Pineda, Prepjechal power Falcons past Chargers
LOS FRESNOS — Late in the second quarter, the Brownsville Veterans Chargers found themselves threatening to score and cut Los Fresnos’ lead to one possession before halftime.
A pass over Falcons safety Ryan Prepjechal set up the Chargers inside the red zone for their biggest scoring chance of the night.
The junior defensive back quickly bounced back from allowing the catch, however, intercepting a Jake Saenz pass in the end zone to keep the Chargers off the board.
Prepjechal’s interception was one of three turnovers forced by the junior Friday night, as the Falcons leaned on a stout defense and an efficient offense to cruise past the Chargers 30-7 in a District 32-6A contest at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.
“I’ve got to give all thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Prepjechal said. “Then, of course, my coaches, man. They put us in great spots to execute. As our defensive coordinator, Coach Blackman, says, we have to be disciplined and execute. That’s what we did tonight.”
Prepjechal’s big night started with a fumble recovery during the first quarter, with the turnover leading to senior quarterback Robert Pineda’s second rushing touchdown of the night.
Pineda also scored the game’s first touchdown, finding the end zone from two yards out early in the first.
A seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter put the Falcons up 21-0, with Pineda running in his third touchdown of the night, this time from eight yards out.
He finished with an unofficial 147 total yards and three rushing touchdowns — his fourth three-touchdown outing of the season.
“It’s just awesome to see us gelling and clicking at the right time,” Pineda said. “It just goes to show how hard we work in practice. It sucked missing that game earlier this year, but I trusted my guys. They’ve always had my back no matter what. It feels good that all our hard work is showing. I’m just so proud. It feels so awesome.”
The Chargers answered the Falcons’ long drive with a 15-play, 70-yard scoring drive of their own, chewing up nearly eight minutes before finding the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run by junior Manny Escobedo.
The celebration was short-lived, however, with Prepjechal coming up big once again on the ensuing kickoff — returning it 90 yards to set up a 27-yard field goal by Gio Barrientos that gave the Falcons a 23-7 lead.
Prepjechal put the finishing touches on his big night in the fourth quarter, picking off Saenz for a second time to set up a two-yard touchdown run by senior J.C. Fuentes that sealed the win.
“It feels great,” Prepjechal said. “We put our hearts out on the field. We spent nearly two weeks preparing for these guys. It’s a small town, and we play with a chip on our shoulders. We just want to show out for this town. We grew up wanting to be great at football, and we just let it show out here on Friday nights.”
The Falcons improved to 8-0 overall and 2-0 in district play with the win. They’ll look to secure at least a share of the district title against Harlingen High (2-5, 1-0) next Friday at 7 p.m. at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.
Meanwhile, the Chargers (7-2, 1-2) close out their regular season against San Benito next Friday, with a win clinching their postseason berth. Kickoff between the Chargers and Greyhounds is set for 7 p.m. at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.
