McALLEN — Close games have followed Palmview all season.
Friday night, one of them put the Lobos in the playoffs.
With the score tied at 35, Palmview converted a fourth-and-two deep in its own territory, drove into McAllen Memorial territory and watched Rosbel Rebollozo hit a 26-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining for a 38-35 win at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The victory improved Palmview to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in District 16-5A Division I and secured the Lobos a postseason berth.
It was also Palmview’s fourth victory this season decided by five points or fewer.
Senior quarterback Edgar Villalpando believes those situations have helped shape the team.
“I think it’s all about the discipline,” Villalpando said. “The last few seasons definitely built up the discipline that we needed to come into playoffs this year, and we just secured our spot in playoffs. I’m so proud of my guys.”
Villalpando played a major role in getting Palmview there.
He opened the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown run on third-and-one, then added another rushing touchdown later in the first half. He also connected with Andrik Cantu for a touchdown as Palmview and Memorial went into halftime tied at 21.
Palmview moved back in front in the third quarter.
Ayden Ramirez broke through for a 46-yard touchdown run to make it 28-21, and Adrian Rivas later scored from 26 yards out to extend the lead to 35-21.
Memorial erased the deficit.
Braxton Speights scored on a 64-yard run before Aaron Ponce connected with Vicente Valdez for their second touchdown of the night, tying the game at 35.
Palmview then faced one of its biggest decisions of the night.
With just over nine minutes remaining and the ball deep in its own territory, the Lobos faced fourth-and-two.
They kept the offense on the field.
Villalpando picked up the first down, allowing Palmview to keep possession and keep Memorial’s offense on the sideline.
The Lobos eventually got the ball back for one final possession, and Rivas helped move them into scoring range.
Rebollozo finished it from 26 yards.
Palmview had been in similar situations before.
The Lobos beat Economedes 24-21, PSJA Memorial 25-20 and Mission 25-21 earlier this season. Friday’s three-point win became the most significant of the group.
Villalpando said Palmview’s development has also come with its transition from the T-slot to the spread offense.
“We have the talent, we have the players, the playmakers to make it all possible,” Villalpando said. “We showed it, we proved it tonight. We have what it takes to run the spread offense.”
Part of that progress has come from Villalpando becoming more comfortable with Palmview’s run-pass options.
“As I started taking my RPOs, they were working,” Villalpando said. “My receivers got a lot of yards based off of those RPOs.”
The win continued Palmview’s response after consecutive shutout losses to Rowe and McAllen High. The Lobos followed those defeats with a 50-6 win over Donna North and now a playoff-clinching victory over Memorial.
Palmview closes the regular season against Rio Grande City with its postseason spot already secured.
After spending much of the season in one-score games, Villalpando believes the Lobos are ready for what comes next.
“We’re there to compete,” Villalpando said. “We’re not scared of anybody. We’ve had our ups and downs throughout the season, but as soon as we get comfortable with this offense, we’re going to show out.”
