfield for his second receiving touchdown of the night, putting the game out of reach.

When asked about the team’s mindset after halftime, Benoit said, “Just keep going, the game’s not over, the game’s won in the 4th quarter — and that’s what we did.”

Ozuna added a late field goal to seal the 48–34 victory. La Joya’s defense, led by Ismael Garza, Jonathan Gonzalez, and Ezekiel Hernandez, delivered key stops in the second half to preserve the win.

“I say all of them,” Benoit said when asked which drive stood out the most. “I mean, every touchdown I’m celebrating with my teammates — every single drive tonight.”

La Joya will host Economedes on Oct. 30, while Edinburg North will look to regroup at home against Pharr-San Juan-Alamo.