JV Horses whip Pearsall 36-0; take perfect 9-0 into season finale vs Crystal City

Football season normally starts with you can’t go 10-0 unless you go 1-0, then bumps up to 2-0, then 3-0, etc., as the season progresses. Well, the JV Horses, like the 8th grade Colts, have a chance to keep that loss column spotless with season-ending wins against Crystal City Thursday night.
The JV improved to 9-0 with a 36-0 thumping of Pearsall at Warhorse Stadium last Thursday. The Mavericks kept it close through the first 20 minutes, but the Horses scored 26 second-half points to pull away for the lopsided victory.
Both teams had trouble finding their rhythm the first 10 minutes of the game, as each team traded back and forth non-productive offensive possessions.
Devine took an 8-0 at halftime lead however on a Wero Torres 2-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion. That 9-play scoring drive produced the lone touchdown of the first half for either team.
The second half was a much different story, at least for the Warhorses. Devine running back Jose Moralez popped the Mavericks for a 21-yard touchdown barely four minutes into the third quarter. After setting up the score with a couple of tough runs of his own, Edward Perez converted the two-pointer to bump Devine’s lead to 16-0.
What looked like the second and final touchdown for the Warhorses in the third quarter with 0:13 seconds left simply became just their second touchdown of the quarter moments later.
Devine quarterback Jacob Rodriguez sprinted out to his right to find receiver Samuel Mills in the back of the end zone. Mills made a sensational grab for the 14-yard touchdown reception by dragging both feet in just before falling out of the back of the end zone giving the Warhorses a 22-0 lead. This touchdown-scoring drive was aided by a nice Alfredo Ramirez reception that kept the drive alive in the first place.
On Pearsall’s first play after the ensuing boomed kickoff by Stafford, cornerback Tony Saldivar intercepted a Maverick pass attempt and turned it into an easy 17-yard pick-six with 0:02 left in the third quarter. Teotimo Stafford boothed the extra point.
The third touchdown of the quarter for the Horses took them from a narrow 8-0 lead at halftime to a 29-0 commanding lead in a matter of 10-minutes of game action.
Saldivar punched in the last touchdown of the ballgame on a 1-yard run with 5:11 to go. He set up his own score with a 63-yard run that took the ball to the one. Stafford converted his second extra-point attempt to close out the 36-0 mauling of the Mavericks.
Poppe-talk
JV coach Heath Popped singled out his defensive unit that played exceptionally well all game long.
“The defense played excellent!! We only gave up one 1st down the whole night. We sputtered offensively in the first half with fumbles and costly penalties that took us out of drives. We really picked it up on offense in the 2nd half though. The lineman of the night in my opinion was Wyatt Stevens. He did a great job blocking and he accounted for two of our big runs of the night. I am very proud of all these kids.”
Up next
The JV travels to Crystal City looking for win #10 Thursday. Kickoff is set for 5:30pm.
By Jerel Beaty
Staff Writer