Southside comeback vs. McCollum results in first 2013 win

TEAMS INCLUDED:Brackenridge, Central Catholic, Holy Cross, Kennedy, Lanier, McCollum, Southside, Southwest.

 

Nathaniel Scott and Jon Cruz provided the big plays Southwest (5-4, 4-1) needed to counter three Corpus Christi King field goals in 14-9 playoff-clinching win Friday in Corpus Christi.

The pair combined for more than 330 rushing yards, including two touchdowns of more than 60 yards for the Dragons. King (2-6, 1-3) led 3-0 after a quarter and was within 7-6 at halftime in the District 28-5A game.

Scott gave Southwest the lead with a 66-yard run with 6:39 until halftime. Cruz broke a 64-yard touchdown dash little more than three minutes into the second half. Justin Aminzadeh completed the scoring for King with 10:01 left in the game with his longest field goal, a 37-yarder.

Southwest limited the Mustangs to 131 total yards while churning out 351 rushing yards. Dragons quarterback Bowen Crisp completed four of five throws for 31 yards.

Brackenridge 23, Lanier 14

The Eagles (6-3, 4-1) qualified for the playoffs and took sole possession of second place in District 28-4A Friday, but have lost their best weapon for an undetermined amount of time.

The Oklahoma State commit left the game on Brackenridge’s second possession because of a head injury. Eagles coach Willie Hall told the Express-News that he was hoping Richards would be able to return for the playoffs.

Despite the adversity, Brackenridge scored twice in the first quarter at the SAISD Sports Complex.

Receiver Marco Marble recovered a teammate’s fumble and scored on a two-yard run with 4:18 left in the quarter. Then sophomore quarterback Antonio Lopez, who gained experience when Richards was injured earlier in the season, connected with explosive Romanique Anthony (136 yards, 4 receptions) for an 82-yard touchdown.

Lopez competed seven of 13 passes for 171 yards.

Early in the second quarter, Olajuwon Reese returned a punt 78 yards to make it Brackenridge 20, Lanier 0. However, the third-place Voks (4-5, 3-2) soon made a game of it.

Lanier junior running back Joe Orta (111 yards, 19 attempts) scored twice in little more than three minutes. Orta reached the end zone on runs of 12 and 17 yards to bring the Voks within a touchdown at halftime.

Brackenridge’s Jesus Millan provided the only points in the second half with a 20-yard field goal just 1:30 before the end.

Lanier’s defense limited the Eagles to 56 rushing yards. The Voks entered the game tied with Brack for second place in 28-4A. Despite the loss, the Voks qualified for the postseason.

Nicholas Garcia passed for 97 yards for Lanier. Julian Castillo added 58 rushing yards. Jacob Munoz had 46 yards on three receptions.

Southside 10, McCollum 7

Southside went from zero to exuberance in the fourth quarter Friday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals (1-8, 1-5) hadn’t scored entering the final period, but launched a frantic comeback to overtake the host Cowboys (3-6, 1-5). The teams now are tied for sixth with Memorial (3-6, 1-5).

Jesus Espinosa got Southside on the scoreboard with a 25-yard field goal at the 5:57 mark. The Cardinals won in dramatic fashion, when sophomore quarterback Johnny Trevino scored on a one-yard run just five seconds from the end.

McCollum took a 7-0 lead on a 67-yard breakaway run from sophomore back Mike Ramirez (113 yards, 16 carries) with 4:47 left in the opening quarter. The Cowboys played without junior Ralph Leal, a second-year starter, who was injured a week earlier against Kennedy.

Junior Nicolas Guerra completed three of four passes for 75 yards. Ramirez made two catches for 44 yards.

Senior Omar Guadarrama led the Cardinals with 64 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Trevino threw for 47 yards and ran for 44.

Southside ended a nine-game losing streak.

Floresville 7, Kennedy 0

Tigers quarterback Kody Wilkerson ran 69 yards for a touchdown 26 seconds into the District 29-4A game and both teams pitched a shutout thereafter Friday in Floresville.

Floresville (7-1, 5-1) maintained a share of first place with the win. Kennedy (6-3, 3-3) is in fifth place and needs to win its final game and get some help to make the playoffs. If the Rockets win against rival Memorial in the Salsa Bowl next Friday, Harlandale would need to lose to McCollum in the Frontier Bowl for Kennedy to grab the district’s fourth playoff spot.

The area’s leading rusher, Rockets senior Matthew Avalos, accounted for 113 rushing yards on 22 carries. Kennedy’s deepest penetration was to the Floresville 20 in the third quarter, following a fumble recovery.

Kennedy sophomore Eric Lira passed for 83 yards. Jeremy Del Toro caught two passes for 36 yards.

Floresville gained 219 total yards, including 169 on the ground. The Rockets mustered 196 yards.

Antonian 40, Central Catholic 14

The Apaches (8-1, 4-0) took a giant step toward a TAPPS District 2-I Friday at Antonian with the win over the Buttons (4-5, 2-2), who saw a two-game winning streak end.

Antonian had a 20-0 lead when Central Catholic scored its first touchdown. Buttons junior quarterback Joseph Nava (79 yards, 19 carries) rambled 18 yards for the score that brought Central Catholic within 13 points at halftime. Nava also completed six of 13 passes for 129 yards.

Apaches back Daniel Rosenfeld ran for 309 yards and five touchdowns. Those included three runs of more than 55 yards.

Rosenfeld scored on runs of 74 and seven yards after halftime to hike Antonian’s lead to 34-7. With 5:33 to play, Nava completed a 35-yard throw to senior Will Barr (4 receptions, 71 yards) for a 35-yard touchdown.

Jacob Rodriguez contributed 88 rushing yards on 23 carries for Central Catholic. Antonian outgained the Buttons 384-270 in total yards.