Trevillion’s big night powers Chargers past Diamondbacks
MISSION — Brownsville Veterans running back Calvin Trevillion doesn’t get many touches on game nights. This season, the senior has eclipsed double-digit carries just twice.
That hasn’t stopped him from putting up numbers, ranking No. 11 in the Valley in rushing with 676 yards heading into Week 6.
Trevillion continued to showcase his big-play ability against Sharyland Pioneer on Thursday, erupting for 214 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries during a 46-21 victory over the Diamondbacks at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.
“The game was awesome tonight,” Trevillion said. “I don’t get a lot of carries, but when I do, I just try to do my job and do what the coaches tell me. Then my guy Cesar (Belmontes) went down with injury so I had to perform for him. At halftime the coaches told us to do it for him, so that’s what I did all night.”
Trevillion helped set the tone early, breaking a 38-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter to put his team up 14-0. The score came after a six-yard touchdown run by fullback Cesar Belmontes on the Chargers’ opening drive.
The Diamondbacks battled back to make it a one-score game on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback William Goodloe to wideout Aythan Calacuayo in the second, but the Chargers answered with back-to-back touchdowns to take a 27-14 advantage into halftime. Trevillion was responsible for one of those scores, while offensive lineman Damian Rodriguez added the other by recovering a fumble from quarterback Jake Saenz in the end zone.
Trevillion picked up right where he left off in the third, scoring his third touchdown of the night to make it 33-14.
“High school football is easy sometimes when you have athletes like this guy (Trevillion),” Ramirez said. “We had 17 seconds to go in the first half and the question was whether we would take a knee and ride into halftime, but I said no because we got Calvin, let’s get him the ball. He almost broke it for a touchdown. We ended up not getting any points off of it, but it is still really exciting.”
Trevillion’s big night was complemented by a gritty effort from backup fullback Manny Escobedo, who came in after Belmontes’ injury. The junior stepped in seamlessly, rushing for an unofficial 94 yards on 14 carries.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Escobedo said. “It is unfortunate he got hurt. Cesar is a dawg. I just had to step up and perform for him. I had to make sure our fullback group looked good and that’s it.”
A 22-yard touchdown pass from Goodloe to Alejandro Mata cut the deficit to nine in the third, but the Chargers responded with back-to-back touchdowns again. Saenz hit a defensive lineman in the end zone for a six-yard score, then added a one-yard touchdown run to seal the game.
Goodloe finished with 120 passing yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 72 yards on the ground. Saenz tallied 39 rushing yards and a score.
The Diamondbacks (4-2) turn their attention to district play, kicking things off Thursday on the road against the Alice Coyotes (1-4) at Memorial Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Chargers look to keep their undefeated streak alive as they begin 32-6A play next week, traveling to Boggus Stadium in Harlingen for a matchup with the Cardinals (1-4).
“Hard-fought win tonight,” Ramirez said. “We had a game plan and an objective. We wanted to work on some things we identified that we weren’t doing really well. We targeted those things. I don’t know how proficient we were. We’ll look at the stats tomorrow, but all in all, anytime you get a win against a quality opponent like we did tonight it is always good. We get to kind of close this chapter. Our non-district season is done. All our attention now goes to our district opponents, starting with the Harlingen Cardinals next week at Boggus Stadium. What an honor and a privilege it is to say that that is what we have next.”
