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Rams Hang 50 on Tigers

By Brian Argabright
Del Rio News-Herald

Published November 07, 2009

LAREDO — Looks like the Del Rio Rams will be returning to Laredo for the first round of the state playoffs.

Del Rio will open this year’s playoffs against the Donna Redskins at Laredo’s Student Activity Center Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Donna, who defeated McAllen Memorial 24-21 on a last second field goal Friday night, finished the regular season with an overall record of 7-3 and was 5-2 in District 30-5A.

The Rams will look to start a little faster, but hope for the same result against Donna as they did Friday night against the Laredo Martin Tigers.

After a sluggish first quarter, the Rams offense, and twice its defense, exploded for 43 points over the next three quarters and finished the regular season with a 50-7 win over the Tigers at Krueger Field in Laredo Friday night.

The win means the Rams finish the regular season with an overall record of 8-2 and a District 29-5A record of 6-1. It’s Del Rio’s best regular season finish since the 1993-94 season in which Del Rio was 10-0.

The Tigers started the game with the ball, but Del Rio’s defense held Martin to four yards on three plays and created the first punt of the contest.

Del Rio’s offense didn’t fare much better on its first possession as two sacks of quarterback Michael Wancho resulted in the Rams eventually turning the ball over on downs.

After another defensive stand for the Rams, in which Tigers’ offense finished with negative-six yards, Del Rio’s offense finally got moving.

A pair of runs by Josh Washington moved Del Rio into Tigers’ territory. After a pair of short runs by the Rams, Wancho pulled the ball down, rolled to his right and raced 33 yards to the end zone for Del Rio’s first score. Jesus Sanchez’s extra point made it 7-0.

Laredo, though, was ready to answer.

After a three-yard run by Mario Treviño, Tigers quarterback Luis Diaz-DeLeon evaded the Del Rio pass rush and looked to head up the far sideline. But instead of running, Diaz-DeLeon stopped and flicked a pass to running back Alex Alvarado. The pass play netted 42 yards and an additional facemask penalty against the Rams put Martin at the Rams’ 10-yard line.

Three plays later, Diaz-DeLeon found the end zone on a keeper through the middle of the line. Ricky Navarro’s kick tied the game at 7-7, which stood as the score at the end of the first quarter.

Del Rio’s next drive ended with a touchdown after three plays.

John Steed picked up six yards on the first play. Washington gained two yards on the next play. And then Washington ran through the Martin defense and rumbled 42 yards for the score. Sanchez’s kick bumped the lead to 14-7 as the second quarter got underway.

After Martin’s next drive was stuffed on fourth-and-three by a Jeff McDaniels tackle, the Rams quickly added to their lead as Washington took the pitch at the Tigers’ 45-yard line and didn’t stop running until he’d reached the end zone. Again Sanchez’s kick was good and the lead was 21-7.

Laredo’s next drive netted a total of seven yards and brought out the punting unit again. Del Rio moved the ball steadily downfield behind the running of Steed, Wancho and Diego Cadena, but on second-and-goal from the Martin 1-yard line, a toss from Wancho to Cadena failed to connect and Laredo recovered the loose ball at its own 10-yard line.

Again Laredo’s offense faltered as Johnny Sanders put the Tigers into a fourth-and-19 situation with a 13-yard sack of Diaz-DeLeon. The punt by Fernie Medina was short and McDaniels returned the kick to the Martin 10-yard line.

A holding penalty put the Rams back at the Tigers’ 18. After a six-yard gain by Washington, Wancho tried to hit McDaniels in the back corner of the end zone for the score. The pass was incomplete, but Martin was flagged for pass interference and Del Rio had first-and-goal at the Tigers’ two-yard line.

Washington scored on the next play, and Sanchez’s kick made it 28-7 with 13 seconds left in the half.

It didn’t take long for the Rams to add one more score to the board before the half ended.

On Laredo’s first play after the ensuing kickoff, Diaz-DeLeon took the snap and looked to his right, trying a pass to Mario Sanchez. But the pass sailed past Sanchez and to leaping Del Rio cornerback Cody Brooks. Brooks intercepted the pass near the 37-yard line and looked to return it for the score.

One last block near the goal line sprung Brooks and he scored as the first half came to an end. Sanchez’s kick was again good and the Rams led 35-7 at halftime.

Del Rio used its second and third string offense for most of the second half, but the first team defense stayed out on the field to make sure the Tigers couldn’t mount a rally.

The Rams’ first drive of the second half ended with backup punter Adrian Moreno, subbing for an injured Ty Fondren, trying to run for a first down after a low snap and being stopped short of the first down marker.

But again the Rams’ defense stepped up as safety Kevin Pierre-Louis intercepted a Diaz-DeLeon pass and returned it 57 yards for the touchdown. The extra point attempt by Efrain Silva was blocked into the air and Brooks came down with it in the end zone for a two-point conversion and a 43-7 lead.

The Rams’ final score came in the fourth quarter as Greg Rodriguez capped off a seven-play drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge. Silva’s kick made it 50-7 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the contest.

Del Rio did have one last chance to score as the Juan “Cowboy” Sanchez stuffed Martin’s Chris Cordova on fourth-and-one at the Martin 29-yard line and gave the ball back to the offense. But after Del Rio drove to the Martin two-yard line, Del Rio head coach Steve Hoffman instructed backup quarterback Parker Hanson to kneel the ball after each snap until the game clock expired.