MISSION — Mission Veterans took care of the game in front of it Friday night. Now the Patriots can turn their attention to where they will enter the postseason.
Mission Veterans defeated Juarez-Lincoln 43-10 at Tom Landry Stadium, improving to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in District 16-5A Division II.
The Patriots led 7-0 after the first quarter before putting the game away with 22 points in the second.
Quarterback Roman Reyna directed an offense that found success both through the air and on the ground. Alejandro Melendez caught the first touchdown of the night, while Fabian Ruiz and Joseph Vazquez also reached the end zone before halftime.
Mission Veterans carried a 29-0 lead into the break.
The Patriots added two more touchdowns in the third quarter, including another Reyna-to-Melendez connection on third-and-25, extending the lead to 43-0.
Juarez-Lincoln scored its first touchdown with 4:32 remaining in the fourth quarter and added a field goal in the final seconds.
The result continued Mission Veterans’ response to its only district loss of the season.
Sharyland handed the Patriots a 37-29 defeat on Oct. 9, taking control of the District 16-5A Division II race. Mission Veterans has since beaten Roma 45-21 and Juarez-Lincoln 43-10.
Sharyland’s 31-12 win over Cigarroa on Friday secured the Rattlers the district’s No. 1 playoff seed, meaning Mission Veterans can no longer finish first.
The Patriots still have plenty to play for.
At 4-1 in district, Mission Veterans has secured a postseason berth and enters the final week in second place. A win over Sharyland Pioneer in the regular-season finale would move the Patriots to 5-1 in district and secure the No. 2 seed.
A loss could create a tie behind Sharyland and bring district tiebreakers into play depending on the other results.
Mission Veterans travels to Pioneer next Friday with its playoff spot already secured.
What remains to be decided is where the Patriots will be seeded when the postseason begins.
