Juarez-Lincoln opens with win after fairytale comeback

LA JOYA - Thursday night in an almost cliché fashion, the home team, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, conjured a fairytale comeback to defeat Hidalgo 35-28 in the closing seconds of fourth quarter.

The Huskies, who were within field goal range, sent their field goal unit out to attempt to put the game away with just under 15 seconds left. The Hidalgo line managed to block kicker Juan Montes attempt, only to find that it took a few lucky bounces into the hands of tight end Jose Garza who ran it in for the score with 8.6 seconds on the clock.

The Pirates could not muster the magic needed to tie it up, as La Joya Juarez-Lincoln forced a fumble to seal the game.

The first half proved to be a crowd pleasing offensive affair, as the Pirates and Huskies combined for 28 points. Hidalgo fired the first blow when quarterback Kevin Trevino threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gino Quiroz, capping an eight play, 68-yard drive.

In the second quarter, after a Huskies punt, the Pirates drove the field again and put it in the end zone with a 2-yard run from running back John Pena, putting Hidalgo up 14-0 with just over eight minutes left in the half. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln would respond with a touchdown of their own that came on a goaline run by Huskies running back Joel Garcia, putting the score at 14-7.

With 22.9 seconds left on the clock, Trevino threw up a bomb to a wide-open Ramiro Sauceda for six. It looked as though Hidalgo would go into the locker room with a two-score lead; that was until another Garcia run, where he cut back, broke a hail of defender tackles and scampered 66 yards as the half expired.

Late in the third, in what was a seemingly foreshadowing play, the Huskies tied the game at 21 apiece when defensive back Gustavo Acuna returned a blocked field goal 85 yards for the score. They would take the lead in the fourth on a 19-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Eros Villareal.

Trevino and his squad answered with a score of their own, on a third Trevino touchdown pass with just over six minutes to go in the fourth to tie the game at 28. A poor snap – and a bit of good fortune for the Huskies — on a punt late in the fourth gave the La Joya Juarez-Lincoln good field position.

A few key runs by Garcia and Villareal, and a pass interference call put the home team on their opponent’s five-yard line, setting up the eventual win.