Mission High begins Pena era with win over SA Highlands

MISSION — A town hungry for its team’s return to prominence can definitely get used to this.

Buoyed by big plays and a solid defense, Mission High defeated San Antonio Highlands 34-12 on Saturday at Tom Landry Stadium.

The hiring of Mario Peña as coach and a strong crop of returning players has the expectations running higher than they had been in recent years for the Eagles (1-0).

Although happy with the win, Peña thought the team could have put the game away early.

“I think, last year they started 0-3,” Peña said. “Anytime, you can get that first win under your belt, it is very positive. I am very demanding and very critical. I thought we had a lot of miscues but we are going to get better. I told the kids the potential is here.”

There was a lot of potential to see Saturday.

The first half was highlighted by a 57-yard touchdown run by Luis Zamora and a 56-yard interception return for a TD by Justin Garcia, whose score gave the Eagles a 21-6 lead with 11:42 to go before the half.

Highlands got to within 21-12 with 5:47 left in the second quarter on a Jonathan Armijo quarterback keeper.

The big plays, though, continued in the second half for the Eagles. Mike Reynoso exploded for a lengthy kickoff return, setting up a Zamora 25-yard TD run only 1 minute into the second half.

Reynoso scored on a reverse with 3:36 left in the third after fumbling the ball far behind the line of scrimmage, giving Mission a commanding 34-12 lead with 3:28 left in the third quarter.

During the game, the Eagles showed off its skill players, using nine players that amassed 334 yards in the game.

“Our skills are learning two different positions, and we are going to utilize them,” Peña said.

The Eagles held the Owls to only 163 yards, only 19 coming in the second half. Garcia recorded two picks in the game, and Reynoso finished the game with an interception. It was the type of defense Peña’s teams are known for.

“Coach Peña has a lost of experience,” Owls coach Juan Hinojosa said. “He has already shown to have well-developed programs. He definitely took the steps tonight with this football team to get going in the right direction.”

Peter Rasmussen covers high school sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448.