Meyer, Sharyland have no problem getting past Donna

DONNA — It wasn’t quite the thrilling game familiar with Sharyland, but the Rattlers gladly will take the lopsided win.

Sparked by four Scottie Meyer touchdowns, third-ranked Sharyland defeated Donna 56-21 on Friday at Bennie La Prade Stadium.

“That was what we were trying to do — put the game away early — especially playing a team with a lot of tradition at their home,” Rattlers coach Fred Sanchez said. “Offense took care of business and played very well.”

The win keeps the Rattlers (7-0 overall and 4-0 District 30-5A) undefeated and most likely in the postseason for the second consecutive season.

Sharyland’s defense was key in the way the game played out. Unlike last week, only the Rattlers were moving up and down the field at will. After Week 6’s game against Rio Grande City in which both teams had little trouble accumulating yardage, Sanchez could be heard telling his defense it was better than the way it played.

“You bounce back and refocus,” Sanchez said Friday. “It is a different kind of offensive scheme. Defense stepped it up and played well. They didn’t play so bad last week. It was just the big plays that put some points on the board. We just have to keep working hard.”

It looked as if the defense got the message. Two first-half picks, one by Marcus Perez and the other by Jerry Cavazos, led to Rattlers TDs. In all, the Rattlers forced three turnovers.

“We knew we had to step it up this week,” Cavazos said. “We had a rough game last week and didn’t play like we should have. We knew we had to step it up this week, and I felt like we did.”

The Redskins were limited to 284 total yards, most of it coming when the game was out of reach. Donna, known for its ground game, rushed for only 121 yards.

“We just didn’t play,” Redskins coach Manny Moreno said. “Offensively, we just didn’t play. You have to give a lot of credit to Sharyland. They are a good team. That is all there is to it.”

Even when it looked as if the Redskins (4-3, 2-2) had some life after Joey Chapa scored on a 24-yard jaunt to bring the Rattlers to within 28-7 with 3:23 left in the first half, the Rattlers just marched the ball right back down the field and scored on a Meyer 12-yard run, his fourth score of the game.

Ricky Mata led the Rattlers with 114 yards, 68 of which came on a third quarter TD run. Meyer rushed for 88.

Peter Rasmussen covers District 30-5A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.