DEFENSIVE PRIDE

LA FERIA - The adage "Defense wins championships" comes with a twist for the La Feria Lions.

Defense wins bi-district championships, too.

Thanks to shutting down and shutting out Robstown last week, the Lions are in the Class 3A Division I regional quarterfinals.

They'll face a mean Bandera team Thursday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Last week, the Lions (6-5) limited the Cotton Pickers to 24 total yards in the second half, allowing them to earn a 3-0 win.

"As a group, they peaked at the right time," La Feria head coach Elifonso Esquivel said. "Sometimes, you bend but don't break. They didn't even bend (against Robstown).

"They were focused. It was a team effort and everybody pulled together. Everybody took care of their business against a good team."

The unit comprised of Kike Oviedo, Bruce Bauer, Ethan Rodriguez, Brandon Barnum, Joel White, John Martinez, Adrian Ibarra, Stephen White, Raul Bowman Jr., Elias Esquivel, Max Rosiles, Randy Rodriguez and Michael Fonseca has seen a maturation process this season.

Early on, a tough non-district slate had the Lions at 1-4 (0-2 in 32-3A) and scratching their heads. They'd given up 409 yards per clip in the rough start.

But as the weeks went on, the Lions started coming around, and they gave up only 325 per outing.

As a group, they've snared 15 interceptions. Fonseca leads the team with four, while Ibarra has three. Linebacker Stephen White is the unit's leading tackler and Esquivel said he's playing at "an All-Valley caliber."

"We don't have any ‘studs' on the defense," Esquivel said. "But we've got 11 guys taking care of their jobs."

The Lions will have to be taking care of their jobs against the Bulldogs.

Bandera, which has won seven straight before last week's playoff bye, averages 437 yards per game offensively (262 rushing). They also average 42 points per outing.

Quarterback Cole Hubble is tops in the San Antonio area in total yardage (3,459 yards). He's accounted for 46 touchdowns (30 passing). Wideout Cole Hicks (44-854, 15 TDs) is the top target.

Esquivel and coordinator Craig Johnson definitely have their sights on Hubble and the Bulldogs.

"He's a Division-I quarterback. He's a playmaker," Esquivel said. "He's had some games passing for 300 and rushing for 200 yards. So he's the one we need to focus on stopping."

While the Lions have a tall order in front of them, they feel

"They've got a solid offense. They kinda cruised through their district," Esquivel said. "So we've got our work cut out for us. But like we tell the kids, we've got nothing to lose."

Armando Garza covers sub-4A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. He can be reached at armandog@valleystar.com.