Hanna beats Pace, claims first outright crown since 1969

It’s official. The Hanna Golden Eagles can hang up a 2009 banner that says District 32-5A champions.

For the first time since 1969, the Golden Eagles claimed a district championship as the offensive and defensive lines led the way in Hanna’s 28-7victory over archrival Pace on Thursday night in front of a sellout crowd at Sams Stadium.

"It feels so great," sophomore quarterback Randy Rey said about winning the 32-5A title. "I just want to thank the offensive line, defense, running backs and the crowd for all the support."

Hanna coach Tom Chavez added the players in the trenches played a vital role in the win, which resulted in the first district outright championship since the school switched from Brownsville High to Homer Hanna High in 1973.

"Offensive and defense lines played outstanding," Chavez said. "It’s an awesome feeling, and I’m very proud of everyone and all the hard work they’ve put in the entire season."

Even without star running back Enrique Saldaña, who suffered a head injury during the first quarter that left him watching on the sidelines, the Golden Eagles still pulled through by forcing five turnovers.

Saldaña still managed 112 yards rushing and Hanna’s first touchdown, a 1-yard dive with 5:39 in the first quarter.

Two drives later, Rey found Angelo Quadalquivir down the middle, and the running back made a 36-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown reception to give Hanna its first lead.

The Golden Eagles never looked back after that.

Pace had trouble putting drives together as the suffocating Hanna defense allowed only seven Vikings first downs and 28 yards on the ground.

The Vikings’ best opportunity to score came late during thefourth quarter as Alan Perez caught a 20-yard reception, ending up at the Hanna 5-yard line with 2:07 left in the game. On the next play, Edgar Lee ended the threat by picking off Tostado in the corner of the end zone to seal the victory.

Tostado completed 12 of 21 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown, a 68-yard reception to Perez as the Vikings went up 7-0 on their opening drive.

The Pace quarterback had a stellar game defensively, forcing a fumble and recovering it after stripping Anthony Garza at the 6-yard line during the first quarter. He also picked of Rey on Hanna’s opening drive of the third quarter, but the Vikings could not capitalize.

"(Hanna) played well," Pace coach Rene Medrano said. "We couldn’t get anything going on offense. We sputtered and totally let it slip away from us. The defense did a great job keeping us in the game, but my hat goes off to (Hanna), they did a great job."

Quadalquivir did a more-than-admirable job in place of Saldaña. He caught four critical passes, including a 5-yard TD pass from Rey with 1:35 left in the third. That catch completed a 16-play, 61-yard drive that milked more than eight minutes from the clock.

Tight end Rigo Peña, who had three receptions for 28 yards, put the icing on the cake with a 15-yard TD pass from Rey with 8:20 left in the game.

"It feels great," Peña said of the win. "We worked hard in practice and I’m glad Coach trusted me with the ball, and it felt great (to score the touchdown).

Louie Vera covers District 32-5A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via e-mail at lvera@brownsvilleherald.com.