PSJA rallies past Pioneer 31-24 for first win under Head Coach Horacio Garza

MISSION — PSJA could not have asked for a much worse start Friday night.

The Bears turned the ball over on each of their first two possessions and quickly fell behind 10-0 to Sharyland Pioneer.

They never lost their composure.

PSJA settled in, fought its way back and scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter to beat Pioneer 31-24, giving first-year head coach Horacio Garza his first win with the Bears.

“There was a lot of emotion, a lot of intensity,” Garza said. “We kind of started off a little slow, a little sluggish. The kids did a great job staying poised, staying under control. Defense bailed us out a few times. It just kind of took a little time to get our footing.”

Pioneer turned PSJA’s early mistakes into a field goal and a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead with 4:05 remaining in the first quarter.

The Bears answered with a long scoring drive capped by a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Gael Zambrano, cutting the lead to 10-7.

PSJA went back to the ground on its next possession. Senior Giovani Sanchez helped move the Bears down the field before junior Grayson Cabrera scored to give PSJA a 14-10 lead.

Pioneer answered before halftime, with quarterback Malakai Galindo connecting with Alec Chapa for a touchdown to regain the lead.

PSJA drove inside the Pioneer 5 in the final seconds of the half but settled for a field goal, sending the teams into halftime tied 17-17.

The Bears took advantage of another Pioneer turnover early in the third quarter. Sanchez scored on a short touchdown run to give PSJA a 24-17 lead.

Pioneer tied it again in the fourth when Cole Scurlock broke loose for an 18-yard touchdown run.

With the score tied 24-24, PSJA put together the biggest drive of the night.

Sanchez and Isaiah Garza helped move the Bears down the field, while Zambrano added a big run of his own. PSJA eventually faced third-and-goal from the 16 after a penalty pushed the offense backward.

Zambrano responded by finding Cabrera for the touchdown with less than three minutes remaining.

The extra point made it 31-24.

Garza said Zambrano is still learning after winning the starting quarterback job during the offseason.

“We like to say on-the-job training,” Garza said. “The things that they did in the past are very, very different, night-and-day different than what we’re doing now. There’s a lot of different things that we’re throwing at him, and he’s doing a great job.”

Pioneer still had one final chance and kept the drive alive several times, including a fourth-and-13 conversion by Scurlock.

But the Diamondbacks ran short on time. A late motion penalty resulted in a 10-second runoff, leaving only 1.5 seconds on the clock. Pioneer completed one final pass toward the sideline, but the clock expired to seal the PSJA win.

“I’m proud of our guys, our coaching staff, everybody,” Garza said. “Collective effort, did a great job.”

This victory moves PSJA to 1-1 and gives Garza his first win since taking over the program.

Garza said the Bears are still adjusting to a new system after playing a much more pass-heavy offense in previous seasons.

“There’s been a transition period right now because what they’ve done in the past is really not what we’re doing right now,” Garza said. “The kids have been there every day, they’ve been working their butts off every single day, and they’re learning.”

PSJA now turns its attention to McAllen High on Thursday.

“McAllen High is really, really impressive,” Garza said. “Coach Shelby over there, he does a great job. They’re established, and they’re going to be a tough matchup.”