Patriots rally past Falcons for second straight comeback win
MISSION — For a second straight week Mission Veterans found itself with its back against the wall late, needing a score to earn a win.
For a second straight week the Patriots completed the comeback, with junior quarterback Roman Reyna orchestrating a seven-play, 66-yard drive in the final four minutes, capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Joseph Vasquez as Mission Veterans rallied past the Los Fresnos Falcons 35-31 during a non-district contest Thursday at Tom Landry Stadium in Mission.
“We just wanted to control the ball, make sure we don’t fumble and drive down the field,” Reyna said. “We tried chewing up as much clock as we could and try to get that last possession to score. Our defense did their thing too and we came out with that win.”
Both teams struggled keeping possession of the ball during the first half, with the Falcons and Patriots combining for six turnovers through the first two quarters.
Still, both offenses managed to get points on the board despite the miscues, each scoring twice during the first half. Los Fresnos also got a field goal as time expired in the second quarter to give the Falcons a 17-14 lead at the break.
“We played really well there in the first half then we kind of bogged down a little bit,” Mission Veterans head coach David Gilpin said. “Los Fresnos got momentum going. Those guys are good. Coach Cantu runs an outstanding program. We knew it was going to be a battle all the way.”
The second half proved no different than the first, with the two teams trading blows once again.
A 13-yard touchdown run by senior running back Tyler Stachowiak put the Falcons up 24-14 midway through the third, but back-to-back scoring drives by the Patriots put them on top for the fifth lead change of the contest.
Running back Carlos Abrego scored the first touchdown for the Patriots during the third, while Reyna added the second to make it 28-24.
Los Fresnos punched right back, however, with Ben Gabbert giving the Falcons the lead back with a 6-yard touchdown run heading into the fourth.
Mission Veterans wasn’t done yet, however, with the Patriots taking over possession with just over four minutes left in the ball game.
Cool and collected, Reyna marched his team down the field, accounting for 63 of his team’s 66 yards on the final drive to set up the go-ahead score by Vasquez.
Mission Veterans then turned to its defense, with the unit coming up with a turnover on downs on the Falcons final possession to secure the win.
“We got a lot of new guys,” Gilpin said. “I know what it says about how many starters we have, but we only have one. That’s Roman Reyna. That’s 10 new guys on offense. Guys that were playing JV or guys who were backups. We started three sophomores and a freshman. We got some good senior and some players that are doing some good things, but we’re a young hungry football team right now. To come out and win these last two football games at this point in the season, I could not be happier.”
The loss drops Los Fresnos to 3-1 on the year. They’ll look to wrap up their non-district slate with a win as they host Edinburg Vela at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.
Meanwhile, the Patriots turn their attention to district play, finishing non-district play with a 3-1 mark. They’ll open 16-5A DII play against Laredo Cigarroa at 7 p.m Friday at Tom Landry Stadium in Mission.
