By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
LYFORD—The Bulldogs’ home game against the Rio Hondo Bobcats was billed as a battle between two of the Rio Grande Valley’s best undefeated high school teams four weeks into the season, but the latter left no doubt about who was better, as the 33-7 margin attested.
“Lyford is a big rival. Our players don’t need any motivation at all, and there was a lot of trash talk between both teams on social media leading up to the game,” Bobcat Head Coach Rocky James said. “I couldn’t wait to get started, but once it was over and we looked back at the game film, I thought we played very well overall. Everybody pitched in, special teams, too.”
Even more important, the RH victory put the team at 1-0 in District 16-3A Division 1, while Lyford fell to 0-1. The Bobcats (5-0) have a bye this week, while Lyford (4-1) continues district play against Bishop.
The Bobcats had the game well in hand at halftime, thanks to a relentless defense and the combination of senior quarterback Matthew Lopez and junior wide receiver Sebastian Gonzalez.
Of the four offensive drives, only one ended in an interception. However, the Bulldogs squandered a chance to tie the game on their second offensive drive, which included Noe Leos sack.
On the flip side, the Bobcats used their opening drive, a nine-play drive that ended with a Lopez four-yard pass to Gonzalez with 5:55 left in the first quarter.
After a Lyford punt that landed on the RH 19-yard-line, the Bobcats scored again as the opening quarter ended on a Gonzalez reception from Lopez for 21 yards. Senior running back Mario Lopez had big runs of 33 and 18 yards on the drive.
RH ended the first half with a 25-yard pass from Matthew Lopez to RB Mario Lopez. The nine-play drive began at the Bobcats’ 12 and was highlighted by a 15-yard pass to senior wide receiver Matthew Perez on fourth-and-five.
Senior kicker Hector Vargas was two-for-three on point after attempts to help RH build a 20-0 lead.
Lyford avoided the shutout on its next drive, starting at its own 39. The Bulldogs needed five plays to get on the scoreboard, with junior John Reyna’s quarterback keeper for 17 yards. Senior kicker Diego Medina nailed his PAT.
The Bobcats iced the game late in the third quarter when Matthew Lopez and Gonzalez connected on a 23-yard pass. Vargas kicked the PAT, giving the Bobcats a 27-7 lead.
In the final quarter, RH kept throwing the ball into the air, giving some of the non-starters an opportunity to play. Junior Michael Lopez shone brightest when he caught a 21-yard pass from Matthew Lopez for a touchdown.
Vargas had his PAT blocked with 10:16 remaining in the game.
QB Lopez threw for 261 yards on 17-of-23 completions and five TDs. Receivers Perez and Gonzalez had five and six receptions for 95 and 69 yards, respectively.
Among the Bobcats’ defensive leaders, Matthew Sanchez led with 13 tackles, followed by Ty Alaniz with 10. RH recorded 10 sacks, with Leos in on five of them. He also had six tackles for loss.
The Lyford offense still managed 318 yards.
RH now has a bye week and will next play Bishop at home on Oct. 9.