By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
RIO HONDO—With the San Diego Vaqueros claiming a 22-21 home victory over the Bobcats last Friday, they are in full control of the District 16-3A rankings as they take on the Bishop Badgers (2-3 district) on the road this week.
Meanwhile, the Rio Hondo Bobcats host the Raymondville Bearkats (4-1 district).
RH and San Diego are 8-1 on the season. The Bobcats are 4-1, and the Vaqueros are 5-0 in district play.
Regardless of the outcome against Bishop, the Vaqueros claimed the district’s top seed heading into the playoffs.
Win or lose, the Bobcats will know their next playoff opponent, RHHS Head Coach Rocky James said.
If they win, they play Goliad; if they lose, they play Orange Grove. A date has yet to be determined, but the neutral site could be Falfurrias or Tuloso Midway, Coach James said.
“We stayed positive with our players and told them the season is not over. After the next game, the second season starts, so they need to remain focused,” Coach James said.
In the game against San Diego, the Bobcats appeared to have matters under control, holding double-digit leads a couple of times in the first half. But San Diego responded with touchdowns each time, and the Bobcats trailed 21-16 at halftime after falling behind 14-10 in the first quarter.
The Vaqueros then scored another TD in the second half, ending the scoring.
Moving the ball didn’t prove problematic for Rio Hondo, but finishing an offensive drive did.
The Bobcats had a couple of opportunities to score deep in San Diego territory but were stuffed twice on fourth down and at the goal line, and an end zone interception by Aziah Biscarro.
“It was a devastating loss that I think we should have won, but we didn’t make enough plays in the second half,” Coach James said.
As for stats, RH players once again finished the game with impressive numbers.
Quarterback Matthew Lopez threw for 225 yards on 13-of-20 completions. He threw a couple of TD passes to Manny Perez and Michael Lopez. He wasn’t sacked.
Their counterpart QB Villagran passed for 206 yards, completing half of his 24 passes.
The Bobcats’ rushing game totaled 113 yards from four players. Starter Mario Lopez, however, had a season-low 63 yards on the ground. He did score once.
For San Diego, running back Nicholas Luera rushed for nearly 200 yards on 30 carries and scored twice.
Defensively, RH had an interception from Rolando Pastrana and sacks from Noe Leos Matthew Sanchez, and Freddy Garza.
Collectively, RH was on 18 tackles for a loss, making San Diego earn its district victory.